RailBox consists question

Topo

Member
Hello friends.

It's prototypical to run a consist with RailBox 50' Boxcars mixed with other «normal» (non-RailBox) cars? :confused:

I have seen pics of consists «RailBox-only», but not remember to have seen then mixed.
 

railohio

Active Member
It is more prototypical to mix the RailBox cars with other cars than to run them alone. RailBox is just a leasing company that supplies equipment to railroads. They all run like any other boxcars in the North American fleet.
 

60103

Pooh Bah
Railbox came out when there was a major shortage of boxcars in the U.S. IIRC, it was a joint company of most of the railroads. Their feature was that they had no "home road" to return to. About the same time, the interchange rulers introduced "Incentive per diem" charges (extra daily charges) to induce roads/shippers to get cars moving again in a hurry. This caused a number of otherwise insignificant roads to suddenly acquire large fleets of boxcars.
The make up of a train would depend on whether it was coming or going, and which boxcars were on hand.
Some roads ran special trains to collect foreign cars and get them "off the property" and onto some other road so that the charges would stop accumulating.
 

Topo

Member
Thanks for the clarifications, gentlemen. :)

These cars are very colourful, but I think that having more than three or four in my layout at one time would be too much yellow joined! :p
 

railohio

Active Member
RailBox was actually a subsidiary of Trailer Train which was jointly held by a number of Class 1 railroads. Today both operations are consolidated under the TTX brand.
 

60103

Pooh Bah
and just today I saw a Railbox car with a big TTX patch in the upper right corner.
My wife commented on the pastel colours on the other cars in the train.
 

rockislandmike

Active Member
I've seen some of the newest ones recently here in Edmonton. They often travel in duos or trios, but they're always mixed in with a bunch of other freight cars, very frequently a mish-mash of other boxcars.
 

Chessie6459

Gauge Oldtimer
i haven't seen any of the railbox cars come through portage, pa yet, but i am sure i will see some one of these days.
 
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