The Rutland 7000-series 36-foot box cars was patterned off a New York Central design in 1912. An order was placed to American Car & Foundry (ACF) for 500 cars, which were built at it’s Madison, Illinois plant.
The cars were 36’0″ long inside, 8’4″ high and 8’6″ wide with a volume capacity of 2550 cubic feet. The car capacity was 40 tons. Eaves were 12’8″ above the rail, running boards at 13’5″, and the brake staff was 14’0″ from the rail.
Double-sheathed wood construction, with fishbelly steel frames and wooden ends.
Two different roofs were used on the order. 7000-7249 used the Murphy XLA roof, while 7250-7499 received the Hutchins Type-D roof.
As-built, the cars were equipped with Andrews trucks from ACF, with some cars being upgraded later to Bettendorf cast trucks.
31 of the 500 cars were wrecked on the Rutland or other railroads. Only one car, 7081, was rebuilt. It had 7-7 steel Murphy ends.
27 cars were converted to work service on the Rutland. 29 cars were sold in March 1942 to the Norwood & St. Lawrence Railroad, possibly converted to pulpwood flat cars for that line. 12 were sold to the United States War Department in August 1942 and last tracked to a military base in Texas.
Cars started being retired by the Rutland in 1940 due to age or state-of-repair. The last of the cars were struck from revenue use in August 1954.
Wrecked Cars:
| Number | Date | Railroad |
| 7081* | 9-23-13 | Interstate |
| 7262 | 12-2-16 | GN |
| 7480 | 12-12-17 | SP |
| 7099 | 6-10-18 | MP |
| 7482 | 10-4-18 | PRR |
| 7228 | 10-12-18 | SOO |
| 7469 | 11-13-18 | SOO |
| 7240 | 9-23-19 | MP |
| 7029 | 11-10-21 | Erie |
| 7273 | 3-25-23 | B&M |
| 7473 | 10-1-23 | ATSF |
| 7075 | 2-4-25 | BR&P |
| 7335 | 12-5-25 | WM |
| 7004 | 7-15-27 | D&H |
| 7409 | 5-1-30 | RUT (Lisbon NY) |
| 7062 | 10-31-34 | NH |
| 7414 | 6-24-37 | B&M |
| 7012 | 11-6-37 | Alton |
| 7248 | 3-24-38 | NYC |
| 7140 | 6-28-41 | NYC |
| 7147 | 7-26-41 | Pere Marquette |
| 7410 | 12-16-41 | B&M |
| 7087 | 9-27-43 | NYC |
| 7026 | 8-4-44 | Erie |
| 7493 | 12-31-44 | PRR |
| 7299 | 6-28-45 | PRR |
| 7321 | 10-10-45 | MP |
| 7097 | 11-7-45 | C&NW |
| 7125 | 4-18-46 | CP |
| 7453 | 4-8-48 | PRR |
*car rebuilt at Haskett & Barker with steel ends.
Number of Cars Retired by Year:
| 1940 | 26 | 1948 | 21 | |
| 1941 | 21 | 1949 | None | |
| 1942 | 86 | 1950 | 29 | |
| 1943 | None | 1951 | None | |
| 1944 | 1 | 1952 | 33 | |
| 1945 | 65 | 1953 | 2 | |
| 1946 | 103 | 1954 | 2 | |
| 1947 | 17 |
Cars Converted to Work Service:
| 7258 | to X239 | 5-5-43 |
| 7371 | to X241 | 4-19-51 |
| 7067 | to X242 | 4-19-51 |
| 7021 | to X276 | 6-23-42 |
| 7170 | to X277 | 6-25-42 |
| 7038 | to X278 | 10-31-42 |
| 7499 | to X279 | 5-44 |
| 7009 | to X280 | 11-30-44 |
| 7036 | to X281 | 11-30-44 |
| 7041 | to X282 | 11-30-44 |
| 7057 | to X283 | 11-30-44 |
| 7061 | to X284 | 11-30-44 |
| 7073 | to X285 | 11-30-44 |
| 7103 | to X286 | 11-30-44 |
| 7138 | to X287 | 11-30-44 |
| 7211 | to X288 | 11-30-44 |
| 7242 | to X290 | 11-30-44 |
| 7244 | to X291 | 11-30-44 |
| 7272 | to X292 | 11-30-44 |
| 7302 | to X293 | 11-30-44 |
| 7346 | to X294 | 11-30-44 |
| 7368 | to X295 | 11-30-44 |
| 7447 | to X296 | 11-30-44 |
| 7056 | to X296 | 3-13-50 (replacement?) |
| 7457 | to X297 | 11-30-44 |
| 7463 | to X298 | 11-30-44 |
| 7413 | to X550 | 10-31-42 |
Cars sold to Norwood & St. Lawrence RR:
7022, 7051, 7066, 7104, 7105, 7151, 7193, 7200, 7207, 7212, 7241, 7251, 7253, 7254, 7265, 7279, 7337, 7394, 7396, 7402, 7404, 7406, 7408, 7420, 7432, 7438, 7440, 7464
Cars sold to US Military:
7027, 7047, 7274, 7261, 7312, 7323, 7341, 7372, 7399, 7449, 7467, 7468
How to model:
In HO-Scale, two options are available. Funaro & Camerlengo offers a resin-kit. Accurail has announced (November 2015) a plastic kit.
Resources/Credits:
The Newsliner – Volume 12, Number 1, Spring 2000 article by Jeff English