The shrinking boxcar rail fleet. // WSJ report

News in the 21 June 2015 Wall Street Journal . http://www.wsj.com/articles/why-railroads-cant-keep-enough-boxcars-in-service-1434879182

“Why Railroads Can’t Keep Enough Boxcars in Service” by  BOB TITA

He writes about the  shrinking supply of boxcars—once the ubiquitous symbols of U.S. railroads and a rolling bellwether for the economy. Fewer boxcars are causing a freight-hauling crunch for the industries that continue to use them. The number of boxcars in service in North America fell by 41% in the past decade to just under 125,000 last year as 101,600 cars were scrapped and only about 13,800 replacement were added. That downsizing accelerated a decades long shift…

Unanswere questions include these. Who needs them? Why?

Why not simply shift from boxcar to intermodal container?

The market is complicated.

I pointed out the pattern of this shrinking fleet in March.

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