National Steel Car Company of Hamilton, Ontario built our boxcar in February 1948 as Canadian National Railways 524129, one of an order for 500 cars.  It represents a Canadian innovation in 1939 that strengthened the end with vertical stampings on three riveted panels.  This construction was intended to reduce damage to the ends of freight cars due to shifting loads while en route.  The 1948 cars were CNR’s first that increased the inside height by six inches to 10’ 6.”  As built, the forty-foot-long car could contain 3,880 cubic feet of cargo which was accessed through a six-foot wide door.  CNR bought 18,260 cars of similar dimensions through early 1956.

The car was rebuilt in 1969 with a nine-foot door to better accommodate fork-lift trucks.  Empty, it weighs 23 tons and has a maximum capacity of 63½ tons. 

The car was last repainted in Bathurst, New Brunswick in March 1982 using Tibbetts paint that was manufactured in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia.

Photo by Bill Linley

The trucks were last serviced in June 1985 in Regina, Saskatchewan.   Each four-wheel truck weighs about six tons and is of the patented Bettendorf design that was an industry standard for decades.  The steel axles ride on journals, bronze bushings, that turned in an oil bath.  If the oil was not topped up regularly, the journal would overheat causing a “hot box.”   On-board train crews watched carefully for hot boxes while en route.  If not detected, they could catch on fire.  Additionally, overheated axles could break causing the train to derail.  Such cars are no longer permitted in revenue service and have been almost universally replaced by safer ones that have roller bearings.

One of its recent trips saw it destined to Stellarton, Nova Scotia as informally marked on the car’s side by an employee.  In 1989, it was moved over the DAR through Middleton to a connecting siding to the Upper Clements Theme Park.  In 2020, it was donated to the Museum by the Municipality of the County of Annapolis.  On August 24, 2021, the Nova Scotia Government moved it to Middleton.  Three other boxcars also donated to our Museum were passed along to the Towns of Berwick and Wolfville where they are on display.

The car was pressure washed in June 2022 and we are raising funds to repaint it in the style of the 1950s to match our steam locomotive.  It will feature a large, green Maple Leaf herald and a bright yellow door indicating its assignment for Clean Lading Only.

Header Photo by Lee Hopkins