40 FT modern freight cars

Model Railroader Prototype information for the modeler
1

Are there any 40 ft freight type cars pulled by the Modern diesels --Dash 8/9s---- SD70MACs

2

Trinity Industries builds box cars down to 31’ long(for palletized cement service). They have a standard 39’ box car in their on-line catalog as well. See the following link:

https://www.trinityrail.com/productcategories.aspx?ID=22

Jim

3

Any?

Well, in a 2005 Equipment Register, there were about a dozen 40’ boxcars listed with BN reporting marks. And BNSF had both of those types of locos. So, it’s likely the answer is yes.

But that’s a dozen cars in ALL the BNSF fleet. So I expect you’d be sitting by the tracks a LOOOONG time before you saw a 40’ box go by.

Ed

4

Are those BN 40’ cars leftover hide service cars?

5

Most of the 2-bay covered hoppers used for cement and sand service are 40 feet or so in length. Frac sand is real big right now, and most any serviceable car is getting patched up and put to work.

6

Modern 40’ exterior post boxcars were built in the 60s and 70s for SP and SSW, the newest of which were constructed in 1977.

http://www.railgoat.railfan.net/spcars/byclass/box/b070-36.htm

http://www.railgoat.railfan.net/spcars/byclass/box/b100-32.htm

http://www.railgoat.railfan.net/spcars/byclass/box/b100-34.htm

http://www.railgoat.railfan.net/spcars/byclass/box/b100-41.htm

7

Thanks for the replies

I don’t want to run anything longer than 40 foot as I think 50 footers and larger don’t look right going around 22/24n radius curves on by 6 1/2 X 10 around the walls

Since Conrail went bye bye what I see are CSX and NS- Dash 8s and SD70s in my neighborhood single track main

I have grown use to them after 13 or so years so I want to run them once in a while but have no rolling stock

8

If a 50’ freight car will not look right on a curve, a six axle locomotive (especially a modern one) really won’t look right. If your layout is small enough to have such small curves, your trains will probably be short. Have you considered modeling a branchline with four axle locomotives? This will also make the lack of variety in freight cars not seem odd.

9

Well I guess 50 footers look decent and only running 6 will be OK

Maybe a short coal porter unit train

10

Hey UncBob,

Just for the record a 40’ Burlington Northern Boxcar was in the front couple of cars of a Norfolk Southern mixed freight consist going through Buford GA on 3-28-2012 at approx 1:00 PM. The consist was being pulled by several six axle Norfolk Southern diesels. As soon as I saw it I remembered this post. So they are out there.

John R

11

Thanks

12

They won’t look funny. I run 60 ft long flats and Covered Hoppers on 20 inch curves. They look good to me, not perfect, but good.

13

Hey Unc Bob,

Railbox 40 boxcar in mixed freight consist on Norfolk Southern through Duluth GA this past Thursday, March 29th. Since you posted this topic I have kept my eyes out for any 40 footers.

John R’