As larger freight cars became common, North American opted to build its own 50' insulated box cars. Production began in 1963 and the design incorporated elements of the Pacific Car & Foundry equipment that North American had been using.
 
The cars featured smoothside steel construction, underframe cushioning devices to reduce shock to the load and a large, tight-fitting Superior plug door. This made them well suited to handling a variety of foodstuffs and chemical products.
 
While the new design met with approval, it was the outside braced version (introduced during the first production run of smoothside cars), that caught the attention of the railroads. In all, 750 smoothside cars were built before production ended in 1965. Most were originally sold to railroads rather than private owners. Of those still in service today, most are now privately owned.
 
Adding these unique cars to your roster is a snap with these new models. Perfect for service behind second generation diesels, this ready-to-run freight car looks great on period layouts. Fully assembled and ready for service, the cars feature a highly detailed body, authentic period paint schemes, free-rolling trucks and working knuckle couplers. To expand your fleet, cars are offered with three different numbers; a single number on individual cars and two different numbers in two-packs.