These 40’ wood-sheathed reefers are painted red with white Swift herald and lettering. They were built in December 1936, serviced in 1950, and run on Bettendorf trucks. Though actually owned by General American Transportation Company, they were leased to Swift Refrigerator Lines. The reefer was not the invention of the railroads or meat packers, but the result of inventive minds such as Gustavus Swift in the late 1800s. Swift is credited with the development of the first practical Ice-cooled reefer which allowed his company to ship dressed meats to all parts of the country and even abroad, which ushered in the “era of cheap beef".