Atlas HO NSC Newsprint Box Car

In 1967, the National Steel Car Corporation of Hamilton, Ontario, created the first purpose-built cars for handling dedicated newsprint paper transport between Canada and the US. These cars featured riveted or welded sides, and completely smooth interior surfaces – including the doors – which was necessary to protect the large rolls of paper which weighed as much as 2000 pounds each. These rolls were normally stacked two high, requiring an internal height of more than 9 feet for clearance. These paper rolls also required large door openings, and the cars featured sliding Youngstown lever-type flush plug doors or lever-less exterior post plug doors. These cars were originally purchased by seven different railroads (CN, CV, CP, DWP, PGE, MDW, and QNS&L) and were regularly seen in international paper shipping service through the late 2000s. Over their long lifespans, they wore many different, usually colorful, paint schemes which made these cars readily identifiable in any consist.