This 40’ steel ice reefer is painted aluminum with red and white logo and white lettering. It was built in June 1954, serviced in September 1959 by General American Transportation Corp. (builder), and runs on Bettendorf trucks. Gustavus Franklin Swift (1839 – 1903) founded a meat-packing empire in the Midwest during the late 19th century, over which he presided until his death. He is credited with the development of the first practical ice-cooled railroad car 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.”