Pullman Standard first began its standardized freight car designs with the PS-1 boxcar in 1947. Following that success would be a standard covered hopper – designated PS-2 – shortly thereafter.
The PS-2 offered railroads and private companies alike a car that could be loaded and unloaded quickly and freely interchange between railroads across the country. Although capable of hauling several different commodities, most found their way into single service use so as to avoid a complete cleaning of the interior of the car if different load types were hauled.
The first PS-2s were 34 feet long and had two bays straddling the center sill which supported the car. Air brake equipment was placed in an open area beneath the end sheet and overhanging roof and the sides featured two heavier end posts, and six smaller support posts clustered in groups of three with a larger “panel” in the center of the car. Slope sheets, which direct the load to the hopper doors, were hidden behind the side sheets, making the cars’ capacity look greater than it really was. The design of the end posts, end sheets and other components changed several times over the cars’ lengthy production run, but this general arrangement of parts remained the same and even carried over to larger designs.
