40' Boxcars and Their Different Types

Modelers of HO trains model after specific railroadenclosed, parts, manufacturing equipment that was
periods of the United States and Canada. Fromrelative small and the manufacturer did not want the
almost the onset of American railroads the 40 foottools and or equipment dinged by flying debris, ice,
boxcar has been in existence. It began to disappearsnow and heavy rain, and typical Midwestern hail
from the railroads in the 1960s.storms.
Refrigeration was changing from the old ice methodTypically soft goods like flour, sugar, fruit, dairy
to the modern thermal air-condition cars that wereproducts, and processed meats were hauled in 40
self cooling. Also, the 40 footer was beginning to befoot reefers. These boxcars are smaller in size than
too small. The larger 50 & 60 footers were takingthe standard 40 footer. The majority of these
over and they even experimented with 86 footreefers were wood as were most of the other
boxcars. The big railroads wanted to haul more goodstypes of 40 foot boxcars. This changed however, as
and reduce the tonnage they had to haul. It took 125time went on to metal reefers.
40 foot boxcars to equal 100 50 foot boxcars. TheThere are multiple types of 40 foot steel boxcars.
reduction would be 25 less 40 foot boxcars timesThere are the following types:
their empty gross wait.40' Superior Door Boxcar; 40' Double Door Boxcar;
This was certainly an advantage for the railroads let40' Ribbed Boxcar; 40' Modern Boxcar; 40' Express
alone the maintenance of the smaller boxcar. WithBoxcar; 1937 AAR 40' Boxcar; 40' 12 Panel Boxcar;
this in mind the majority of the model railroaders I40' AAR Modified Boxcar; 40' PS-1 Boxcar; 40' Boxcar
know still prefer the 40 foot boxcar. They like thew/Youngstown Doors; 40' Double-Door Boxcar; 40'
era from the late 1920s though the early 1960s.High-Cube Boxcar; 40' Ribbed Boxcar; 40' Steel
They are also very colorful and interesting. Many ofBoxcar w/6 Panel Doors; 40' Steel & Wood Ice
these nostalgic colorfully designed boxcars are goneBunker Reefers; 40' Steel & Wood Boxcar. This
unless they might be in a railroad museum. Thereincludes 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
The hobbyist still has the opportunity to find many ofwell as the user. Many of the reefers were labeled
these colorful boxcars that are manufactured bywith the name of the product and producer of the
several model railroad producers of freight cars.goods being carried. There was Rath Black Hawk
Some examples are Kadee, Intermountain, AthearnMeats, Swift, Carnation Dairy Products, Needham
Athearn Genesis, Accurail, Bachmann, Walthers, RedMeats, and major carriers such as Pacific Fruit
Caboose, Bowser, Roundhouse (Roundhouse is nowExpress. The Pacific Fruit Express Company (PFE)
makes only the pre twentieth century cars),owned the largest number of reefer cars of any of
Branchline, Life-Like, etc. There are several more thatthe different reefer users. Union Pacific owned the
sell kit form freight cars as do some of thesecond largest number of PFE reefers and pulled
aforementioned companies. You can even get woodmore reefers than any other railroad during that
kits but they are not common.period of the 40' Boxcar/Reefer era.
Now for the types of 40 foot boxcars there areAs time has gone on the boxcar has almost
more than you may possibly think. The types ofdisappeared from the railroads. However, the need
construction and usage varied. It all depended wherefor boxcars has now become critical. The Piggy Back
the railroad was mainly located and types ofand Double Stack Containers is not necessarily the
products, food and perishables that were beingmeans needed for some goods. The boxcar may
shipped. From perishables, staples (wheat, Corn,indeed have a come back on the railroads of today.
Barley, Soy, etc.), equipment that needed to be