(The following appeared in the 1-2-02 online issue of the Fon du Lac Reporter newspaper.)
FON DU LAC, Wisc. — The Canadian National Railroad has announced that it will acquire 550 high-capacity freight cars next year for its service-sensitive forest products customers.
The high-cube 50-foot boxcars for newsprint, fine papers and lumber will incorporate the latest in rail car technology and each have a gross rail load capacity of 286,000 pounds.
“Canadian National is the largest carrier of forest product commodities in North America and has grown its forest products market share on the strength of its highly-successful railroad services. The new rolling stock will enhance our forest products fleet, making Canadian National’s customers more competitive in their end markets,” said Stan Jablonski, CN vice president-forest products.
Canadian National will build 100 of the boxcars at its Transcona Shops in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the first such construction program in decades. The remaining 250 boxcars will be constructed by Trinity Industries Inc., with the center beams to be built by the Greenbrier Companies’ Trenton Works Ltd.