1937 AAR Standard Box Car

HO Scale
$42.99

Express Service Cars
$49.99
All  models are available individually.
Assortments can be separated for individual sale.
 
Check dealers for availability
Prototypes
Canadian National
CN White Maple Leaf (1943)
CN Green Maple Leaf (1945)
CN Modified Maple Leaf (1954)
CN 'Canadien' (1964)
CN Express Green
CN Express Green and Black
CN Express Noodle

with Flat Panel Roof
Built 1937-38
471000 - 471999 - 4/5 (Sq)
472000 - 472999 - NSC #1
474000 - 474599 - 4/5 (Sq)
474600 - 475299 - 4/5 (Sq)
475300 - 475999 - NSC #1
476625 - 477349 - NSC #2

Built 1939
476000 - 476624 - 4/5 (Sq)
477350 - 477949 - 4/5 (Sq)
480125 - 480714 - NSC #2

Built 1940
477950 - 479049 - 4/5 (Sq)
479050 - 480124 - 4/5 (Sq)

with Rectangular Panel Roof
Built 1943
481815 - 482714 - NSC #2

Built 1944
484165 - 485514 - NSC #2
486565 - 487264 - NSC #2

Built 1945
520000 - 520999 - NSC #2
521000 - 521499 - NSC #2
Canadian Pacific
CP Block (1937)
CP Stepped (1951)
CP Script (1959)
CP Rail Multimark (1968)
CP Express
CP Express 'Canadian'

with Flat Panel Roof
Built 1937
226000 - 227699
227700 - 228199
228200 - 228799

Built 1938
29019 - 29199
221000 - 221999
222000 - 222949

Built 1939
222950 - 223449

Built 1940
223450 - 223949

with Rectangular Panel Roof
Built 1941
249000 - 249499

Built 1943
248350 - 248999

Built 1944
249500 - 250499

Built 1945
250500 - 251249

Built 1946
252200 - 252249
Ontario Northland
ONR Box Car Red
ONR Jade Green
ONR Progressive

with Rectangular Panel Roof
Built 1947
90000 - 90569 - NSC #2

Built 1948
90570 - 90999

GOLD SERIES

 
 

AVAILABLE FROM YOUR LOCAL DEALER, INTERNET DEALER OR TRUE LINE TRAINS
 ASSORTMENT PACKS  
ASSORTMENT PACKS
SINGLE NUMBERS

NEW END!
NEW PAINT SCHEMES!
NEW TRUCKS!

In 1937, the AAR approved a new standard box car. The design itself was an update of the 1932 ARA box car design, with increased height and width, and newer components. 

While the 1932 ARA car received some acceptance by the railroads, the 1937 AAR design was the first standard steel box car built in large quantities by many roads including Canadian National and Canadian Pacific, rostering nearly 30,000 cars between them between 1937 and 1944.
 


The Candian cars have some unique features. They were slow to adopt the new Rectangular Panel roof, instead using an earlier Flat-Panel design until as late as 1943. They used unique ladders with integral stirrup steps, including end ladders, and since they did not have poling pockets and stirrup steps, they lacked the side-sill 'tabs' at the corners of the cars. They also continued building to the 1937 AAR standard cars as late as 1944, when other roads had built 'Modified 1937 AAR' cars with an increased interior height of 10'6" starting in 1941. Both roads switched to the 1944 'Postwar' design in 1947.
 
Due to their vast numbers, accounting for around 1/3 of all 1937 AAR Standard box cars, they were a common sight along not only Canadian roads, but on US roads as well.

Canadian National NSC-built Cars

Beginning in 1937, the CN rostered over 18,000 40' box cars based on the 1937 AAR design. These cars had a 10' IH and 6' doors.
 
The cars were built with Flat Panel or Rectangular Panel roofs; Ajax or Universal power hand brakes; and wood running boards. Trucks were either AAR cast sideframe or National Type-B.
 
National Car Company (NSC) built over one-third of the CN cars using their own proprietary (car builders) ends. Two versions were used with vertical stiffeners running over (NSC #1) or 'through' (NSC #2) the Dreadnaught style horizontal corrugations.


Two cars, 521497 and 52198 were built with experimental aluminum sides.

In addition to the NSC cars built with proprietary ends, cars were build by Canadian Car & Foundry, and Eastern Car Company with 4/5 Dreadnaught ends with square corners through 1940. Cars built from 1943-1947 used the NSC #2 ends or 4/5 'W'-corner Dreadnaught ends (CCF and ECC) and rectangular panel roofs.

Canadian Pacific Cars

The Canadian Pacific rostered over 9,000 of these cars with deliveries beginning in 1937. Although 1,950 of the cars were built by NSC as on the Canadian National, the majority of the cars were built by Candian Car & Foundry, accounting for more than two thirds (6,550). The final 950 cars were built by Eastern Car Company.
 
All of the Canadian Pacific cars used an unusual 5/5 welded dreadnaught end, instead of the more common 4/5 riveted dreadnaught end. They utilized the Flat Panel roof and square corner ends until switching to the Rectangular Panel roof in 1941 and 'W'-corner ends for the 1943 orders.

Express Box Cars
Cars 29019-29115 (built 1937) were equipped for passenger service and painted in maroon. Ten cars were renumbered into the 4900-4909 series and painted aluminum with maroon lettering for use on The Canadian. At least one received a red stripe as well.

Well, that didn't take long.
This special run is sold out at TLT.
Check with your preferred dealer.

Ontario Northland NSC-built Cars

Ontario Northland acquired 1000 cars built in 1947-1948 by NSC with the same NSC #2 ends and Rectangular Panel roof as used on the 1943-1945 CN cars.

If anybody has any more information about these cars, please contact Randy.

 
 



Thanks to some great input from new sources, these new ONR box cars will be more accurate than ever before.  Featuring several improvements over the original - including accurate spacing, roof walk and fonts.  These cars will be available in JADE (new paint scheme), CN RED (new paint scheme) and the ONR Progressive scheme (new paint scheme and previously unavailable other than a custom run from George's Trains).
 
Canadian Car & Foundry ad
from 1943 Car Builder's Cyc.
For more information see:
"AAR Standard 40' Steel-Sheathed Boxcars: 1937-1948 Canadian Prototypes" Richard Hendrickson & Stafford Swain; 
Model Railroading August 1988, pg. 48.
Also available online at http://trainlife.com
 
"Canadian National 1937 AAR Design 40' Steel Box Cars" Stafford Swain; Railroad Model Craftsman August 1993, pg 81.
 
1937 AAR Box Car page at Steam Era Freight Cars.
 
Rensselaer Railroad Heritage Website section on 1937 AAR Box Cars (membership is required for access).