Union Refrigerator Transit Line

The Union Refrigerator Transit Line (URT) was a St. Louis, Missouri- and Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based private refrigerator car line established in 1895 by the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company. In 1929, the General American Tank Car Corporation acquired the URT and placed its rolling stock into lease service. In the early 1970s the company, then operating as the General American Transportation Corporation (GATX) liquidated its URT subsidiary along with its outdated wooden reefer fleet.

Union Refrigerator Transit Line, 1930–1970:

1930	1940	1950	1960	1970
4,581	7,481	5,726	5,237	3,340

Source: The Great Yellow Fleet, p. 17.

References

White, John W. (1986). The Great Yellow Fleet. Golden West Books, San Marino, CA. ISBN 0-87095-091-6.
White, Jr., John H. (1993). The American Railroad Freight Car. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland. ISBN 0-8018-5236-6.

Further reading

Greedy, John A. (1997). "Milwaukee Road's Union Refrigerator Transit Lines 37000-Series Steel Ice Reefers." The Milwaukee Railroader 27 (2) 4–7.

Major private refrigerator car lines of the United States

American Refrigerator Transit Co. · Armour Refrigerator Line · Burlington Refrigerator Express ·
Fruit Growers Express · General American Transportation Corporation · Hormel and Co. · Merchants Despatch · North Western Refrigerator Line · Pacific Fruit Express · Railway Express Agency ·
Santa Fe Refrigerator Despatch · St. Louis Refrigerator Car Co. · Swift Refrigerator Line · Tropicana Products ·
Union Refrigerator Transit Line · Western Fruit Express · Western Refrigerator Line