Operating Era: 1916-1964. New York Central, Michigan Central, Nickel Plate Road, Lake Erie & Western, Cincinati Northern, Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic, Rutland, Cleveland, Cincinati, Chicago & St. Louis, Minneapolis & St. Louis. NYC produced 9,500 of these cars simultaneously with 6,500 all steel cars of similar design. We covered the steel cars in our series 7900 kits. The DS cars were a continuation of the gradual improvement of car building over the previous twenty years. The railroad had built tens of thousands of 36 foot DS cars during that period, first as truss rod cars, then with steel underframes and finally with steel ends. The 1916 design simply added four feet to the length of the car to accommodate a second door. The automobile trade was burgeoning and all of NYC's house cars of this period were build for double duty of box and auto service. Cars were installed for the parent company plus Michigan Central, Cincinnati Northern and Nickel Plate's Lake Erie & Western. Most cars were rebuilt to all steel beginning in 1935 but some ran as late as 1948. Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic purchased 100 cars from NYC in 1935 and ran them into the 1960's, converting about half to single door cars. Another 800 cars of modified design were built in 1922-4 for NOR and Rutland. The Rutland cars lasted into the 1960's. PLEASE SEE OUR DS BOX CAR SECTION FOR OTHER #10100 SERIES KITS