Pullman-Standard 7315 cu.ft. Auto Parts Car

摘要

Exactrail has recently released an excellent HO model of a Pullman-Standard 7,315-cubic-foot auto parts boxcar, and I thought it would be worthwhile to furnish some information on that car for our readers. But to preface, we need to take a look back into the 1960s when the 60-foot auto parts car was first developed. In the early 1960s, Ford, General Motors, several car builders, and a group of railroads got together and developed several new designs to solve the massive automobile parts supply problems of the era. Prior to then, most auto parts were moved in 50-foot boxcars in dedicated service. By "dedicated," I mean that cars were often assigned strictly for one single purpose, to one single manufacturer, and often had interior bracing, blocking, and fixtures germane to a specific model and production year. Car utilization was low, and as new models were introduced, or existing ones revamped, these cars had to be reworked to deal with the new parts used.