O IT 50′ Waffle Boxcar #7425

In designing a boxcar interior, freight car manufacturers must
balance two competing desires. The first is for a smooth interior wall,
with nothing to snag, puncture or otherwise damage a load. One modern
solution to this was the exterior post car, with its vertical support
posts on the outside to allow for an unbroken interior surface. The
second desire, however, is for wall-mounted tie-downs or other
attachment devices to secure the cargo, to prevent shifting and damage
en route. The waffle-side boxcar, introduced in the mid-1970s,
successfully satisfied both desires.

The waffle-like bumps on the exterior of the car are actually
recesses stamped into the inner wall to accommodate load-restraining
devices. Thus the car presents a smooth interior wall for load safety,
plus the ability to fasten load restraints almost anywhere in the car.
This is especially useful for loads that, as truckers would say, “weigh
out before they cube out” – i.e., reach the car’s maximum load weight
with space remaining in the car, and need to be restrained so they
won’t shift into the empty space and get damaged. Loads commonly
handled in waffle-side boxcars include furniture, appliances, auto
parts, and rolls of paper for the printing industry.

Like other modern boxcar designs, waffle-side cars lack roof
walks and, with roof access no longer needed, have end ladders that run
only partway up the sides, to allow crew members to ride the cars
during switching moves.

The Southern Railway was one of the early adopters of the
waffle-side design, taking its first delivery of 70-ton, 50′ cars from
Pullman-Standard in 1974. It eventually rostered nearly 5,000
waffle-side cars, boldly emblazoned “Southern Gives a Green Light to
Innovations.” Many other carriers followed suit, buying boxcars with
various waffling patterns from a variety of builders. Once quite
common, waffle-side cars still ply the rails today but, like other
boxcars, are less often seen because containerization has taken over
many of the cargos once carried in boxcars.

MTH Premier O Scale freight cars are the perfect complement
to any manufacturer’s scale proportioned O Gauge locomotives. Whether
you prefer to purchase cars separately or assemble a unit train, MTH
Premier Rolling Stock has the cars for you in a variety of car types
and paint schemes.

Virtually every sturdy car is offered in two car numbers
which makes it even easier than ever to combine them into a mult-car
consist. Many of MTH’s Premier Rolling Stock offerings can also operate
on the tightest O Gauge curves giving them even more added versatitlity
to your layout.