From The Pennsy October 1, 1965:
Why are freight cars getting bigger and bigger?
Because the more freight you can haul in a car, the less it costs you per pound to haul it, and the lower the rate you can offer the customer.
And low rates are a prime selling point for winning business that now moves by other transportation.
The New-Look Pennsylvania Railroad is taking pioneering steps in this new direction.
Last month it announced plans to build two super-jumbo tank cars for chemicals and other bulk liquids.
Now the PRR announces plans for a giant covered hopper car, to haul dry bulk freight.
This covered hopper will be the biggest on American rails.
It will be more than 70 feet long and 10 1/2 feet wide, with cargo room of 6500 cubic feet and a load capacity of 150 tons.
This car, like the two new tank cars, will be assembled by men of the PRR's Samuel Rea Shop.
These cars will ride on 6-wheel trucks instead of the usual 4-wheel trucks, so as to distribute the weight and avoid damage to tracks.
Because of this, the new cars will not require special routing or speed restrictions. They will be able to run wherever standard 100-ton cars can run, and at hotshot speeds.
The covered hopper will serve as a demonstration car to show shippers of dry bulk freight the efficiency and economy of this big-load
| Class | H48 |
| Diagram? | NO |
| Type | Covered |
| Comments |
| Report Mark | Class | Description | Location | Date | Photographer |
| PRR 2590000 | H48 | Artists proposal drawing | - | 1965 | PRR photo (B&W) from The Pennsy Oct 1, 1965 |
