Could someone please help me, I am trying to find out what year Hi Cube Boxcars were introduced, any help would be much appreciated, thank you.
Dave
Good question! [8D]
May I add to it?
Just what defines a car as Hi-cube please?
I have some Roundhouse 40’ and 50’ cars that are described on the box as Hi-Cube but are normal height. I think that I have some 60’ cars like this as well. I also have some E&C shops and Walthers 50 Hi-Cubes that are excess height cars.
Are both “Hi-Cube” because of the shape of the car - both the ordinary and excess height cars seem to be flat roofed… Does that mean that any flat roofed car is a high cube?
TIA
[8D]
Yes I am confused regarding Hi Cube, I purchased a Roadhouse Pack of 4 50ft Boxcars today, compared to the Bachmann Hi Cube the look quite low, what makes it worse for me is I live in Australia and until I opened the box tonight had no idea that a Hi Cube Boxcar even existed, as I am modelling the UP 1960 era I would like know something about their heritage.
Treat anything I say as speculation since I am going by memory from a long time back! Hi cube box cars are the same height as 86’ high cube cars (in the 13’ area) but they are the same length as 50’ box cars. I believe they were made or converted to haul aircraft parts. They were not common and only a few roads had them. If made for aircraft parts they would probably have had a set route and not been in general service. I believe they date from the mid 60’s. Personally in all my years of railfanning I have never seen one in person so I would rate them as rare.
Nick…
Caveat noted…
But now you’ve got me completely bemused. [%-)]
Just before you posted I recalled that I have a couple of Athearn’s 86’ quad door flat topped boxcars and one double door. IIRC Wlathers also did something similar as an auto-parts car???
Those 60’ flat tops are a from whole string of UP (boxcar red) cars Roundhouse did. (Got them cheap on a close-out). All but one have the low brake and no roofboards; one looks pretty much the same but has a high brake and (IIRC) the boards removed… come to think of it that one has a ridged roof… but the body is pretty much the same…
TIA
[8D]
Thanks very much for the reply, nice to find out something about them, I guess I have one thing in my favour that is my layout is freelance, I guess I can run what I like, have to say the Roadhouse cars look very neat.
IIRC in 1966 the ICC or somebody came out with “Plate C” specifications which covered hi-cubes in that it allowed for higher cars to be built. I believe the new specifications in 1966 also included requiring the removal of roofwalks, and that no new house cars be built with roofwalks.
The first hi cubes I seen was rebuilt 40 foot boxcars with extended sides and low ladders and brake wheel.These was used to haul appliances.
The first 86 foot auto part boxcars I recall seeing was in 1968 on the PRR…
Regular box cars (B or C Plate) have an interior height of 10 feet or so. Hi-Cubes (F and G plate) 13 feet 6 inches or so. Hi-cubes are suppose to have a white or yellow contrasting band on the car end between the roof and where the roof of a regular car would be and carry the stenciling “This car is excess height” or “Excess height car” in the band.
The first 86’s Hi-Cube autoparts cars were built by Pullman Standard in the 1965. Hy-Cube (with a Y) was PS’s trademarked name for the cars. Originally, they were kept in captive service between the parts and assembly plants with specific cars assigned to each automaker. Now, they pretty much roam free.
50’ Hi-cubes are the preferred car for transporting paper rolls, and increasingly building products. The 86’ cars can also be found transporting household applicances, peat moss and other large volume, low weight items.
Nick
The 86’ boxcars have been around longer than that.
http://www.railgoat.railfan.net/spcars/byclass/box/b070-18.htm
http://www.railgoat.railfan.net/spcars/byclass/box/b070-19.htm
The CB&Q took delivery of Thrall 86’ Hi Cube boxcars in 1964.
Rick Keil