What boxcars would be appropriate for my layout?

[Amalynn]

Beer is usually shipped in insulated plug door boxcars (RBL), either 50' or 62' would be appropriate. Some of the Class I roads had fleets of 62' RBL's dedicated to that service. Several of the manufacturers have cars of the correct type available. Although boxcar traffic has declined some in recent years, I still see more 50' cars than 60' running around. I model the late 70s to early 80s when boxcars were quite colorful compared to what you see today and in fact, have two 62' beer cars that come on the layout now and then for a local beverage distributor.

Here locally we see a lot of boxcars in mixed freights (I live like smack dab in the center of the old PRR middle division). Usually, it's either container/trailer trains, coal trains, tank trains, or mixed freights heading between Altoona and Harrisburg, PA. I only ever see boxcars in those mixed freights, but I have a few industries planned that will use boxcars.

I had assumed the insulated plug door cars were what I needed, but stranger things have happened than leaving warm beer in a regular boxcar to move it.