50' Evans Smooth Side Box Car

Prototype Information

The Evans Products Company introduced its 50-foot smooth-side boxcar in the late 1960s. The design met the growing demand for damage-free freight transportation. Unlike traditional boxcars with exposed exterior posts, this model featured smooth exterior side panels and internal bracing. Evans targeted premium shippers of fragile goods, canned food, and high-value manufactured items. The company installed its signature “Damage-Free” (DF) interior loaders, adjustable bulkheads, and side fillers to lock cargo securely in place. To isolate freight from rough track handling, Evans built the cars on sliding center sill cushioned underframes to absorb severe coupling impacts.

The design proved highly successful. The cars became a common sight across North America during the 1970s and 1980s. Major railroads and private leasing fleets—such as the Union Pacific, Milwaukee Road, and US Railway Equipment—purchased them in large numbers. Evans offered various door configurations, including single or double sliding doors and plug doors, to match specific insulation and loading needs. The smooth sides provided an ideal canvas for large, colorful railroad graphics and specialized slogans. Newer, larger boxcars eventually replaced them in primary consumer-goods service, but many Evans 50-foot cars still serve shortlines and regional railroads today.