Train Miniature began making model HO locomotive and cars in the 1960's.
Although they produced both locomotives (FA-1) and freight cars, they became
best known for their "Billboard Reefers and Boxcars" from the 20's and 30's.
After almost 25 years of producing model trains, in the 1985 they were
purchased by Walthers. Walthers now produces the TM line of billboard
reefer cars. Today the original Train Miniature billboard refrigerator and
box cars are still quite popular. Amazingly, they can still be found on
eBay and at model railroad flea markets unassembled and sealed in their
original boxes from collectors who purchased them many years ago.
Text from a Nostalgia 3-pack:
What's a billboard car...?
The most colorful and individualistic freight cars in the world - the
"Private Owner" freezers and box cars of the turn-of-the-century era of
railroading. Outlawed by the I.C.C. in the early thirties, as an unfair
advertising practice, they have now become legend. Their popularity,
though, lives on with rail fans, and Train-Miniature's constantly expanding
line continues to feature new examples of these appealing cars. Start your
collection now!
This is a list of Train Miniature (TM) cars. A sample picture is included
where possible. In some cases, mainly for rare cars, I list the highest
price (shipping included) that I've seen this car sell for on eBay.
Whether or not a car is considered "rare" is subjective. It is based
on how often I see this car on eBay or at model railroad flea markets.
I welcome any information updates for this page.
| TM Item # | Description | Photo Link | Notes |
|---|
| 2031 | Dutch Masters Cigars |  | $24 |
| 2032 | Wolf Bros Stogies |  | $16 |
| 2033 | Roi-Tan Cigars |  | $20 |
| 2034 | Between the Acts Cigars |  | $20 |
| 2035 | Phillies Cheroot Cigars |  | $32 |
| 2036 | King Edward Cigars |  | $27 |
| 2037 | El Producto Cigars |  | $67 |
| 2038 | Ben Franklin Cigars |  | $34 |
| 2039 | White Owl Mild Cigars |  | red |
| 2040 | Wm Penn Cigars |  | $19 |
| 2041 | Muriel Panatellas Cigars |  | $34 |
| 2042 | House of Windsor Cigars |  | $19 |
| 2051 | Pennsylvania Steel Box Car |  | |
| 2052 | Baltimore & Ohio Steel Box Car |  | |
| 2053 | CNJ Box Car |  | |
| 2054 | Reading | | |
| 2055 | Lehigh & New England Steel Boxcar |  | |
| 2056 | Nickel Plate Road | | |
| 2057 | PRR Steel Box Car | | |
| 2058 | NYC Steel Box Car |  | |
| 2101 | SP Box Car |  | |
| 2102 | Chicago Rock Island & Pacific Box Car | | |
| 2105 | Milwaukee Boxcar |  | |
| 2107 | NC&StL Box Car |  | |
| 2151 | Northern Pacific |  | |
| 2154 | Soo Line Box Car | | |
| 2157 | Chicago & North Western | | |
| 2201 | Western Pacific | | |
| 2202 | Union Pacific wood box car | | |
| 2203 | Missouri Pacific wood box car | | |
| 2204 | D&RGW box car | | |
| 2205 | Norfolk & Western box car | | |
| 2206 | Cotton Belt Blue Streak |  | |
| 2207 | SLSW Cotton Belt Box Car |  | |
| 2208 | SAL Wood Box Car |  | |
| 2209 | Jersy Central Wood Box Car |  | |
| 2210 | West India Fruit & Steamship |  | |
| 2211 | Alton Railway | | |
| 2212 | Northhampton & Bath | | |
| TM Item # | Description | Photo Link | Notes |
|---|
| 2301 | Pacific Fruit Express UP SP |  | |
| 2302 | URT CMSP&P |  | |
| 2303 | | | |
| 2304 | American Referigerator Transit |  | |
| 2305 | Santa Fe All The Way Reefer |  | |
| 2306 | | | |
| 2307 | Merchants Despatch Refrigerator Line (NYC) |  | |
| 2308 | Fruit Growers Express |  | |
| 2309 | Burlington Reefer |  | |
| 2313 | URT Schlitz Beer |  | |
| 2314 | Canada Dry | | |
| 2315 | URT Blatz Old Heidelberg | | |
| 2316 | URT Pabst-ett Blue Ribbon Beer |  | |
| 2317 | Sonoma City Wines - Scatena Brothers | | |
| 2318 (8084) | Edelweiss Brew | | $16 |
| 2319 | Robin Hood Beer |  | $25 |
| 2320 | Peerless Beer (Elfenbrau) |  | |
| 2321 | Heileman's Old Style Lager |  | |
| 2322 (8072) | Goetz Country Club |  | |
| 2323 (8074) | URT Prima Special |  | |
| 2324 | Miller High Life - Eagle | | |
| 2325 | URT Atlantic & Pacific Tea |  | |
| 2326 | unknown | | |
| 2327 | URT Carnation Milk |  | |
| 2329 | Marhoefer Packing |  | |
| 2330 | Dubuque Steel Reefer |  | |
| 2342 | Blue Ribbon Beef |  | |
| 2343 (8110) | Needham Packing Co |  | |
| 2346 | ASCO Milk |  | |
| 2350 | Frigicar (North American Despatch) |  | white |
| 2351 | Pacific Fruit Express | | |
| 2352 | American Referigerator Transit (Wabash, MP) |  | |
| 2353 | Kingan, Inc. |  | |
| 2354 | Safeway Foods |  | |
| 2356 | Railway Express Agency |  | |
| 2375 | Swifts Premium |  | |
| 2377 | ASCO Milk Reefer |  | |
| 2378 | Doggie Dinner (Simpson Products Company) |  | rare |
| 2379 | Spencer Chemical Co |  | |
| 2380 | Patrick Cudahy Reefer Car | | |
| 2384 | URT Miller High Life | | |
| 2401 | Armour (Cloverbloom Butter) |  | |
| 2402 | Ralston Purina Co. |  | |
| 2403 | St Louis Car Co |  | |
| 2405 | Green Bay & Western Wood Reefer |  | |
| 2406 | Pacific Fruit Express (UP-SP) | | |
| 2407 | Rath Packing Company - Black Hawk |  | |
| 2408 | Mathieson Carbon Dioxide |  | |
| 2409 | | | |
| 2413 | Anheuser-Busch Budweiser Beer |  | green |
| 2414 | Schlitz Beer |  | 1 blue globe |
| 2415 | Carling's Canadian Ale | | |
| 2417 (8070) | Century Beer (PH Schneider Brewing) | | |
| 2418 | Genesee Brewing Co. |  | $25 |
| 2419 | Monarch Brewing (Bull Frog Beer) | | |
| 2420 | Narragansett Banquet Ale |  | |
| 2424 | | | |
| 2442 | Kohrs Meat |  | rare |
| 2443 | Sunrise Onion Sets |  | rare |
| 2447 (8092) | Grand Union Food Markets |  | |
| 2450 (8098) | Heinz 57 Tomato Ketchup |  | $40 |
| 2454 (8114) | Krey's Ham & Bacon |  | |
| 2456 | Great Northern 42' Hart Convertible Gondola | | |
| 2457 (8119) | Wisconsin Canners Association |  | |
| 2458 (8121) | Michigan Alkali Co. |  | |
| 2464 (8111) | URT Pabst-ett Milwaukee |  | $25 |
| 2501 | Pacific Fruit Express (UP-SP) |  | yellow |
| 2502 | D&RGW Stock Car | | |
| 2504 | Santa Fe stock car | | |
| 2505 | C&O Stock Car |  | |
| 2506 | NYC Stock Car | | |
| 2507 | | | |
| 2511 | Illinois Central 40 ton A.R.A Steel Reefer |  | |
| 2512 | Pacific Fruit Express (UP-SP) Steel Reefer | | silver |
| 2513 (8081) | Anheuser-Busch Budweiser Beer |  | white |
| 2514 | Coors Beer - Golden |  | white |
| 2515 | Chateau-Martin Wines | | |
| 2516 | P. Ballantine & Sons Ale |  | |
| 2517 | Tivoli Beer | | |
| 2518 | Berghoff Brewing Company |  | |
| 2519 (8085) | Silver Edge Beer |  | |
| 2520 (8112) | URT Schlitz Beer |  | 2 blue globes |
| 2521 | Walker's London Dry Gin |  | $31 |
| 2522 | Stroh's Bohemian |  | $21 |
| 2523 | Lone Star Beer |  | $42 |
| 2524 | Pearl Beer |  | $23 |
| 2528 | | | |
| 2532 | Borden's Fine Cheeses | | |
| 2540 (8130) | Rath Packing Company - Indian Head |  | |
| 2551 | KATY Stock Car |  | |
| 2553 | Great Northern Livestock Car | | |
| 2556 | Erie Stock Car |  | |
| 2603 | unknown | | |
| 2651 | Virginian Box Car | | |
| 2652 | C&IM Box Car |  | |
| 2653 | Seaboard Airline Box Car | | |
| 2654 | unknown | | |
| 2655 | CB&Q Box Car | | |
| 2656 | Western Pacific |  | |
| 2701 | New York Central Box Car |  | |
| 2705 | SP Box Car | | |
| 2706 | Milwaukee Road | | |
| TM Item # | Description | Photo Link | Notes |
|---|
| 2707 | Prince Albert Pipe Tobacco |  | |
| 2708 | Bull Durham Smoking Tobacco |  | $25 |
| 2709 | Sir Walter Raleigh Pipe Tobacco |  | |
| 2710 | Granger Pipe Tobacco |  | $24 |
| 2711 | London Dock Tobacco |  | $19 |
| 2712 | Union Leader Pipe Tobacco |  | $23 |
| 2713 | Velvet Pipe Tobacco | | red-brown |
| 2714 | Five Brothers Pipe Tobacco |  | tan |
| 2715 | Winters Tobacco |  | |
| 2716 | Sugar Barrel Tobacco |  | $31 |
| 2717 | Old Grand-Dad Tobacco |  | $44 |
| 2718 | Briggs Pipe Mixture | | tan |
| 3002 | | | |
| 3101 | General American Trnasportation Corp. | | |
| 3102 | PRR Steel Box Car | | |
| 3103 | Rock Island Box Car |  | |
| 3104 | | | |
| 3107 | The Challenger (UP Merchandise Service) |  | |
| 3113 | CNR Maple Leaf | | |
| 3202 | Santa Fe Plug Door Box Car | | |
| 3204 | Norfolk & Western Box Car | | |
| 3208 | Union Pacific | | |
| 3215 | URT Miller High Life |  | Burlington Northern Boxcar? |
| 3303 | Burlington Reefrigerator Car |  | |
| 3304 | Santa Fe (Scout) Reefer |  | |
| 3307 | C&O |  | |
| 3326 (8104) | National Car/Packing Co. |  | |
| 3328 (8118) | Dubuque Packing Co. | | |
| 3329 | Pepper Packing Co |  | |
| 3356 | | | |
| 3357 | Frisco Stock Car |  | |
| 3358 | Nickel Plate Braced End Stock Car | | |
| 3362 | MEC Stock Car |  | |
| 3405 | Land-O-Lakes Butter |  | |
| 3412 | URT Phenix Cheese |  | |
| 3452 | Parrot Potatoes | | |
| 3456 | Clicquot Club Ginger Ales |  | |
| 3460 | Our Mothers Cocoa | | |
| 3463 | Silver Edge Beer | | |
| 3502 | unknown | | |
| 3508 | | | |
| 3509 | B&O boxcar | | |
| 3615 | | | |
| 5152 | Santa Fe Caboose |  | |
| 5215 | unknown | | |
| 5454 | | | |
| 5456 | | | |
| 5503 | unknown | | |
| 5511 | Work Crane Tender |  | |
| 5521 | unknown | | |
| 5531 | unknown | | |
| 5544 | unknown | | |
| 5551 | unknown | | |
| 5561 | unknown | | |
| 5602 | SP Rail and Tie Car |  | |
| 5681 | unknown | | |
| 5761 | | | |
| TM Item # | Description | Photo Link | Notes |
|---|
| 8050 | Maine Potatoes (Bangor And Aroostook) |  | |
| 8051 (2010) | Rutland - Green Mt. Gateway |  | |
| 8052 | Old Dutch Cleanser (Cudahy Refrigerator Line) |  | |
| 8053 | Western Union Telegraph Co |  | |
| 8054 | Minnesota Mining & Mfg (3M) |  | |
| 8055 | Gerber's Baby Food Reefer |  | |
| 8056 | The Ball Line (Muncie & Western) |  | |
| 8057 | Swift Refrigerator Line |  | |
| 8058 | North Western Pacific Redwood Empire |  | |
| 8059 | Baby Ruth |  | |
| 8060 | Hills Bros Coffee |  | |
| 8061 | Pluto Water (North American Despatch) |  | |
| 8062 (2263) | Quaker Oats Line |  | |
| 8063 | SP Overnight Express |  | |
| 8064 | Oppenheimer Casing Co Sausage Casings |  | |
| 8065 | SLSF |  | |
| 8066 | Morrell Meats |  | |
| 8067 | Bellows Falls Co-Operative Creamery Brookside Fresh Milk |  | |
| 8068 | Schlitz Beer Wood Reefer |  | 1 blue globe |
| 8069 | Kraft Cheese Wood Reefer |  | |
| 8070 (2417) | Century Beer (PH Schneider Brewing Co) |  | |
| 8071 | State of Maine Potatoes (Bangor & Aroostook) |  | |
| 8072 (2322) | Goetz Country Club |  | |
| 8073 (2264) | Stark Brothers Trees |  | |
| 8074 (2323) | URT Prima Special |  | |
| 8075 | Libby's Food Products |  | |
| 8076 | Wells Fargo & Co Express |  | |
| 8077 | Franklin Domino Sugars |  | |
| 8078 | CNW Livestock Express Stock Car |  | |
| 8079 | | | |
| 8080 | WAG |  | |
| 8081 (2513) | Anheuser-Busch Budweiser Beer |  | $18 |
| 8082 | Sioux City Dressed Beef |  | |
| 8083 | Western Union MOW | | |
| 8084 (2318) | Edelweiss Brew |  | $16 |
| 8085 (2519) | Silver Edge Beer |  | |
| 8086 | PRR Merchandise Service | | |
| 8087 | Canadian National Stock Car |  | |
| 8088 | Rath's Black Hawk Ham |  | |
| 8089 | Jelke Good Luck Margarine |  | |
| 8090 | Mennonite Central Committee |  | |
| 8091 | Sand Springs Railroad |  | |
| 8092 (2447) | Grand Union Food Markets |  | |
| 8093 | Ahnapee & Western |  | |
| 8094 | NC&StL Dixieland |  | |
| 8095 | Nuckolls Packing Co |  | $17 |
| 8096 | Bourk-Donaldson-Taylor Potatoes |  | |
| 8097 | New England Vacation Land (NH) |  | |
| 8098 (2450) | Heinz 57 Tomato Ketchup |  | $40 |
| 8099 | Evansville Packing (May Blossom Lard Battle Ship Hams Bacon) |  | $33 |
| 8100 | Iowa Beef Packers (IBP) Reefer |  | |
| 8101 | Raskin Packing Co Reefer | | |
| 8102 | Frigicar (North American Despatch) |  | yellow |
| 8103 | Wescott & Winks Eggs |  | |
| 8104 (3326) | National Car/Packing Co. |  | |
| 8105 | CARDOX Dry Ice Steel Reefer |  | |
| 8106 | Kornblum Beef |  | $21 |
| 8107 | IGA Good Food |  | |
| 8108 | Producers Packing Co Reefer Car |  | |
| 8109 | | | |
| 8110 (2343) | Needham Packing Co |  | |
| 8111 (2464) | URT Pabst-ett Milwaukee |  | $25 |
| 8112 (2520) | URT Schlitz Beer |  | 2 blue globes $16 |
| 8113 | Bar R.R. Reefer Car |  | |
| 8114 (2454) | Krey's Ham & Bacon |  | rare |
| 8115 | Sampson Canning Company (Green Bay & Western) |  | |
| 8116 | Anheuser-Busch Malt Nutrine |  | $25 |
| 8117a | Peter Peerbolte Company |  | yellow |
| 8117 | Peter Peerbolte Company |  | orange |
| 8118 (3328) | Dubuque Packing Co. |  | |
| 8119 (2457) | Wisconsin Canners Association |  | |
| 8120 | Dresser Industries Superior Foundry Products |  | |
| 8121 (2458) | Michigan Alkali Co. |  | |
| 8122 | Pacific Fruit Express SP UP |  | |
| 8123 | Pennsylvania Keystone Box Car |  | |
| 8124 | Transport Leasing Plug Door Reefer |  | |
| 8125 | Heinz 57 Baked Beans |  | $27 |
| 8126 | Mid-States Packers |  | |
| 8127 | | | |
| 8128 | | | |
| 8129 | Anheuser-Busch Malt Nutrine |  | has number above bottle |
| 8130 (2540) | Rath Packing Company - Indian Head |  | |
| 8131 | Boston & Maine Steel Box Car | | blue |
| TM Item # | Description | Photo Link | Notes |
|---|
| 8700 | URT Blatz |  | |
| URT Miller High Life | |
| URT Schlitz Beer | 1 blue globe |
| 8701 | Berkshire Ham and Bacon |  | |
| Swift Premium Ham | |
| Wilson & Co | |
| 8702 | IGA Good Food |  | |
| Parrot Potatoes | |
| Our Mothers Cocoa | |
| 8703 | Santa Fe All The Way |  | |
| Santa Fe Grand Canyon Line | |
| Santa Fe Maps | |
| 8704 | Borden's Fine Cheeses |  | |
| Noack Eggs | |
| Page Milk | |
| 8705 | Carling's Canadian Ale |  | |
| Coors Beer - Golden | white |
| Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer | |
| 8706 | Brights Wines |  | $28 |
| Chateau-Martin Wines | |
| Sonoma City Wines - Scatena Brothers | |
| 8707 | Pacific Fruit Express |  | green |
| Pacific Fruit Express UP-SP | |
| Pacific Fruit Express WP | |
| 8708 | American Refer Transit (American Refrigerator Transit Co) |  | yellow |
| American Refer Transit (American Refrigerator Transit Co) | orange |
| American Refer Transit (Kansas Packing Co) | |
| 8709 | Merchant's Despatch - Nickel Plate Road |  | |
| Merchant's Despatch - Illinois Central? | orange |
| Merchant's Despatch - New York Central | |
| 8710 | Robin Hood Beer | | |
| P. Ballantine & Sons Ale | |
| Genesee Brewing Co. | |
| 8711 | North Western Reefer | | |
| Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Reefer | |
| Illinois Central Reefer | |
| 8712 | Land O'Smiles Sweet Cream Products (Producers Creamery Co) |  | |
| URT Phenix Cheese | |
| North American Despatch PEP Egg | |
| 8713 | Swift Stockcar | | |
| Armour Stockcar | |
| Wilson Stockcar | |
| 8714 | Columbia Soups |  | |
| Crisco | |
| College Inn Products | |
| 8715 | Monarch Brewing (Bull Frog Beer) |  | $50 |
| Peerless Beer (Elfenbrau) | |
| Tivoli Beer | |
| 8716 | Armour |  | |
| Oscar Mayers | |
| Swift Refrigerator Line | |
| 8717 | Narragansett Banquet Ale |  | $50 |
| Berghoff Brewing Company | |
| Heileman's Old Style Lager | |
| 8718 | KAHN'S | | rare |
| Kohrs Meat | rare |
| King Packing Co. | rare |
| 8719 | Sunrise Onion Sets |  | $58 |
| Stokely's Finest Vegatables | rare |
| URT Carnation Flaked Wheat | rare |
| 8720 | Fairmont Creamery |  | |
| Pabst-ett - More Than Cheese | |
| Wilson's Milk | |
| 8721 | Canada Dry |  | |
| Hiram Walkers | |
| Elwood | |
| 8722 | Baby Ruth |  | $33 |
| Hersheys | |
| Snickers | |
| 8723 | Kraft Cheese Wood Reefer | | |
| Heinz | |
| Safeway Foods | |
| 8724 | Swift Premium Ham | | |
| Knuckolls | |
| Sioux City Dressed Beef | |
| 8725 | Schlitz | | |
| Century Beer (PH Schneider Brewing) | |
| Goetz Country Club | |
| 8726 | Silver Edge Beer |  | $56 |
| Century Beer (PH Schneider Brewing) | |
| Edelweiss Brew | |
