Haven't seen 40' box cars in the real world in a long, long time. Are they all but obsolete?
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Yep. They pretty much exist in museums and MOW service. Most are beyond the AAR rules of 50 years service from build date. There is an exception to 65 years if the car passes structural tests and have contemporary appliances.
That and a 40' boxcar doesn't carry as much as modern boxcars. Plus, containers carry many of the loads that boxcars used to carry.
Rusty
The remaining 40' box cars would be restricted to the home railroad.
You might be able to find one on a siding of a shortline railroad.
There is a restored 40' box car on a siding track of the Ann Arbor Railroad.
Andrew
The big change came around 74. They were replaced by ACF and FMC 50 footers when the RAILBOX era started.
Progress.
