hey guys
what was some freight that was shipped in these type of freight cars, I think appliances were but dont know what else? also is there a website out there that talks about different freight shipped in freight cars?
Jeremy
As far as I know they were used for auto parts.
Auto parts like fenders hoods etc. They were filled with racks to hold the parst and pretty much were dedicated between plants. The 4 door cars were Ford and the 8 GM. The 20 foot door openings were so fork trucks could get in and out with the racks. Appliances were loaded in the 40’ high cubes which were built to line up with the doors on the factories
The FRA allows up to 80,000# per axle so the cars are built around that weight when possible. That is why ore cars are small and 86’ high cubes are the size they are. They are designed for high bulk light weight cargo that needs protection. Appliances and exposed automotive parts are typical cargo.
There was an extensive discusssion on this topic on the Atlas Forum last year.
These box cars were 99% used for the Auto Parts business and usually ran in trains with other auto parts from the stamping plants, parts factories to the final assembly points along with the 60’ and 50’ cars. At first the 4 door cars were used in Ford and Chrysler plants and the 8 door cars were used at GM Plants, but this no longer the case and many are freely intermixed.
Rick
Some CSX and NS haul appliances.
I have seen some at a composite roof shingle plant. From what they told me when I went on a tour of it (a few years before they started showing up) I suspect they are hauling in the glass mat.
The Purina Plant in Flagstaff, AZ was using D&TSL 86 footers to ship palletized pet food. The parts business must have been off at the time or something. This was back in the 1980s. [8D]