Open Autorack

Prototype Information

The open autorack emerged in the late 1950s as a vital innovation to help railroads reclaim the finished vehicle market from long-haul trucking. Before this, railroads moved cars in enclosed boxcars, which only held four vehicles and required tedious manual loading. In 1960, the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway and Pullman-Standard developed the first functional tri-level rack. These racks were essentially open steel frames mounted onto eighty-five-foot flatcars. This new design allowed railroads to carry up to fifteen vehicles per car, drastically lowering transportation costs and increasing efficiency for manufacturers like Ford and Chrysler.

By the mid-1960s, open autoracks were the industry standard across North America. However, their open-air design led to significant problems with vandalism, theft, and environmental damage from track debris and weather. Manufacturers initially tried adding side shields to protect the lower tiers, but by the early 1970s, the industry began shifting toward fully enclosed designs. While the open autorack was a revolutionary stepping stone that proved railroads could handle high-volume vehicle logistics, it eventually disappeared from service as railroads moved toward the fully shielded “bi-level” and “tri-level” enclosed racks used today.