50' NSC Newsprint Box Car

Prototype Information

National Steel Car began producing specialized newsprint boxcars in the 1970s to serve the paper industry. These cars featured smooth interiors, load restraints, and wide plug doors to protect large rolls of newsprint from moisture and damage. Their design optimized the car’s 50- to 60-foot length for both volume and easy loading with clamp trucks. Many rode on cushioned underframes to reduce shifting and impact damage during transit. Railroads and private fleets used them heavily on dedicated paper routes across North America. As the demand for newsprint declined in recent decades, many of these cars were retired, repurposed, or reassigned to other paper products.