ABOUT THE PROTOTYPE

The first double-stack intermodal well car was devised jointly by Southern Pacific and SeaLand in 1977. SP then took that info to ACF Industries the same year to design it. It wasn’t an overnight success, but in 1984 American President Lines started working with the Thrall Company to develop a more refined well car and worked with the Union Pacific to operate a train using the new car. That same year, the first all “double stack” train left LA for New Jersey under the “StackTrain” rail service name. This service was operated under UP, CNW, and Conrail.

According to the Atlas Archive website, the earliest offering of the 53′ well cars was in April of 2022. They offered Florida East Coast (Brown), St. Mary’s Railway West (Red), TTX (Yellow), and the “On Track for a Cure” TTX. In 2024, they added three new schemes: FEC (Blue/White), Pacer StackTrain (Blue/Red/White), and TTX (Next Load, Any Load) along with a new number for the “On Track for a Cure” car. In 2026, an additional three schemes were announced: FEC (Yellow), St. Mary’s Railway West (Red), TTX (Next Load, Any Load), and a Limited Collectors “On Track for a Cure”.