What’s the Deal with These Cars?

Not everyone gets to see these on their tracks. On Instagram, only a few photographers seem to catch them, and when they do, it’s typically the same writers over and over adorning their sides. So, what’s the deal with these cars? Who owns them? What’s in em? Where do they go? Well, the answers are simple…they’re Beer Cars. Anheuser-Busch (we’ll call them Budweiser from here on out) owns them, beer is inside, and they go where the beer is distributed. Okay, so it’s not all that simple. So, let’s dive deeper…

In 2023, Budweiser teamed up with Union Pacific and Trinity Industries to purchase/lease 240 special insulated boxcars, each one equipped with GPS monitoring and temperature controls. This new 240 car fleet replaced the aging and mostly retired fleet of what was predominantly Golden West Service boxcars that used to be a mainstay in beer yards across America, along with other Union Pacific Railroad insulated boxcars ( also known as baby ridges). In the previous decade TTX boxcars were also used but lacked the technology of these new specialized cars, and during that time, much of Budweisers shipping had been diverted to trucks that could be closely monitored and managed to ensure safe and reliable delivery. As gas prices, regulations, and cost of living rose across North America, so did the total cost of moving beer. Something had to give, and Budweiser refused to pass the expense onto its consumers. Enter Union Pacific and Trinity Industries.

Due to AAR rules, boxcars can only operate for a maximum of 50 years, and that’s with a rebuild. As many of Union Pacific’s fleet neared its regulatory end, they couldn’t run out just any boxcars and expect good results. With similar issues across the entire railroad grid, Trinity Industries took the tall task of building new fleets for all industries aimed at using technology to help track shipments and maintain equipment remotely. The perfect partner to help the “Save the Beer” movement gain success.

Trinity listened to the varying needs of Budweisers products and produced 3 different boxcars to manage those special requests. And lucky for us, they didn’t just produce some generic yellow or brown insulated boxcars, but some genius in the marketing department (maybe) decided to color code them, one in all white, another mostly white with a red top, known as Red Stripes, and another mostly black boxcar with a yellow top, known as Hornets. These cars all have distinct functions that help maintain freshness for cans, or bottles, during winter and summer. Each one having different parameters of which to be operated within. Yes, you will see brown TILX’s, blue GATX’s and even yellow TTX’s fill in when the demand has exceeded the available specialized beer cars. In these situations the need for precise monitoring or temperature control isn’t top priority and the lesser boxcars are acceptable for use.

So, here we are today, a few years later and just about every panel is covered on all 240 of the boxcars, and sadly, not many of us will ever get to see them in the wild. Not for many years anyway, until they begin to breakdown and head to home shops on random lines in random (okay, not so random) cities and towns across America. Until then, here’s some from our collection for you to enjoy.

Oh, and now you know…