OK - I don't have a lot of RR history books, and I'm wondering: When did 50-foot boxcars appear on American railroads? Most older photos I've seen (before what, 1960? 1950?) seem to have all 40-foot boxcars and refers. What's the opinion of the experts here ?
While we're at it, seems like *most* of those older 40-footers were some shade of rr brown (boxcar red, or whatever). Right?
- Thanks - Dick Chaffer / Bozeman, MT
50' boxcars have been around since before the 1920s, although not necessarily in large numbers.
Most boxcars were painted "boxcar red" because the iron oxide-based paint was cheap and durable. but some roads did use other colours. For example, in 1937 the Katy (M-K-T) began painting their 40' single sheathed boxcars chrome yellow, with black lettering. While I'm modelling roughly that same era, I prefer the cars in their original colour:
Wayne
Quite a bit older, there wre examples built in the 19th century, rare yes, but they did exist. They gained a following in the 20's primarly for auto shipments, shipments of lumber and furniture were also a popular commidity but they were general purpose above all, SP even had a dedicated fleet with ceramic tanks for transporting Shasta Water!
Steam railroading was a hostile enviorment, hence the tendency of browns and reds as primary house car colors, the era of the 50 foot steel boxcar occured during a time when repainting in eye catching colors, often with flamboyent and lavish graphics proved popular, not all roads went for that image and maintained subdued colors
Dave
50' long - 10' high steel boxcars came along in the thirties, wood ones of similar size had been made in the twenties. As noted a very few existed before WW1.
BTW one reason boxcars, barns and other things exposed to the elements were painted a tuscan-oxide red was because that paint wore very well, was durable, and was dirt cheap - because it was made from dirt!! Well, soil or clay that included iron ore, which isn't that hard to find. Before 1859 IIRC all paint was made from natural materials, so the cost was in large part determined on what it was made of.
Later of course, farmers going to town and asking for "red" paint would get something more like fire engine red rather than the old "putty" or "boxcar red" type paint...which is why barns are red.
West Coast SQuite a bit older, there wre examples built in the 19th century, rare yes, but they did exist. They gained a following in the 20's primarly for auto shipments, shipments of lumber and furniture were also a popular commidity but they were general purpose above all, SP even had a dedicated fleet with ceramic tanks for transporting Shasta Water! Steam railroading was a hostile enviorment, hence the tendency of browns and reds as primary house car colors, the era of the 50 foot steel boxcar occured during a time when repainting in eye catching colors, often with flamboyent and lavish graphics proved popular, not all roads went for that image and maintained subdued colors Dave
I find it ironic after painting boxcars in flashy colors in the 60s and 70s, the Class 1s have gone back to painting boxcars in plain colors. BNSF, UP, NS, CN and KCS 50' and 60' boxcars are either oxide red or brown, while CSX’s is blue. IMO, UP’s cars are the plainest of the bunch, while BNSF’s use of oxide red is a holdover from the ATSF’s simplified Q scheme. KCS’s cars are very plain too, and IIRC, CN has always painted it’s boxcars in oxide colors with the CN logo. About the only modern cars that look flashy are the TTX FBOX 50' and TBOX 60' hi-cube boxcars, and WSOR has several 50' double-plug RBLs in special schemes too.
50 foot boxcars appeared as early as 1881, I have a photograph which shows a 50' wood boxcar with one full size and one half size door boxcar lettered for "Jackson's Wagons." the car was described as having a 30 ton capacity.