A-Stack Fuel Foiler - Barstow, California, USA.
N 34° 54.274 W 117° 01.370
11S E 497914 N 3862460
Santa Fe A-Frame experimental freight container car. Only six of these lightweight prototypes were built. Located in the outdoor exhibition area of the Western American Railroad Museum, Barstow, San Bernardino County, California.
Waymark Code: WMN3AZ
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 12/18/2014
Views: 3
This experimental stackable container car, was known as the 'A Stack Fuel Foiler' & is the last known surviving aluminium 'A' stack container, of the six that were built. The museum web site below has better photos, due to the now restricted viewing location of this storage container.
Info from the WARM web site:
"In the fall of 1981, Santa Fe began development of a revolutionary new freight container for use in intermodal transportation. San Bernardino Shop was to become the project managers to complete the development and testing. The goal was to develop a versatile container capable of improved equipment utilization and fuel efficiency. Six containers, three of aluminum and three of fiberglass, were built. Both materials were chosen to reduce weight without sacrificing strength. The aerodynamic exterior is shaped approximately like a block letter “A”. The new lightweight intermodal freight container was designed for efficient handling of both bulk and manufactured commodities and was displayed in Chicago, Illinois in May 1983. They were known as the “A Stack Fuel Foiler” container. The container is fitted with a trough hatch at the top for loading bulk materials, and gates at the bottom of each leg for speedy unloading. A grated deck inside allows bulk materials to flow through easily and yet provides a level support for package goods. Standard forklift trucks can be driven inside The “Fuel Foiler” containers could be stacked six-high aboard ship or in staging areas. When in rail service they would be stacked two-high when empty or loaded with light materials, but would not be double stacked with bulk materials. They had excellent aerodynamic characteristics and a very low center of gravity. When loaded aboard “Fuel Foiler “ railcars there was a minimum void between containers, to reduce wind drag.
These containers were exhibited to shippers in Chicago, Los Angeles, The San Francisco Bay area, and Houston. The equipment was made available for test loadings by Santa Fe’s customers.
Unfortunately, the containers never caught on and only the six were built. We are not sure just how much shipping was done with the ones that were built but all eventually ended up as storage units for various departments. The only aluminium container left at this time, as far as we know, is here at the Western America Railroad Museum." Text Source: (
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