Gunderson 50' High Cube Double Door Box Car

Gunderson Brothers Engineering Corporation of Portland OR was a small carbuilder that mostly produced box cars. While the company dates to the World War II era, the first significant box car production was started in the later 1960s. Built in 1968-1969, the 6089 cubic foot double plug door model was the first of its kind for Gunderson Brothers: the first 50’6” high cube boxcar. Gunderson Brothers continued the carbuilding trends of the 1960s, utilizing commercial components like Stanray dreadnaught ends, Stanray peaked roofs, and Hydra-Cushion center sills. These centered double-plug door box cars were purpose-built for paper, appliance, and other large products loading with easy access for forklifts, and they wandered all over North America during their service lives. With 1,050 cars produced in total, three railroads originally purchased these cars: SSW, SP, and DRGW. The SP and SSW cars were repainted in the 1980s/1990s and served into the 2000s.