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Photos by Jeremy Plant




A modern Union Pacific auto rack car. Automobiles are loaded from the end of the rail car. Photo from NRHS Collection.

Railroads now started to again become a major shipper of finished automobiles. In 1965, for example, the New York Central hauled 1.1 million new automobiles, and added new freight schedules such as train ML-12, a daily auto rack train traveling from midwestern assembly plants to eastern terminals. This train regularly rated six new General Electric U25b locomotives and was frequently two miles long, consisting entirely of multi-level cars. During that year the Pennsylvania Railroad hauled a half-million new automobiles.

The auto rack cars helped breath new life back into the railroads, but like its ancestor, the auto boxcar, the rack car had both advantages and disadvantages. The new open cars were able to carry a larger load, and they were a colorful sight to train watchers. In those days, one could see the fresh, factory made autos as they traveled to the dealers but of course not all train watchers were friendly when these freight cars went into service. Because the cargo was exposed, the rack cars became prime targets for vandals. In addition, the greater height of the cars required clearance modifications, and not all rail routes could be used. Automobiles carried on the exposed upper deck also suffered damage from exhaust soot if coupled directly behind the locomotives, and it was found on some railroads in winter climates that water seepage from their tunnel ceilings formed icicles, which were damaging automobiles. Some railroads constructed a steel framework of pipes on a flatcar which they would periodically run over their lines to clear away the icicles, while Southern Pacific mounted a hinged system of piping on the roof of some locomotives to do likewise.

The large number of exposed automobiles now appearing on the railroads became a tempting target for vandals, and by 1970 the cost of claims to the railroads for shipping damages was beginning to reach its peak. Vandals were positioning themselves track side to sabotage the trains or staking out on overpasses. Parts were found to be stolen from automobiles during shipment. Automobile windows were also being damaged by thrown objects. In response, railroad and local police and the FBI began "riding shotgun" on the auto rack trains. To combat these problems, many rack cars began receiving enclosed side panels that helped reduce damage from foreign objects and kept the product somewhat hidden, but it introduced another problem - the trespasser. The hobo, vagrant or illegal alien usually found his place in an empty boxcar, but the enclosed auto rack cars were an open invitation to these "free riders." It was a lot easier to stow away in a new automobile, plus it was a much more comfortable ride. I am sure everyone appreciates the "new car smell" when buying a brand new vehicle. Imagine what that automobile would smell like if a hobo slept in the back seat for a week or more!

During the 1970s, major steps were taken to modify the auto rack car. Goals were to provide protection from the elements as well as to reduce vandalism and theft. One measure taken was the installation of side screens. It reduced vandalism but did not stop theft. The material used was a wire mesh very similar to chicken wire; a good example is the rail cars used by the Canadian railroads. Some of these cars with wire mesh are still in use today. In the United States, the rack cars took on a "paneled" look, with the car sides now covered with wire mesh, fiberglass or a corrugated metal screen. These "paneled" auto rack cars were a common sight on the nation's freight trains.

It is often said that what goes around comes around. When automobiles first traveled by rail, they went in boxcars - a fully-enclosed environment. The 89-foot auto racks that travel on today's railroads have evolved into fully-enclosed cars. The side panels and roof on these cars provide full protection from the elements and vandalism, and are still available in bi-level and tri-level styles. Today, the bi-level models transport trucks, vans, sport-utility and other high vehicles while the tri-levels handle sedans and compact automobiles.

When the auto rack first came into favor by the railroads, many carbuilders played a role in the construction of the rack assembly. Major builders in the beginning were Whitehead & Kales (also a large auto transporter truck trailer builder) and Portec's Paragon. They were soon followed by Pullman Manufacturing, National Steel Car (licensed to build W&K products in Canada), and Thrall. Manufacturing today is handled exclusively by Thrall.

How is automobile traffic handled? Originally, the rack cars were assigned to the major automotive assembly plants. Operation was quite simple - the cars left loaded and returned empty to the plants. An empty car makes no money for the railroad so in 1979, to reduce empty miles, cars assigned to General Motors moving in certain lanes were reloaded at assembly plants close to their unloading points. Over time, all the automakers began to follow this practice.

Today, auto rack cars are assigned to equipment pools. Just because a rail car has a certain railroad herald on it does not mean that it is assigned to that owner. Automakers of today have undergone consolidations over the years, and their vehicles are traveling longer distances. The shipment of new vehicles by rail has become more competitive because some foreign auto makers have built plants in the United States. Loaded rack cars with American autos move west, while the imports move east from the West Coast.

An eastbound auto rack train descends Donner Pass at Tunnel 35 near Emigrant Gap, Calif. on June 16, 1999. Photo by Alex Mayes.

 

The North American auto rack car fleet is managed today by Trailer Train. Approximately 59,000 cars are managed by TTX, while the remaining 6,000 are owned by individual railroads. Class I lines handle most of the traffic, while regional railroads see very little. Throughout history, there have been some short-lived experiments in the shipment of automobiles. The New York Central had some of its Flexi-Van container boxes constructed to carry automobiles. A specialized railroad boxcar enclosure was designed in the early 1970s to transport the Chevrolet Vega compact automobile. The Vert-A-Pak car had sides that would hinge downward, forming a ramp. The autos were parked on this ramp and securely tied down, and the sides were flipped upward to close the car, with the Vega traveling vertically on its nose. Needless to say, Chevrolet had to carefully design the Vega so that fuel, lubricants, battery acid, etc., did not leak out in this shipping position. Another experiment was the Stac-Pac. This car consisted of a low-deck flatcar with special straddle loaders. Automobiles of any size were carried three deep in a separate enclosed box. Both Vert-A-Pac and Stac-Pac were short-lived because they were labor intensive and took up too much real estate.

To provide even greater productivity, one of the recently introduced models to handle automobile traffic is the articulated auto rack car, the result of a joint effort between the rail industry and automakers. These cars are simply two car bodies riding on a common center truck, and are designed to ship any type of automobile. Loading and unloading is the same as with conventional 89-foot cars, but the articulated cars carry almost twice the load. Side panels of these cars are solid steel. To match the clearances of conventional single auto rack cars, each section of the articulated car is 68 feet in length, with an overall car length of 140 feet. The Auto-Max, built by Greenbrier, is currently owned by BNSF, CSX, Canadian Pacific, Ferromex, and Kansas City Southern.

New automobiles are still a major source of revenue for today's railroads, primarily the Class I lines. Merchandise freight trains are frequently seen with auto rack cars in the consist, and solid trainsets of rack cars are still operated. Probably the key player today is Norfolk Southern. Its mainline from Detroit to St. Louis and Kansas City by way of Decatur, Ill. funnels automotive traffic from the Motor City to other railroads. The former Wabash line currently serves nine on-line auto plants, and in 1994 more than half of NS automotive traffic rolled over this portion of the system.

Just to get an idea of how many new autos go by rail these days, let us take a look at the Melvindale Auto Distribution Facility. This loading ramp on Norfolk Southern takes in vehicles from all the Chrysler plants in Michigan and nearby Canada, as well as Ford Mustangs. In 1994, Melvindale handled 29,922 carloads or 345,263 automobiles. In June 1995, 115 to 150 auto racks were loaded per day. The ramp was initially constructed by the Wabash in 1959-1960, and expanded to 13 tracks in 1994 with a total loading capacity of 96 rack cars at a time.

The popularity of auto rack cars is not restricted to the freight railroad industry. One of Amtrak's most popular services is its Auto-Train, operated daily on a nonstop schedule between Lorton, Va., near Washington, and central Florida. Based upon the initial success of a 1970s private operator, this train carries its passengers in the latest Superliner equipment while the customer's automobile follows in its auto rack toward the rear of the train. In fact, it is required that passengers have an automobile to transport before Amtrak will sell a ticket on the Auto-Train. The loading and handling of each car is similar to that practiced by the freight railroads.

The transportation of new automobiles is a major traffic segment for America's railroads and may be for many years to come. It will be interesting to see what new developments are ahead in the future.

Bibliography

Beaudette, Edward H., "Central Vermont Single-Sheathed Auto Cars", Model Railroader, August 2001, pp. 64-67.

Budde, Mike, "Paneled Open Auto Racks, Part I", Railmodel Journal, March 2001, pp. 40-46.

Carper, Robert S., American Railroads In Transition, A.S. Barnes & Company, p. 156, 159.

Chatfield, D. Scott, "89-Foot Wide-Body Auto Racks", Railmodel Journal, October 1999, pp. 36-40; January 2002, pp. 41-44.

Glischinski, Steve, Burlington Northern and Its Heritage, Motorbooks International.

Hawkins, Ed, "Postwar 50 Foot AAR Boxcars", Railmodel Journal, August 1999, pp 46-49.

Murray, Tom, "TTX Gives Fast Freight Its Wheels", Trains, November 2001, pp. 66-77.

Nowak, Ed, with Yanossey, Robert J., New York Central Color Photography of Ed Nowack, Book I, Morning Sun Books.

Panza, James, "Thrall Articulated Bi-Level Auto Racks", Railmodel Journal, October 2001, pp. 54-57.

Schafer, Mike, with McBride, Mike, Freight Train Cars, MBI Publishing Company.

Stephens, Bill, "NS Automotive Artery", Trains, January 1996, pp. 42-55.












 




 

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