AZL - 905603 -1 - Boxcar, 50 Foot, Steel, Hi-Cube - Southern Railway of British Columbia - 9409

Prototype History: While the 40-foot boxcar was a standard design, and it did come in different setups depending on the type of freight being transported, it was not large enough for efficient mass commodity transportation. The 50-foot boxcar made its first appearance in the 1930s and steadily grew in popularity over the years, which further improved redundancies by allowing for even more space within a given car. Today, the 50-footer remains the common boxcar size. After the second world war ended, and steel became once again readily available, steel became the go-to choice for construction of boxcars. Pullman Standard and ACF were some of the most prolific builders of these cars.

In the 1960s, the flush, "plug" style sliding door was introduced as an option that provides a larger door to ease loading and unloading of certain commodities. The tight-fitting doors are better insulated and allow a car's interior to be maintained at a more even temperature.

The 50 foot hi-cube boxcar fleet is similar to a 50 foot standard car with an additional 2 feet of interior height. This is known as a "Plate F" boxcar. 50 foot Hi-Cube boxcars typically have a load capacity of 100 tons and are equipped with cushion underframes and plug doors. These cars are used primarily in rolled paper service as the extra height is needed to accommodate the larger rolls that are now commonplace. They can also be used for similar commodities handled in other 50’ or 60’ boxcars.

Road Name History: The Southern Railway of British Columbia, branded as SRY Rail Link (reporting mark SRY) is a Canadian short line railway operating in the southwestern British Columbia.

SRY was launched in 1988 when the Province of British Columbia sold BC Hydro Rail to Itel. Itel sold it to Washington Group (the parent company of Montana Rail Link) in 1994. At that time they adopted the nickname SRY Rail Link. The line runs from Chilliwack southwest to Huntingdon/Sumas (on the Washington border) then northwest to New Westminster, Queensboro and Annacis Island. The island hosts large forest products and automobile terminals which originate or terminate about half of SRY’s traffic. The mainline is 62 miles long. SRY is busy with about 150 customers requiring a fleet of 29 diesels, nearly half of which are end cab switchers.

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.