QUICK FACTS

Model: 62’ insulated boxcar
Built: November 1973
Builder: Fruit Growers Express, Alexandria, VA
Past Railroad Owners: Seaboard Coast Line, Seaboard System, CSX Transportation
Current Owner: Tri-States Railway Preservation Society, Inc.

Boxcar No. 498936 was built in November of 1973 by Fruit Growers Express at their plant in Alexandria, Virginia as Seaboard Coast Line No. 498936. It was part of a 210-car order of 62-foot long, 6,027-cubic-foot capacity insulated cars (SCL Nos. 498888-499097) built for fruit service for growers in the southeast, and this car was used primarily to haul oranges from Florida to points in the tri-state area. Since the early 1970s, nearly all citrus fruit in northeastern supermarkets - including those in Port Jervis - has been shipped by rail in cars like this one.

Delivered in Fruit Growers Express “reefer yellow” paint with SCL sublettering, the No. 498936 was transferred to the Seaboard System when it absorbed the Seaboard Coast Line on December 29, 1982. The Seaboard System was renamed to CSX Transportation on July 1, 1986, and the car was again transferred to its new owner. CSX renumbered the car to CSXT No. 198936, a number that it wore until its retirement in early 2022, when CSX Transportation donated the car. It arrived in Port Jervis on March 7, 2022.

This car represents the thousands of similar boxcars that traveled through Port Jervis regularly from the 1970s through today, transporting many of the foods found in our local grocery stores. This fully insulated car wears its original “reefer yellow” color and will be restored to its original SCL/FGE appearance and number (using artwork graciously provided by Dan Kohlberg of Illinois Central Gulf Decals). This boxcar will eventually hold additional historical exhibits and a train layout depicting local railroad scenes.