PRR X31F Boxcar that was in wreck.

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Interesting information, Rich (and others). I first learned if the Evans Auto rack in a N&W employee magazine (N&W content). 

Matt Goodman
Columbus, Ohio

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On Feb 25, 2024, at 7:12 AM, NW Mailing List via NW-Mailing-List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:


The photos are a PRR X31F.  These cars were rebuilt from earlier X31 box car from circa 1933 (I can nail that date down better if needed).   The center sections of the round roofs were removed, and replaced with the extended roof sections shown in the photos to reposition the Evans Auto Loader systems higher in the car.  This was mostly done to load Jeeps, and allowed several more vehicles per load.  Most cars I have seen in clear photos were either assigned to Kenosha, WI, or Toledo, OH, both Jeep production plants.
    The conversions of these cars began in 1939.  The first listing in the Official Railway Equipment Register (ORER) was in October 1939 (keep in mind that the "cover date" reflected a filing date three months earlier).  The number series then was 81200-81379., but no cars were yet listed as rebuilt.   By the July 1941 ORER the series had expanded to 81200-81889, with 690 cars listed.  
    Very few new box cars were built in the 1930's, actually very few of any type of car for that matter.  The PRR was pretty much the only exception as they pushed to enlarge the profile of box cars to hold larger loads, and be tall enough to utilize Evans Auto loader systems.  I recall that one year around 1935, or 1936 the PRR built over 5000 cars in their shops, which was more cars than every other railroad combined.  There was a lot of push back from Eastern roads due to their limited clearance diagrams out of fear of the expense of enlarging tunnels, and expanding clearances on bridges, not to mention having to keep track of what cars they could accept to various destination.  
    I'll attach a couple later day shots of an existing X31F I shot years ago.  It was being used as a storage shed for pipe line drilling parts from what I could tell.
        Rich Burg
<PRR X31F #81832, EX-#60279, Sligo, PA 5-18-92, RJ Burg #2322.tif>
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