Background & History

The third group of XLj 50’ Boxcars were built in 1972 and delivered in dark solid green paint with a jumbo “RDG” logo. They were one of the last new cars built for the Reading, and were equipped with roller bearings, hydraulic cushioning units, and “DF” load restraints – state of the art in 1972.

This class of boxcars were transferred to Conrail in 1976, eventually becoming surplus with the lessened demand for 50’ boxcars. In July 1996, RCT&HS purchased Reading #20003 from Conrail. The boxcar is in good condition and is used to store artifacts and spare parts. We are lucky to have five cars of this class, as most have been scrapped. We expect to restore this car to its as delivered paint scheme, hopefully to be used in “photo freight trains”.