SOO 134216

Outside-Braced Box Car

Soo Line 134216 represents the great fleet of grain-hauling boxcars that were once very commonplace in the upper midwest. Vast harvests in Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, and Manitoba were hauled from grain elevator to flour mill by Soo Line boxcars. (In the days before modern covered hoppers.)

When the grain was loaded, wooden boards were placed across the door opening to hold the grain in, because it was loose, not bagged. To unload, men used wooden plows pulled by ropes from outside to scrape all the grain out. Marks inside the car indicated how much grain could be loaded, depending upon the density of the different grains.

134216 probably dates from the 1920's. (Author's guess.) It shows evidence of having had K triple valve air brakes, which were outlawed in the early 1930's. It has a staff-type handbrake which would be operated by the brakeman standing on the roof - a 19th century practice. The steel framing, however, suggests it was built after the turn of the century.

The visible steel framing was probably dictated by a desire to reduce dead weight (increasing payload capacity) while leaving a smooth interior surface for easier unloading. It is essentially a stud wall finished only on the inside.

134216 ended its tenure on the Soo Line in work train service. The interior has been fitted with workbenches and storage racks.