I frequently see “DF” lettering on boxcars from many different railroads and eras. I was wondering “DF” means (besides more importantly being my initials [:O]).
Thanks.
Doug F
As quoted from a site called www.trainorders.com: “DF” boxcars Author: SantaFeRuss In the 1960’s and 1970’s , railroads had nice logos and things like “Hydra Cushion”,“Super Shock Control”, DF (“Damage Free”) for cushion underframes and load-restraining equipment, hence the “DF” or damage free markings on boxcars."
There are a lot of other letters that show up on freght cars besides DF. I do not know what they all mean.
I have seen LD, HC, CP, and others.
-Kevin
Damage Free/DF referred to the load restraining devices inside the car. I believe Evans had the trademark in DF and a patent in their load restraining devices, but there were other makes.
You could have DF inside the car and NOT have a cushioned underframe. And you can have cushioned underframe and NOT have the load restraining devices.
In either case, DF and cushioned underframe made that a valuable car and thus as generally used only for cargoes that needed it - and I suppose where the shipper paid a bit more for the use of the car.
HC might be short for hydra-cushion, which again I believe was a trademark of a particular make of cushioned underframe. ACF for example used the trademark “Freight-Saver cushioned.”
Or it may merely mean hydraulic cushioning which is a generic description and not a trademark
LD might mean “load dividers” such as Equipco/Unarco and others made. They sort of resemble that movable temporary walls you see in some hotel meeting and conference rooms that can change the size of the room
and CP I do not know.
Dave Nelson
CP is probably Car-Pak, another interior load restraint/divider system.
(I might not have the name/spelling exactly right, but it’s definitely an interior loading device.)
To answer these questions I started two threads. I hope you find them useful.
Loading devices
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/13/t/280988.aspx
Cushion underframes
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/13/p/281228/3223087.aspx
Kotaro, Kuriu
Kyoto, Japan
Southern Pacific contracted with Stanford Research Institute to develop a cushioned underframe. They called their invention Hydra-Cushion.
Hi, I’ve often refferred to this link for info’. Paul
https://trn.trains.com/railroads/abcs-of-railroading/2006/05/freight-car-markings
Not a bad overview for what it contains, but it doesn’t cover anything discussed in this thread.
Dispatcher’s Freight… I forget the whole story behind that but,it seems some customers freight wasn’t moving as fast as those “DF” cars they was seeing and they complained any car with DF gets preferred treament.
Deadly Flatulence.