Autoracks, The Auto Carrier

From the turn of the 20th century through roughly the 1960s railroads hauled most of their merchandise traffic (i.e., virtually everything that was not bulk material like coal or aggregates) using the ubiquitous boxcar, which could handle about anything. What made boxcars great, at least in the eyes of the railroads, was, their ability to haul about anything! Railroads thrive on redundancy to maximize efficiency, which was the reason they loved the boxcar so much (if it was not for shippers who requested many different specialized cars for their needs, railroads would have been happy to haul everything in boxcars). For instance, for many years the car carried everything from general consumer goods to fresh produce, literally almost anything that would practically fit into the car’s empty, open spaces.

This also included automobiles and while boxcars did not allow for the most efficient use of space by only being able to load two or three cars each, until the 1950s this was more than enough to meet the demand during those days. However, with the interstate system developed during the 1950s, more folks taking to the road, and the trucking industry thus eating away at the railroad’s [freight] traffic base (including the movement of automobiles), they needed a more efficient and economical means of moving autos, even if it meant developing a specific car for such.

While it seems elementary railroads still took a lot of time refining a car best fit for the moving automobiles. At first it was suggested to use boxcars, which feature two or three levels of racks for a more efficient use of space. However, it was soon discovered that simply by modifying flatcars could one achieve best utilize the available space. The definition of the flatcar is rather self-explanatory, a basic freight car design consisting of a flat, horizontal surface usually equipped with standard two two-axle trucks to transport any type of cargo, which can withstand the open elements of Mother Nature during its journey to its destination. The basic flatcar can haul anything from farm equipment and containers to industrial parts and even rails. The flexibility of the car makes it highly desirable by railroads, as any kind of redundancy that can be achieved is certainly what they are after!

This certainly held true in the case of the autorack, which began to make its appearance in the 1960s. The first autoracks were simply long flatcars with two or three levels of storage that could hold anywhere between 8 to 18 vehicles. However, the initial drawback with these cars was that while they allowed for hundreds of cars to be moved in a single train they were completely open and exposed to not only Mother Nature but also vandals and hoboes (which found them to be perfect sleeping and resting quarters). At first, corrugated steel (later aluminum for lighter weights) was attached to the sides and eventually the 1980s fully enclosed autoracks were available (with locks) and these tall cars can commonly be seen today.

For more reading about autoracks consider the book, Freight Train Cars, from Mike Schafer, one of the leading authors covering all corners of the railroad industry (from its history to present day operations). The book gives an excellent general history and overview on all of the common freight car types and if you are interested in learning more about them, or you are simply looking to better understanding their history and development you should very much enjoy Mr. Schafer’s book (the link below will take you to Amazon.com and ordering information).