C.P.R. Boxcar #19752

Log freight trains were indicative of growing prosperity of western Canada.

Boxcars were the most common and versatile type of railway freight car. Developed to carry goods that require weather protection, boxcars were used to transport agricultural produce, foodstuffs and all manner of manufactured goods. Log before cylindrical steel grain cars were introduced in the 1970s, grain was the principal commodity shipped out of western Canada boxcars. To prevent leakage the door openings were carefully sealed with wooden panels or reinforced cardboard.

In the early 20th century, western Canada’s population boomed and her agricultural yields grew exponentially. The Canadian Pacific Railway was forced to invest heavily in its freight handling capacity to meet the increased demand. Between 1901 and 1914, the C.P.R. inventory of freight cars increased from 20 thousand to 80 thousand and their capacity increased nearly ten-fold as bigger, stronger cars were developed.

Wooden boxcar #19752 was built at Canadian Pacific Railway’s Angus Shops in Montreal in 1913. At some time in its working life, it was modified and strengthened with the addition of a steel centre sill and corrugated steel “dreadnought” ends.