With the increase of automobile production in the 1920s, the railroads looked to larger box cars for the transportation of the vehicles. Using the then common single-sheathed wood construction with outside steel bracing, the 50’ double-door automobile car was born. Railroads quickly found these cars to be multi-purpose and many ended up in lumber and hide service.
These cars also were quite long-lived for a wooden car with some still in service until the early 1970s.
