Rivet Counter HO Scale Trinity 60' 7500 8' Double-Plug-Door High-Cube Boxcar, BNSF/Circle-Cross Logo

The 60’ high-cube boxcar has been a common sight on North American rails since the 1970s. Initially, these car types were designed for shuttling auto parts from various suppliers to auto assembly plants. Other common uses for these large boxcars were for transporting finished appliances from the factory to distribution centers. These cars were ideal for larger, lighter items that would traditionally cube out in a smaller 50’ boxcar. Many of these cars were only rated at 70 tons.

Due to their extreme height, many reaching 17’ above the railhead, these cars were given the AAR clearance plate designation of Plate-F. 

In the late 1990s, a new breed of 60-foot boxcar began to appear on the rails. These newer, more robust cars also had a larger weight potential. Because of this, multiple commodities that were previously hauled in smaller 50-foot boxcars could now be loaded in these cars, requiring fewer carloads and reducing transportation costs. Common goods that these cars are used for today include lumber, steel, appliances, canned items, and beer.

Trinity has built over 10,000 of their 60’ high cube Plate-F boxcars in the past 25 years. During these years, multiple variations have rolled out of the factory doors. At this time, we have identified 34 unique body variations! These variations include 8 different door arrangements, 7 different side post arrangements, 5 different ends, 5 different underframes, and 10… yes, 10 different roofs.

From 1998 to 2000, Trinity used a more traditional tubular corner post design at the ends of the cars. We have come to identify these as the “early body”. This design was available in a single 12’ plug door version with 6 side posts on either side of the door, or the more common double 8’ plug door arrangement with 5 side posts on either side. All were built with 5 over 4 rib non-terminating ends. 

In 2001, Trinity revised the design to the “late body,” now using a flanged plate corner post that is welded to the side sheet at the ends. This design has been used on all versions built up to today.

The “late body” cars came in the same plug door arrangements as the early cars, which were still the most common, but other variants came along. Norfolk Southern received 225 cars with 10’ 6” plug doors. 200 cars with 8’ 2” offset double sliding doors went to the Canadian National. The Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado Railway received cars with 8’ double sliding doors, 10’ plug doors, and 12’ sliding doors. 

The non-terminating end patterns came in the common 4 over 3 rail design, but also a 3 over 2, 3 over 3, and a 4 over 3 with a vertical plate. The 5 over 4 design was only used on the “early body” version cars.

The roof variations are unlike anything we have seen before on a boxcar. Most cars came equipped with various patterns of panels with 1, 2, 3, or 4 ribs with upstanding flange seams. Then there are roofs of all X-panels and some that are a mix of X and diagonal panels. Many of the latest-built cars removed the upstanding flange and now have ribbed panels with flat seams.

Another variation seen on the Trinity cars is the addition of horizontal stiffeners. These can be seen on cars delivered to BNSF with a single row of stiffeners placed down the middle of the car. Some deliveries of the TTX TBOX boxcars and all of the Laurinburg and Southern GATX boxcars were delivered with 3 rows of stiffeners. 

This common and complex car is a staple of modern railroading and is a must-have for any layout set within the last 25 years.