Train Miniature (TM) Car Spotter's Guide

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 #DescriptionPhoto LinkNotes
Carling Breweries
Land O Smiles Sweet Cream Products
Peter Fox Packers and Shippers
2001Southern Pacific box car
2002Santa Fe Wood Sheathed Box Car
2003NYC Box Car
2004CB&Q box car
2005Great Northern Box
2006Texas & Pacific
2007NP Box Car
2008Minneapolis & St. Louis
2009CN - Maple Leaf box car
2010 (8051)Rutland - Green Mt Gateway
2011Northwestern Pacific - Overnight
2012SP - Overnight
2013NH Commemorative Car
2014MA CommeMorative Car
2015RI Commemorative Car
2016CT Commemorative Car
2017NJ Commemorative Car
2018NY Commemorative Car
2019PA Commemorative Car
2020MD Commemorative Car
2021DE Commemorative Car
2022VA Commemorative Car
2023NC Commemorative Car
2024SC Commemorative Car
2025GA Commemorative Car
2026DC Commemorative Car

Cigar Series (2031 - 2042)

TM Item #DescriptionPhoto LinkNotes
2031Dutch Masters Cigars$24
2032Wolf Bros Stogies$16
2033Roi-Tan Cigars$20
2034Between the Acts Cigars$20
2035Phillies Cheroot Cigars$32
2036King Edward Cigars$27
2037El Producto Cigars$67
2038Ben Franklin Cigars$34
2039White Owl Mild Cigarsred
2040Wm Penn Cigars$19
2041Muriel Panatellas Cigars$34
2042House of Windsor Cigars$19
2051Pennsylvania Steel Box Car
2052Baltimore & Ohio Steel Box Car
2053CNJ Box Car
2054Reading
2055Lehigh & New England Steel Boxcar
2056Nickel Plate Road
2057PRR Steel Box Car
2058NYC Steel Box Car
2101SP Box Car
2102Chicago Rock Island & Pacific Box Car
2105Milwaukee Boxcar
2107NC&StL Box Car
2151Northern Pacific
2154Soo Line Box Car
2157Chicago & North Western
2201Western Pacific
2202Union Pacific wood box car
2203Missouri Pacific wood box car
2204D&RGW box car
2205Norfolk & Western box car
2206Cotton Belt Blue Streak
2207SLSW Cotton Belt Box Car
2208SAL Wood Box Car
2209Jersy Central Wood Box Car
2210West India Fruit & Steamship
2211Alton Railway
2212Northhampton & Bath

Cigarette Series (2216 - 2227)

TM Item #DescriptionPhoto LinkNotes
2216Lucky Strike Cigarettes$51
2217Camel Cigarettes$48
2218Virginia Tobacco
2219Chesterfield Cigarettes$27
2220Picayune Cigarettes
2221English Ovals
2222Motor Virginia Cigarettes$23
2223Philip Morris Cigarettes$22
2224Sweet Caporal Cigarettes$43
2225Top Cigarettes$19
2226Bugler Cigarettes$36
2227Fatima Cigarettes$48

Chewing Tobacco Series (2251 - 2262)

TM Item #DescriptionPhoto LinkNotes
2251Beech-Nut Tobaccowhite
2252Mail Pouch Tobacco
2253Brown's Mule Tobaccorare
2254Favorite Chewing Tobacco$17
2255Red Man Chewing Tobacco$29
2256Cannon Ball Chewing Plugs
2257Star Chewing Tobacco$34
2258Horse Shoe Chewing Plugs$38
2259Cotton Boll Twist$27
2260WB Cut Chewing Tobacco$33
2261Piper Heidsieck Tobacco$56
2262Apple Chewing Plugs$40
2263 (8062)Quaker Oats Line
2264 (8073)Stark Brothers Trees
2265New Haven
2266CB&Q Box Car
2268Northern Pacific Box Car
2269M&StL Box Car

Regular Issue Cars (23xx - 36xx)

TM Item #DescriptionPhoto LinkNotes
2301Pacific Fruit Express UP SP
2302URT CMSP&P
2303
2304American Referigerator Transit
2305Santa Fe All The Way Reefer
2306
2307Merchants Despatch Refrigerator Line (NYC)
2308Fruit Growers Express
2309Burlington Reefer
2313URT Schlitz Beer
2314Canada Dry
2315URT Blatz Old Heidelberg
2316URT Pabst-ett Blue Ribbon Beer
2317Sonoma City Wines - Scatena Brothers
2318 (8084)Edelweiss Brew$16
2319Robin Hood Beer$25
2320Peerless Beer (Elfenbrau)
2321Heileman's Old Style Lager
2322 (8072)Goetz Country Club
2323 (8074)URT Prima Special
2324Miller High Life - Eagle
2325URT Atlantic & Pacific Tea
2326unknown
2327URT Carnation Milk
2329Marhoefer Packing
2330Dubuque Steel Reefer
2342Blue Ribbon Beef
2343 (8110)Needham Packing Co
2346ASCO Milk
2350Frigicar (North American Despatch)white
2351Pacific Fruit Express
2352American Referigerator Transit (Wabash, MP)
2353Kingan, Inc.
2354Safeway Foods
2356Railway Express Agency
2375Swifts Premium
2377ASCO Milk Reefer
2378Doggie Dinner (Simpson Products Company)rare
2379Spencer Chemical Co
2380Patrick Cudahy Reefer Car
2384URT Miller High Life
2401Armour (Cloverbloom Butter)
2402Ralston Purina Co.
2403St Louis Car Co
2405Green Bay & Western Wood Reefer
2406Pacific Fruit Express (UP-SP)
2407Rath Packing Company - Black Hawk
2408Mathieson Carbon Dioxide
2409
2413Anheuser-Busch Budweiser Beergreen
2414Schlitz Beer1 blue globe
2415Carling's Canadian Ale
2417 (8070)Century Beer (PH Schneider Brewing)
2418Genesee Brewing Co.$25
2419Monarch Brewing (Bull Frog Beer)
2420Narragansett Banquet Ale
2424
2442Kohrs Meatrare
2443Sunrise Onion Setsrare
2447 (8092)Grand Union Food Markets
2450 (8098)Heinz 57 Tomato Ketchup$40
2454 (8114)Krey's Ham & Bacon
2456Great Northern 42' Hart Convertible Gondola
2457 (8119)Wisconsin Canners Association
2458 (8121)Michigan Alkali Co.
2464 (8111)URT Pabst-ett Milwaukee$25
2501Pacific Fruit Express (UP-SP)yellow
2502D&RGW Stock Car
2504Santa Fe stock car
2505C&O Stock Car
2506NYC Stock Car
2507
2511Illinois Central 40 ton A.R.A Steel Reefer
2512Pacific Fruit Express (UP-SP) Steel Reefersilver
2513 (8081)Anheuser-Busch Budweiser Beerwhite
2514Coors Beer - Goldenwhite
2515Chateau-Martin Wines
2516P. Ballantine & Sons Ale
2517Tivoli Beer
2518Berghoff Brewing Company
2519 (8085)Silver Edge Beer
2520 (8112)URT Schlitz Beer2 blue globes
2521Walker's London Dry Gin$31
2522Stroh's Bohemian$21
2523Lone Star Beer$42
2524Pearl Beer$23
2528
2532Borden's Fine Cheeses
2540 (8130)Rath Packing Company - Indian Head
2551KATY Stock Car
2553Great Northern Livestock Car
2556Erie Stock Car
2603unknown
2651Virginian Box Car
2652C&IM Box Car
2653Seaboard Airline Box Car
2654unknown
2655CB&Q Box Car
2656Western Pacific
2701New York Central Box Car
2705SP Box Car
2706Milwaukee Road

Pipe Tobacco Series (2707 - 2718)

TM Item #DescriptionPhoto LinkNotes
2707Prince Albert Pipe Tobacco
2708Bull Durham Smoking Tobacco$25
2709Sir Walter Raleigh Pipe Tobacco
2710Granger Pipe Tobacco$24
2711London Dock Tobacco$19
2712Union Leader Pipe Tobacco$23
2713Velvet Pipe Tobaccored-brown
2714Five Brothers Pipe Tobaccotan
2715Winters Tobacco
2716Sugar Barrel Tobacco$31
2717Old Grand-Dad Tobacco$44
2718Briggs Pipe Mixturetan
3002
3101General American Trnasportation Corp.
3102PRR Steel Box Car
3103Rock Island Box Car
3104
3107The Challenger (UP Merchandise Service)
3113CNR Maple Leaf
3202Santa Fe Plug Door Box Car
3204Norfolk & Western Box Car
3208Union Pacific
3215URT Miller High LifeBurlington Northern Boxcar?
3303Burlington Reefrigerator Car
3304Santa Fe (Scout) Reefer
3307C&O
3326 (8104)National Car/Packing Co.
3328 (8118)Dubuque Packing Co.
3329Pepper Packing Co
3356
3357Frisco Stock Car
3358Nickel Plate Braced End Stock Car
3362MEC Stock Car
3405Land-O-Lakes Butter
3412URT Phenix Cheese
3452Parrot Potatoes
3456Clicquot Club Ginger Ales
3460Our Mothers Cocoa
3463Silver Edge Beer
3502unknown
3508
3509B&O boxcar
3615
5152Santa Fe Caboose
5215unknown
5454
5456
5503unknown
5511Work Crane Tender
5521unknown
5531unknown
5544unknown
5551unknown
5561unknown
5602SP Rail and Tie Car
5681unknown
5761

Car Spotter Cars (80xx - 81xx, released once a month)

TM Item #DescriptionPhoto LinkNotes
8050Maine Potatoes (Bangor And Aroostook)
8051 (2010)Rutland - Green Mt. Gateway
8052Old Dutch Cleanser (Cudahy Refrigerator Line)
8053Western Union Telegraph Co
8054Minnesota Mining & Mfg (3M)
8055Gerber's Baby Food Reefer
8056The Ball Line (Muncie & Western)
8057Swift Refrigerator Line
8058North Western Pacific Redwood Empire
8059Baby Ruth
8060Hills Bros Coffee
8061Pluto Water (North American Despatch)
8062 (2263)Quaker Oats Line
8063SP Overnight Express
8064Oppenheimer Casing Co Sausage Casings
8065SLSF
8066Morrell Meats
8067Bellows Falls Co-Operative Creamery Brookside Fresh Milk
8068Schlitz Beer Wood Reefer1 blue globe
8069Kraft Cheese Wood Reefer
8070 (2417)Century Beer (PH Schneider Brewing Co)
8071State of Maine Potatoes (Bangor & Aroostook)
8072 (2322)Goetz Country Club
8073 (2264)Stark Brothers Trees
8074 (2323)URT Prima Special
8075Libby's Food Products
8076Wells Fargo & Co Express
8077Franklin Domino Sugars
8078CNW Livestock Express Stock Car
8079
8080WAG
8081 (2513)Anheuser-Busch Budweiser Beer$18
8082Sioux City Dressed Beef
8083Western Union MOW
8084 (2318)Edelweiss Brew$16
8085 (2519)Silver Edge Beer
8086PRR Merchandise Service
8087Canadian National Stock Car
8088Rath's Black Hawk Ham
8089Jelke Good Luck Margarine
8090Mennonite Central Committee
8091Sand Springs Railroad
8092 (2447)Grand Union Food Markets
8093Ahnapee & Western
8094NC&StL Dixieland
8095Nuckolls Packing Co$17
8096Bourk-Donaldson-Taylor Potatoes
8097New England Vacation Land (NH)
8098 (2450)Heinz 57 Tomato Ketchup$40
8099Evansville Packing (May Blossom Lard Battle Ship Hams Bacon)$33
8100Iowa Beef Packers (IBP) Reefer
8101Raskin Packing Co Reefer
8102Frigicar (North American Despatch)yellow
8103Wescott & Winks Eggs
8104 (3326)National Car/Packing Co.
8105CARDOX Dry Ice Steel Reefer
8106Kornblum Beef$21
8107IGA Good Food
8108Producers Packing Co Reefer Car
8109
8110 (2343)Needham Packing Co
8111 (2464)URT Pabst-ett Milwaukee$25
8112 (2520)URT Schlitz Beer2 blue globes $16
8113Bar R.R. Reefer Car
8114 (2454)Krey's Ham & Baconrare
8115Sampson Canning Company (Green Bay & Western)
8116Anheuser-Busch Malt Nutrine$25
8117aPeter Peerbolte Companyyellow
8117Peter Peerbolte Companyorange
8118 (3328)Dubuque Packing Co.
8119 (2457)Wisconsin Canners Association
8120Dresser Industries Superior Foundry Products
8121 (2458)Michigan Alkali Co.
8122Pacific Fruit Express SP UP
8123Pennsylvania Keystone Box Car
8124Transport Leasing Plug Door Reefer
8125Heinz 57 Baked Beans$27
8126Mid-States Packers
8127
8128
8129Anheuser-Busch Malt Nutrinehas number above bottle
8130 (2540)Rath Packing Company - Indian Head
8131Boston & Maine Steel Box Carblue

Billboard Nostalgia 3-Packs (87xx)

TM Item #DescriptionPhoto LinkNotes
8700URT Blatz
URT Miller High Life
URT Schlitz Beer1 blue globe
8701Berkshire Ham and Bacon
Swift Premium Ham
Wilson & Co
8702IGA Good Food
Parrot Potatoes
Our Mothers Cocoa
8703Santa Fe All The Way
Santa Fe Grand Canyon Line
Santa Fe Maps
8704Borden's Fine Cheeses
Noack Eggs
Page Milk
8705Carling's Canadian Ale
Coors Beer - Goldenwhite
Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer
8706Brights Wines$28
Chateau-Martin Wines
Sonoma City Wines - Scatena Brothers
8707Pacific Fruit Expressgreen
Pacific Fruit Express UP-SP
Pacific Fruit Express WP
8708American Refer Transit (American Refrigerator Transit Co)yellow
American Refer Transit (American Refrigerator Transit Co)orange
American Refer Transit (Kansas Packing Co)
8709Merchant's Despatch - Nickel Plate Road
Merchant's Despatch - Illinois Central?orange
Merchant's Despatch - New York Central
8710Robin Hood Beer
P. Ballantine & Sons Ale
Genesee Brewing Co.
8711North Western Reefer
Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Reefer
Illinois Central Reefer
8712Land O'Smiles Sweet Cream Products (Producers Creamery Co)
URT Phenix Cheese
North American Despatch PEP Egg
8713Swift Stockcar
Armour Stockcar
Wilson Stockcar
8714Columbia Soups
Crisco
College Inn Products
8715Monarch Brewing (Bull Frog Beer)$50
Peerless Beer (Elfenbrau)
Tivoli Beer
8716Armour
Oscar Mayers
Swift Refrigerator Line
8717Narragansett Banquet Ale$50
Berghoff Brewing Company
Heileman's Old Style Lager
8718KAHN'Srare
Kohrs Meatrare
King Packing Co.rare
8719Sunrise Onion Sets$58
Stokely's Finest Vegatablesrare
URT Carnation Flaked Wheatrare
8720Fairmont Creamery
Pabst-ett - More Than Cheese
Wilson's Milk
8721Canada Dry
Hiram Walkers
Elwood
8722Baby Ruth$33
Hersheys
Snickers
8723Kraft Cheese Wood Reefer
Heinz
Safeway Foods
8724Swift Premium Ham
Knuckolls
Sioux City Dressed Beef
8725Schlitz
Century Beer (PH Schneider Brewing)
Goetz Country Club
8726Silver Edge Beer$56
Century Beer (PH Schneider Brewing)
Edelweiss Brew

Train Miniature Reference