I hear that 50’ and 60’ high-cube plate-F boxcars are used for paper service. Is this their only use, or are hi-cube used for general freight too? I guess that the 60’ high-cubes, such as the yellow TTX TBOXs, could be used for auto-parts too. Are the high-cube boxcars like the 50’ FBOXes and 60’ TBOXes insulated enough to ship canned goods? TTX does have a the IBOX reporting mark for insulated boxcars, though only one IBOX was ever built, IBOX 11012. Did TTX forgo the IBOX because their FBOX and TBOX are already adequate enough for the type of freight IBOX cars would have been used for?
Here in Indiana, on the western side that is, NS uses the 50’, and 60’ boxes for auto parts service. I’m sure you can use them for canned foods, etc.
Justin
Cars that are used for auto-parts transport usually have interiors containing racks or other devices to make the loading and unloading of these parts more convenient. This precludes their use in other service until they’re extensively rebuilt or de-commissioned. The racks, etc., are considered to be parts of the car, so their light weight will usually be relatively heavy and their load limits low–in other words, the loads don’t weigh too much more than the empties unless the cars are for engine blocks, steering gears, etc.
Cars for canned goods or newsprint are largely unequipped on the inside. They are not insulated. The hi-cube cars can probably haul twice as much as a standard-height car with the same length and with, because they might be able to haul large rolls stacked two high (the smaller cars can only carry one, with plenty of room at the top). I’m never in a position to see the loads in the cars, so I’m not sure whether this is true, but one can see where the extra height would be advantageous. Canned goods are generally heavy loads, so they quite often go into the smaller cars.
FBOX and TBOX cars are supposed to be good for general service on any railroad, so they haul whatever the shipper wants to put into them, consistent with weight limitations and prober loading and securing methods.
When I worked for the DM&E we loaded canned goods out of Sleepy Eye MN. The cars had to be AAR designation RBL or XLI. They are not only insulated, but are equiped with 2 moveable load dividers to help protect the load from damage. These cars are generally not suitable for general purpose loading.
The canneries around here generally use RBLs. One requested some ATW 151xxx hi-cube boxes, as with the right forklift they could load something like 90 pallets of product, versus 60 some in a regular RBL, plus extra dunnage in the RBLs. Many canneries have loading docks spaced so that the RBLs line up at the doors, just have to spot one and the other 3-4 cars line up.
The other place that ships canned and bottled goods 
uses RBLS almost exclusively, usually the rattiest looking ones they can find.