Whipple Car CompanyChicago, New York & Boston Refrigerator Company
Whipple specialized in the building and repair of refrigerator cars. On 3 May 1893 it established a wholly owned subsidiary, the Chicago, New York & Boston Refrigerator Company, as a private car line to operate refrigerator cars carrying meat and dairy products in east-west traffic between Chicago and the Eastern seaboard through the northern states and Canada on the Grand Trunk, Central Vermont and Boston & Maine railroads. [Merrilees] [Where did I read about this "movement," Armour and the rest? White? Chicago and the Great West? See article on Tiffany???] [Need explain what a "private car line" was and how they came about?] When the Grand Trunk Western bought out Whipple in 1913, it became parent of the Chicago, New York & Boston Refrigerator Company. [Merrilees] In 1869, the GTW had been one of four railroads instrumental in establishing another private car line, the National Despatch Line. (The other three being the Vermont Central, the Rutland and the Boston & Lowell.) We don't yet know the whys and wherefores, but shortly after the GTW replaced Whipple as parent of the Chicago, New York & Boston Refrigerator Company, in 1914, the National Despatch line was dissolved, while the Chicago, New York & Boston Refrigerator Company continued to do business. White/Freightcars-131 says, “... one branch of the old National Despatch Line continued on as the Chicago, New York & Boston Refrigerator Company, later a subsidiary of the Canadian National Railway.”
National Despatch Line - - National Despatch was a private car line founded by the Grand Trunk, Vermont Central, Rutland and Boston & Lowell railroads in 1869. [W/F-131] VC officials took stock in NDL, then worked to direct traffic to NDL rather than VC. Also had cars built for NDL by VC shops at just a little over cost. This was not unusual activity for RR officials out to feather their own nests at expense of RR stockholders. [W/F-133] Because owners of private cars got mileage fees from railroad as well as regular tariff that would otherwise have been paid to railroad. Cost of shipping by private car were no greater to shipper, but not only deprived RR of revenue, but mileage fee from RR meant they lost money when shippers used private cars. Hence private car lines were profitable even when RRs were losing their shirts. Also, in a day before effective interchange, private cars got long hauls and racked-up high mileage, while RRs got short hauls of low-value cargoes. [W/F-134] National Despatch was patron of Tiffany Refrig. In Feb 1880 had 100 in operation and same # on order. 18 mos later had 300 carrying dressed beef between Chi and NY in 6 days. W/in few yrs was carrying citrus Chicago - NY in 4 days 3 hrs. [W/F-275] If desirable can tell about adjustable-gauge trucks [W/F-450] N-D was dissolved 1914, but one "branch" "continued on" as the Chicago, New York & Boston Refrigerator Company, later subsidiary of C-N. [W/F-131]
“Immediately prior to federal control [presumably the USRA], the Car Company [CNY&BRCo.] owned 1,340 refrigerator cars, which were operated over various lines of railroad under contracts with the railroad companies.” [Chicago Refrigerator Co. v. Interstate Commerce Commission, 265 U.S. 292 (1924), Online (Dec 2005) at http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=us&vol=265&invol=292 ] NDRX reporting marks NYDX reporting marks
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