Autorack - Transporting New Automobiles

Transporting New Automobiles

During the 1960s, specially built auto carriers took over rail transportation of newly completed automobiles in North America. They carried more vehicles in the same space and were easier to load and unload than the boxcars formerly used. Arthur Crookshank of the New York Central Railroad is credited with having the first set of cars manufactured for use in the late 1950s. Ever-larger auto carriers and specialized terminals were developed by Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W) and other carriers. Also in this decade, autoracks were built in three-level configurations so railroads could haul more of the smaller vehicles of the era; two-level autoracks were still in use for vans and light trucks.

The only problem left was that the new autorack cars did not provide any protection from flying debris or from the weather. In the manner CN had developed in the 1950s, in the 1970s other North American railroads began refining their autorack cars. They began installing side sheathing to protect the vehicles from impact and debris. Roofs were added to most autoracks in the 1980s, as railroads modified their bridge and tunnel clearances to accept them. End doors were added in the latter portion of the decade, both to prevent damage and to deter people from boarding the cars and riding the vehicles loaded in them.