I just put together a 50 ft plug door boxcar kit from MDC for the ATS&F line. I don’t see plug door cars on railroads near me, and I wonder when they werre built and whether they are obsolete?
Hello “Delaware Dog,” In fact sliding plug doors on boxcars go back at least to about 1900, if not earlier. (I say “sliding plug doors” to make a distinction with the swing-out plug doors used on refrigerator cars.) Such doors mostly fell out of favor by the 1920s, then made a comeback about 1950. They began to replace swing-out plug doors on refrigerator cars at that time, and also began being applied to insulated boxcars. The plug-in door, thick enough to contain some insulation itself, makes a better closure for an insulated car than a sliding stamped metal door. Sliding plug doors aren’t obsolete, and are still used on insulated boxcars and mechanical refrigerator cars. So long, Andy
Actually, it seems like most new boxcars have plug doors, including TTX’s TBOX and FBOX boxcars.
Ya, I’d say you’re as likely (if not more likely) to see a plugdoor boxcar in a train than a sliding door car nowadays. They’re mostly used for things that need to be kept clean and dry, and at a steady temperature, but don’t need refrigeration. I think beer would be one example, they can cool down a plugdoor car to say 38F and then load it with beer. With modern insulation inside, the car will only warm up a few degrees during the next few days as it’s being sent to it’s destination.
Plug doors are common on cars used to transport newsprint because when closed, they provide a smooth, continuous internal wall that minimizes damage to the newsprint rolls.
Andy, thanks for that info. I didn’t know that. I guess I could look for the ATSF archives and see if I could find some info about the prototype. I have never done that but just heard it is possible.
Okay, well I’ll keep looking for some. On the CSX and Norfolk Southern lines near my house, I haven’t seen any, but I’ll keep an eye peeled.