In designing a boxcar interior, freight car manufacturers must balance two competing desires. The first is for a smooth interior wall, with nothing to snag, puncture or otherwise damage a load. One modern solution to this was the exterior post car, with its vertical support posts on the outside to allow for an unbroken interior surface. The second desire, however, is for wall-mounted tie-downs or other attachment devices to secure the cargo, to prevent shifting and damage en route. The waffle-side boxcar, introduced in the mid-1970s, successfully satisfied both desires.

The waffle-like bumps on the exterior of the car are actually recesses stamped into the inner wall to accommodate load-restraining devices. Thus the car presents a smooth interior wall for load safety, plus the ability to fasten load restraints almost anywhere in the car. This is especially useful for loads that, as truckers would say, "weigh out before they cube out" — i.e., reach the car’s maximum load weight with space remaining in the car, and need to be restrained so they won’t shift into the empty space and get damaged. Loads commonly handled in waffle-side boxcars include furniture, appliances, auto parts, and rolls of paper for the printing industry.

Like other modern boxcar designs, waffle-side cars lack roof walks and, with roof access no longer needed, have end ladders that run only partway up the sides, to allow crew members to ride the cars during switching moves.

2018 Vol. 1 Catalog

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