Wow...You'd Think I'd Stop: TTX Box Cars.

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

It’s quite surprising that I haven’t made you guys want to kill me yet [:D]. Well my question is when did the “new” TTX box cars start showing up? I’m talkin’ about the 60-footers with reporting marks like TBOX.

Not too puzzling, eh? [:I]

uspscsx

2

It was either late 2002 or early 2003. The National Steel Car built ones in the TBOX 665000 (XNH60) series was the first type I saw, followed by Gunderson (XGH60, TBOX 660000 series) a few months later, finally the Trinity Rail Group (XRH60, TBOX 670000 series) a couple of months after that. It appears TTX has bought at least 1500 from each and that Gunderson is taking the longest to produce the cars.

3

Is this the dying throws of the box car? Will the multimode shipping container pound the final nails into the box car’s coffin? At any rate the “Box” will live on in miniature on millions of layouts around the world. Long live the “Box Car”!!!
Will

4

I wouldn’t be too quick to write the boxcar’s obituary just yet. There are still certain materials that are high-volume + low-value-per-lb that would not be as cost-effective to ship by truck, that cannot be carried in hoppers or gondolas. Rolled newsprint is one example that comes to mind . When I toured a PA paper mill, I saw long strings of boxcars being shifted in and out of their shipping warehouse.

5

For those who may not realize this, RailBox is owned by TrailerTrain.

6

as is railgon in the railbox rbox era of the boxcar boom you can go to www.ttx.com for more info. in the late 90’s RMC did a multi part series on ttx flatcars, the vp wrote into the safety valve and left his name and address so modellers could contact him. i did sos and got some good info on what TTX had to offer. both Railgon and Railbox were subsidaries of TTX that didnt quiet catch on at the time.

tom

7

Thanks guys. 2002 or 2003? Eeeek, too early for my time period. I guess that Genesis box car is out.

uspscsx

8

Box Cars aren’t about to go away soon

Along with the afore mentioned paper shipments. Autoparts, Canned goods, and bottled beverages still get shipped in Box Cars.