Container Car, Articulated Well, Gunderson Maxi-Stack I

History: Like its cousin, the Gunderson Maxi-Stack IV, the Maxi-Stack I is a multi-unit well car designed to carry two stacked intermodal shipping containers. While its base well is 40', it can accept larger containers such as 45', 48' and even 53' in the top position, making the car a versatile addition to a railroad's intermodal services. The Maxi-Stack I is a five-unit well car, unlike its 53' cousin Maxi-Stack IV that is a three-unit car, giving each car a greater capacity even though the individual wells are a smaller size. Introduced in 1988, the Maxi-Stack I is still available in Gunderson (now GBX) catalog in a modernized version as of the early 2020's.

Railroad/Company: Gunderson traces its roots to 1919 when Chet Gunderson opened Wire Wheel Sales and Service Company of Portland, Oregon. His brother, Al Gunderson joined in 1923 and shortly thereafter Gunderson Brothers was born. They became a leading steel fabricator and manufactured thousands of vital ship components during World War II. They also built lifeboats and life rafts: 3,600 by 1945.

Peace-time barges began in 1949 and the first order of railcar underframes came in 1958. In 1985, The Greenbrier Companies acquired the former Gunderson Brothers operations from FMC Corporation and restored the Gunderson name to the Portland waterfront. Since that time, Gunderson has established itself as a leader in engineering and manufacturing railcars and marine barges.

As of 2018, Greenbrier's Gunderson division is one of the largest producers of intermodal railcars.