[PRR-talk] End of automobile boxcars, beginning of autoracks

[Jim Panza]

The first Trailer Train auto racks were on 85' friction draft gear cars as early as 1959.  Both tri-level and bi-level racks were applied to these cars but the quantity and who owned the racks is not well documented in the old records.  Prior to that, there were moves of auto carriers trailers on 85' piggyback flats but that never caught on beyond limited markets such as AMC out of Wisconsin on the C&NW.  

The first 265 low-level autoracks joined the TTX roster in 1961 that allowed tri-level racks to move through the tight clearances of the eastern railroads including the Pennsy.  These were still friction draft gear cars.  In 1963, the first 89'0"low-level cars equipped with 10" travel end of car cushioning units were received from Pullman-Standard and ACF Industries.  Racks were built mainly by Whitehead & Kales and Paragon in Michigan. 

A minor change was increasing the length to 89'4" in the car design and some were retrofitted.  The 89'0" with tri-level racks on low-levels were KTTX, the 89'4" cars with tri-level racks on low-levels were TTKX.  The 89'0" with tri-level racks on standard-levels were RTTX, the 89'4" cars with tri-level racks on standard-levels were TTRX. The 89'0" with bi-level racks were BTTX, the 89'4" cars with bi-level racks  were TTBX.  The KTTX/TTKX tri-levels on low-level flats had a hinged middle or B-deck at the ends so automobiles on the first deck (A-deck) could clear during the loading and unloading process.  That is because there are ramps at the ends of the car for the vehicles to clear the raised draft sill of the low-level car.  This still applies today to the ETTX cars we see in service.  The RTTX/TTRX racks did not have hinged middle decks as they were built on standard level decks without the obstruction of the draft sill.  The draft sill is below the floor sheet on the standard level cars.

Both the low level designs for tri-levels (there were exceptions with some bi-level racks on low level cars) and the standard level designs for bi-levels and tri-levels were raised sill cars.  Raised sill indicates that the side sill extends above the deck as opposed to the flush deck cars that began to appear in 1966.  The change to the flush deck car body for standard level racks (both bi-level as TTBX and tri-level as TTRX) was the last major change to the autorack fleet before the end of the Pennsy.   The change to the low-level flush deck car body for tri-levels did not occur until 1974 with the implementation of the fully enclosed tri-level autorack. 

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: zootowerprr at webtv.net 
  To: Frederick Ripley 
  Cc: prr-talk at dsop.com 
  Sent: Saturday, June 21, 2008 9:26 PM
  Subject: Re: [PRR-talk] End of automobile boxcars, beginning of autoracks


  Fred,

          The first auto racks built on 85' and 89' flats happened in
  1960-61. I think Whitehead and Kales built the first auto racks. So I
  would say 1963-64 is when you saw huge blocks of auto racks in trains.
  Hope this helps...

  Dave Hopson

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