Express Box Cars and Express Reefers

I don't think so.  The capacity of the car is stenciled on the side.  The cars used in passenger service had high speed passenger trucks and pass through lines for steam and/or electrical.

not capacities, but in some case, uses.

for example some PRR R50B reefers were used for hauling mail when volume demanded it. this practice also occured on many railroads across the country. cars designed for cooled lading carrying dry goods not needing refrigeration.

No.

Did express box cars, express reefers and express baggage cars have two

capacities?  One if in a passenger train and a heavier one if in a freight

train?

In a few cases, yes.  According to the Great Northern Passenger Car Diagrams (1968) the series 2200-2249 express reefers had 100,000 pound capacity but were limited to 65000 pounds when in passenger service.  See attachment.

The series 2500 express boxcars were similarly limited to 60000 pounds in passenger service, and the series 2600 express boxcars were limited to 76000 pounds. Both types were rated 100000 pounds capacity in freight service.

With overhead meat rails, the high center of gravity of fifty tons of swinging beef may have necessitated speeds slower than passenger trains.

John

On ice cooled reefers the ice was considered as part of the car.  A car on 5 X 9 journals would normally have a capacity of around 40 tons. But for reefers, since the ten tons of ice was considered as part of the car, the stenciled capacity would be around 30 tons. Frequently reefers would return west for the next cooled load with a commodity that did not require cooling, so the car could be loaded to the capacity plus the allowance for the ice.  I recall seeing reefers loaded with telephone books being unloaded in San Francisco.

That's very interesting, GN Man.  Great Northern marched to its own drum in many ways, and I guess it should not be a surprise that they addressed this matter.  

I do not recall seeing any such instruction on Santa Fe.  Perhaps, buried deep within the passenger service general instructions of railroads other than GN, there could have been a maximum weight restriction on any car used in passenger service, which would have included all kinds of express cars (?)

I think the ATSF DID have dual markings for freight/passenger.  I do have an ATSF express box.  I'll look.