| Modelers of HO trains model after specific | | | | Soy, etc.), equipment that needed to be |
| railroad periods of the United States and | | | | enclosed, parts, manufacturing equipment that |
| Canada. From almost the onset of American | | | | was relative small and the manufacturer did |
| railroads the 40 foot boxcar has been in | | | | not want the tools and or equipment dinged by |
| existence. It began to disappear from the | | | | flying debris, ice, snow and heavy rain, and |
| railroads in the 1960s. | | | | typical Midwestern hail storms. |
| | | | |
| Refrigeration was changing from the old ice | | | | Typically soft goods like flour, sugar, |
| method to the modern thermal air-condition | | | | fruit, dairy products, and processed meats |
| cars that were self cooling. Also, the 40 | | | | were hauled in 40 foot reefers. These boxcars |
| footer was beginning to be too small. The | | | | are smaller in size than the standard 40 |
| larger 50 & 60 footers were taking over and | | | | footer. The majority of these reefers were |
| they even experimented with 86 foot boxcars. | | | | wood as were most of the other types of 40 |
| The big railroads wanted to haul more goods | | | | foot boxcars. This changed however, as time |
| and reduce the tonnage they had to haul. It | | | | went on to metal reefers. |
| took 125 40 foot boxcars to equal 100 50 foot | | | | |
| boxcars. The reduction would be 25 less 40 | | | | There are multiple types of 40 foot steel |
| foot boxcars times their empty gross wait. | | | | boxcars. There are the following types: |
| | | | |
| This was certainly an advantage for the | | | | 40' Superior Door Boxcar; 40' Double Door |
| railroads let alone the maintenance of the | | | | Boxcar; 40' Ribbed Boxcar; 40' Modern Boxcar; |
| smaller boxcar. With this in mind the | | | | 40' Express Boxcar; 1937 AAR 40' Boxcar; 40' |
| majority of the model railroaders I know | | | | 12 Panel Boxcar; 40' AAR Modified Boxcar; 40' |
| still prefer the 40 foot boxcar. They like | | | | PS-1 Boxcar; 40' Boxcar w/Youngstown Doors; |
| the era from the late 1920s though the early | | | | 40' Double-Door Boxcar; 40' High-Cube Boxcar; |
| 1960s. They are also very colorful and | | | | 40' Ribbed Boxcar; 40' Steel Boxcar w/6 Panel |
| interesting. Many of these nostalgic | | | | Doors; 40' Steel & Wood Ice Bunker Reefers; |
| colorfully designed boxcars are gone unless | | | | 40' Steel & Wood Boxcar. This includes |
| they might be in a railroad museum. There | | | | several types of 40' stock cars. |
| were so many different designs and logos to | | | | |
| see. | | | | In all they all had a specific purpose for |
| | | | the railroad as well as the user. Many of the |
| The hobbyist still has the opportunity to | | | | reefers were labeled with the name of the |
| find many of these colorful boxcars that are | | | | product and producer of the goods being |
| manufactured by several model railroad | | | | carried. There was Rath Black Hawk Meats, |
| producers of freight cars. Some examples are | | | | Swift, Carnation Dairy Products, Needham |
| Kadee, Intermountain, Athearn/Athearn | | | | Meats, and major carriers such as Pacific |
| Genesis, Accurail, Bachmann, Walthers, Red | | | | Fruit Express. The Pacific Fruit Express |
| Caboose, Bowser, Roundhouse (Roundhouse is | | | | Company (PFE) owned the largest number of |
| now makes only the pre twentieth century | | | | reefer cars of any of the different reefer |
| cars), Branchline, Life-Like, etc. There are | | | | users. Union Pacific owned the second largest |
| several more that sell kit form freight cars | | | | number of PFE reefers and pulled more reefers |
| as do some of the aforementioned companies. | | | | than any other railroad during that period of |
| You can even get wood kits but they are not | | | | the 40' Boxcar/Reefer era. |
| common. | | | | |
| | | | As time has gone on the boxcar has almost |
| Now for the types of 40 foot boxcars there | | | | disappeared from the railroads. However, the |
| are more than you may possibly think. The | | | | need for boxcars has now become critical. The |
| types of construction and usage varied. It | | | | Piggy Back and Double Stack Containers is not |
| all depended where the railroad was mainly | | | | necessarily the means needed for some goods. |
| located and types of products, food and | | | | The boxcar may indeed have a come back on the |
| perishables that were being shipped. From | | | | railroads of today. |
| perishables, staples (wheat, Corn, Barley, | | | | |