
40-foot refrigerated container, Chiquita (CBFU 3409562)
on 40-foot container chassis, Chiquita (CBFZ 640708).
These Chiquita containers featuring colorful fruit mural artwork were common during the late 1990s.
I created digital artwork based on various photographs I had taken of the containers while
in transit. I never was fortunate enough to find one stationary, so the artwork took some time
to piece together. But recently, thanks to current technology, I was able
to create decals on the computer. The container body was painted white semi-gloss with the
frame and door hinges painted gray steel. The marker lights were highlighted in red.
The large mural decals were applied, and the model was oversprayed with Dullcoat.
The Chiquita container chassis is a modified Deluxe Innovations model. The refrigerator equipment
was fabricated from styrene and the wheel bogie was taken from an Atlas Pines trailer. New mud
flaps were cut from styrene, and some of the rear hardware was modified. The body was
painted black and the mud flaps painted white. As with the container, custom decals were
created on the computer for all the markings, license plate and Chiquita mad flap logos. A light
spray of Dullcoat was applied to protect the decals.
The model took 3rd place in the Passenger Equipment category of the model contest at the
N-Scale Enthusiast 27th Annual National N Scale Convention in Rosemont, Illinois in June 2019.