Hazmat placards on boxcars

[nkalanaga]

The regulations I have say that placards are required on both sides and both ends of truck trailers, intermodal containers, and railcars.  Tank cars have placard holders all around, but how are placards attached to the end of a boxcar?  I've actually seen them duct-taped to truck trailers, and that would work on the sides of a boxcar, but most older cars don't have any flat surfaces on the ends, except the tack board.  One could be put there, but on many cars that is fairly high on the end, and placards usually seem to posted lower on the vehicle.

Anybody know for sure? 

[cv_acr]

That is pretty much the express purpose of the tack boards.

[nkalanaga]

OK, so that's where I'll put it.  Thank you!  It just seemed a little inconvenient, when the tack board is near the top of the car, and opposite the ladders. 

[wcfn100]

OK, so that's where I'll put it.  Thank you!  It just seemed a little inconvenient, when the tack board is near the top of the car, and opposite the ladders.

No more inconvenient than the door tack boards.   

Jason

[cv_acr]

And that's why modern cars have the tack boards mounted lower down by the sill or ladder. Not sure why older cars often had them so high up.

[nkalanaga]

The GN seems to have thought ahead, as many of their boxcars had the tack boards fairly low, reachable from the ground, and easy from a loading dock.  I've never understood the ones that need a portable ladder to reach. 

I assume that, on a wood-sheathed car, one would nail it directly to the car?

[wcfn100]

The GN seems to have thought ahead, as many of their boxcars had the tack boards fairly low, reachable from the ground, and easy from a loading dock.

Pullman Standard started building PS-1's with low tack boards in 1953.  I'd be interested if there's something that pre-dates that.

edit: AC&F started about the same time, at least by '54

Jason

[nkalanaga]

The GN's 1949 home-built cars have low boards on the doors, but high on the ends, in the few pictures I can find.   The same series, repainted during or after the mid-50s, have low end boards.  Obviously there are a lot more pictures of the repainted cars...

They probably started it about the same time as ACF and PS.