AZL - 904314-1 - Boxcar, 40 Foot, AAR 1944 - Union Pacific - 183247

Model Information: This model represents the standard 1937 AAR 40´ Box Car. It is offered with Murphy raised panel roof, both Youngstown and Superior doors and the most common 4-5 Dreadnaught ends. AZL also offer the correct choice of wooden and etched steel running boards. This enables AZL to offer a very prototypical Box Car.

Some small notes on freight cars in general. Trucks used to be bolted together and that was outlawed by A.R.A. / A.A.R. for good reasons. A maintenance nightmare since they could come apart. Replaced by solid frame trucks they also saw a change as A.A.R. made roller bearings mandatory in the early 1950s.

Other developmental changes effected the running boards. They were probably all wooden to start with. Wood was more slippery than steel, so wood was banned in 1944. In the 1950s running boards and side ladders were outlawed as well. That is why the 1930´s Box Cars lived long with updates through their operational lives. By 1970 these Box Cars could not be found on Class 1 railroads any longer.

Prototype History: The Association of American Railroads had been establishing design standards for freight cars since the early part of the century. Each new design standard meant higher capacity, lighter, more durable cars. The 1937 standard 40' box car featured an interior height of 10'. Just prior to America's entry into the war, there was a push for an even larger interior height for the AAR standard. The first cars that would eventually be termed 1944 AAR, were actually built in 1941 but the war delayed its declaration as the standard. The new taller cars required a new design of end. Corrugated metal ends had been used since the days when wood side cars dominated for a very good reason, shifting loads would burst through wooden ends during sudden starts and stops! These corrugated panels were stamped in two sections, split horizontally down the middle. The 1937 standard had 5 ribs on one half and 4 ribs on the other -- creating what is called a 5-4 Dreadnaught end. The slightly taller 1944 model required something a little different. The lower panel has 4 ribs while the upper panel has 3 then a space and a final rectangular rib at the top. Called a 4-3-1 (or R-3-4) Improved Dreadnaught end, this design would dominate new box car construction for years.

Road Name History: The Union Pacific Railroad (reporting mark UP) is a freight hauling railroad that operates 8,500 locomotives over 32,100 route-miles in 23 states west of Chicago, Illinois and New Orleans, Louisiana. The Union Pacific Railroad network is the largest in the United States and employs 42,600 people. It is also one of the world's largest transportation companies.

Union Pacific Railroad is the principal operating company of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP); both are headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. Over the years Union Pacific Corporation has grown by acquiring other railroads, notably the Missouri Pacific, Chicago & North Western, Western Pacific, Missouri-Kansas-Texas, and the Southern Pacific (including the Denver & Rio Grande Western).

Union Pacific Corporation's main competitor is the BNSF Railway, the nation's second largest freight railroad, which also primarily services the Continental U.S. west of the Mississippi River. Together, the two railroads have a duopoly on all transcontinental freight rail lines in the U.S.

Read more on Wikipedia and on Union Pacific official website.

Brand/Importer Information: AZL is the leader in North American Z scale locomotives and rolling stock. Since 2000, AZL has released a vast variety of freight, passenger and locomotives. AZL continues to push the boundaries of Z scale with amazing details and incredible performance. No matter if you are looking to run steam, or the most modern diesels, AZL has something for you.