Case Study: North American Manufacturing Company achieves AAR-compliant hopper railcar design with BNSF Logistics

North American Manufacturing Company - Customer Case Study

North American Manufacturing Company, a North American manufacturer entering the railcar build industry, needed help validating a newly created covered hopper railcar design for submission to the Association of American Railroads (AAR). BNSF Logistics was brought in to provide stress finite element analysis (FEA) and broader design support when it became clear the original concept would require major changes to meet AAR compliance.

BNSF Logistics reviewed the governing railcar requirements, redesigned the railcar into a three-gate covered hopper capable of carrying a 286,000-lb gross rail load, and verified the structure through FEA against AAR load cases. The company completed the major design work and stress report submission in 8 weeks, delivered the full drawing package 4 weeks later, and produced an AAR-compliant solution that met and exceeded the customer’s expectations.