In 1923, the American Railway Association (ARA) proposed a design for an all-steel box car to be adopted as standard. The design was not officially recognized as a standard although in excess of 60,000 cars were constructed to the basic design. It remained a goal of the ARA Committee on Car Construction to produce a design for an all-steel house car that would be adopted as standard by the member roads.
In 1932, a new design was presented by the Committee and subsequently approved by the member railroads. Five prototypes were constructed in 1933 by Pressed Steel Car Company and extensively tested to confirm the merits of the design. From 1934 to 1945, over 14,500 cars were constructed to the design for twenty-three railroads. The same design was the basis for the 1937, Modified 1937 and Postwar AAR box cars, with in excess of 150,000 copies total.
The 1932 ARA Standard box car heralded the era of standard freight car designs and ranks as one of the few most important designs in history. While the number of cars constructed to the design was relatively small, its influence was far-reaching and its creation may be regarded as one of the landmark events in house car design.
This book is unprecedented in its detailed coverage of a single freight car design. Through extensive photographic coverage, drawings and detailed information, the 1932 ARA cars are chronicled, from the initial five prototypes to the last cars built to the design in 1945. Freight car historians, afficionadoes and modelers will find it an invaluable reference.
Roads profiled include: Bangor & Aroostook, Canadian Pacific, Central of Georgia, Chesapeake & Ohio, Chicago Great Western, Clinchfield, Delaware & Hudson, Erie, Gulf, Mobile & Northern, Louisiana & Arkansas, Maine Central, Missouri Pacific, Nacionales de Mexico, Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis, Norfolk Southern, Seaboard Air Line, Soo Line, Union Pacific, Warrior River Terminal, and Western Maryland.
$69.99
269 pages, 8.5” x 11”, hard cover with dust jacket, 285 photos, 14 drawings, bibliography, index
Publication Date: November 15, 2004
ISBN: 0-9749508-0-7