Fruit Growers Express

Fruit Grower's Express

Industry	Transportation
Founded	1920
Headquarters	Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
Area served	Eastern United States
Services	Freight Car Repair
Parent	CSX Corporation
Website	http://www.csx.com/

File:Fruit Growers Express at Strasburg - Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.jpg

Wooden FGE reefer car at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.

Fruit Growers Express (FGE) was a railroad refrigerator car leasing company that began as a produce-hauling subsidiary of Armour and Company's private refrigerator car line. Its customers complained they were overcharged. In 1919 the Federal Trade Commission ordered the company's sale for anti-trust reasons.

File:FGE car rusted.jpg

FGE car showing CSXT marking to the left.

The company is now controlled by the CSX Corporation.

Incorporated on March 18, 1920 the firm took possession of 4,280 pieces of rolling stock, repairs shops at Alexandria, Virginia and Jacksonville, Florida, and numerous ice plants and other facilities scattered throughout the East Coast on May 1. By year's end, the Chicago and Eastern Illinois, New Haven, and Norfolk and Western railroads became major stockholders.

In order to compete with the Pacific Fruit Express and Santa Fe Refrigerator Despatch in the west, FGE and the Great Northern Railway formed the Western Fruit Express (WFE) on July 18, 1923, a move that added 3,000 cars to the equipment pool. By 1926, FGE had expanded its service into the Pacific Northwest and the Midwest through the WFE and the Burlington Refrigerator Express (BREX), its other partly owned subsidiary (formed in partnership with the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q) on May 1). That same year, FGE purchased 2,676 36-foot-long (11 m) reefers from the Pennsylvania Railroad.

In February, 1928 FGE formed the National Car Company as a subsidiary to service the meat transportation market. Customers included Kahns, Oscar Mayer, and Rath Packing.

Fruit Growers Express Roster, 1920–1980:

1920	1930	1940	1950	1960	1970	1980
4,280	8,025	14,114	12,063	12,446	8,384	3,182

External links

• The Florida Railroad Company Inc. / The Fruit Growers Express Company Short History of Fruit Growers Express
• Fruit Growers Express Company #35832 — photos and short history of an example of the wooden ice-type "reefers" commonly placed in service between 1920 and 1940.
• Fruit Growers Express Company #56415 — photos and short history of an example of the wooden ice-type "reefers" used in the first half of the 20th century for shipping produce.