Hi Cube

We have discussed it before but I can't locate it. So google power.

 

According to Atlas' website, the originals were introduced in the 1960s - http://www.atlastrainman.com/Freight/tmo40hycube.htm

Introduced by Pullman Standard in the mid-1960s, these mini [40'] hy-cubes were designed for the carriage of appliances. The height allowed the appliances to be stacked three high in the cars. The cars were considered novel at the time and a number of large rail lines from the West and Midwest acquired small fleets. The paint schemes that were applied to these cars were quite colorful and certainly made the cars stand out in a train of standard height cars. The mini hy-cube craze lasted only a few years as longer and bigger cars were soon developed.

Then some information on the more modern ones - http://www.atlaso.com/ohycube3.htm

Berwick Forge & Fabricating built over 23,000 freight cars in its nearly 20 years of existence in Berwick, Pennsylvania. Their designs were very successful and most of the cars are still in service today. While Berwick built virtually all modern types of freight cars, they are perhaps best known for their 50' and 60' box cars.

This Atlas O model replicates the interesting series of 60' high-capacity cars that were built by Berwick in the late 70s. These Hy-Cube cars feature centered double plug-doors and a waffle pattern on the car sides.