Wilmington & Northern Branch

Philadelphia & Reading Railroad 1900-1905

Rolling Stock Timeline

  • 1870 – Arch bar trucks replace wood beam trucks
  • 1893 – Safety Appliance Act passed, affects air brakes and couplers
  • Aug 1900 – All cars initially required to have air brakes and knuckle couplers (was extended)
  • 1906 – All cars required to have air brakes and knuckle couplers
  • 1909 – MCB drop requirements for “Air Brake” stencil on cars
  • 1909 – MCB standards require placement of reporting marks on the left end of car side
  • 1911 – Safety Appliance Act amended standardizing placement of grab irons and ladders
  • 1911 – “United States Safety Appliances Standard” stencil introduced
  • 1915 – All cars have to be compliant with 1911 update to Safety Appliance Act
  • Oct 20, 1920 – ARA issues standards for stenciling reporting marks
  • 1925 – “United States Safety Appliances Standard” stencil discontinued
  • Jan 1, 1925 – ARA revised dimensional data standards in effect
  • May 1, 1925 – Nominal capacity and load limit  stencils required
  • April 1 1927 – Load limit star stencil recommended when bearings are not the limit
  • 1928 – Wood draft sills banned in interchange
  • Aug 1 1933 – Type E or F couplers required on all new built cars
  • Aug 1 1933 – Rotary uncoupling lever required on all new built or rebuilt cars
  • Sept 1 1933 – AB brakes required on all new built cars
  • Oct 12 1934 – AAR is created
  • Jan 1 1935 – ICC revises accounting rules defining repaired or rebuilt equipment
  • Aug 1 1937 – Type E or F couplers required on all new rebuilt cars
  • 1938 – AAR restrictions on billboard cars 
  • 1939 – Arch bar trucks banned in interchange (except cars returning home)
  • July 1, 1940 – Arch bar trucks banned in interchange
  • 1945 – Wood roof walks banned on new  cars
  • 1948 – AAR adopts Plate B max height of 15′ 1″
  • Jan 1 1949 – T and L section trucks banned (will be extended)
  • 1949 – Box, stock and reefers must be reweighed after 1st 30 months then every 48 months
  • Aug 1 1950 – I section trucks added to the T and L section trucks ban
  • July 1 1953 – K brakes banned in interchange, except tank cars and returning empties
  • Oct 1 1953 –  K brakes banned in interchange, except returning tank empties
  • Jan 1 1954 – K brakes banned in interchange
  • Jan 1 1957 – I, T and L section trucks banned, trucks with integrally cast journal boxes required in interchange
  • Jan 1 1958 – Cast iron wheels prohibited on new or rebuilt cars
  • Jan 1 1959 – Allied full cushion trucks banned in interchange
  • 1963 – AAR adopts Plate C max height of 15′ 6″
  • Apr 1 1966 – Federal ban on roof walks  on new cars ordered
  • 1966 – Low hand brake position standard on all new cars
  • Oct 1 1966 – Federal ban on roof walks  on new cars delivered
  • Jan 1 1967 – Federal ban on high mounted brake positions for new cars
  • 1968 – ACI labels introduced
  • Jan 1 1970 – ACI labels required in interchange (will be extended)
  • 1970 – Cast iron wheels banned in interchange
  • 1950 – No underframes over 50 years old
  • 1972 – ACI labels required in interchange
  • 1972 – Roller bearing required on all cars with 6.5 x 11 inch bearings
  • 1972 – Single panel COTS stencil  for new and rebuilt cars
  • Jan 1 1974 – Running boards  to be removed from all boxcars and reefers (extended)
  • Jul 1 1974 – No underframes over 40 years old if built prior to this date
  • Jul 1 1974 – No underframes over 50 years old if built after this date
  • 1974 – AAR adopts Plate E max height of 15′ 69
  • 1974 – AAR adopts Plate F max height of 17′ 0″
  • 1974 – Two panel COTS stencil  for all cars
  • 1975 – AAR adopts Plate H max height of 20′ 2″
  • 1978 – Flat plate wheel, yellow/white dot inspections begin
  • Jan 1 1978 – ACI labels no longer required in interchange
  • 1981 – Flat plate wheel, yellow/white dot inspections end
  • Jan 1 1982 – Third version COTS panels required
  • Dec 31 1983 – Running boards  to be removed from all boxcars and reefers
  • Mar 1 1985 – All tank cars carrying regulated materials must have double shelf couplers
  • 1989 – CAPY stencil no longer required
  • 1991 – Plain bearing trucks  banned from interchange
  • 1994 – Plain bearing trucks converted to roller bearings banned from interchange
  • 1996 – AEI tags required on all cars in interchange
  • May 31 2005 – Locomotives have reflectorized stripes applied (complete by 2010), rolling stock have reflectorized stripes applied (complete by 2015)