On November 9, 1955, Trailer Train Company is formed with three owners: Pennsylvania Railroad, Norfolk & Western (partially owned by the PRR) and Rail-Trailer Corporation. The name “Trailer Train” was chosen from 6,000 entries in a Pennsylvania Railroad employee contest.

Three Objectives of the New Trailer Train Company

• Standardize the rail equipment of piggybacking with the two-trailer car as the basis
• Foster the growth of piggybacking, provide its members with the best available equipment, and keep its members abreast of new developments
• Furnish equipment to its members at the lowest possible cost

Trailer Train’s first president was James Newell, Vice President Operations, Pennsylvania Railroad who championed the pool concept of piggyback car ownership. Van-Car Corporation, a Rail-Trailer subsidiary, was placed under contract to manage Trailer Train Company with Operating Headquarters in Chicago and Management Headquarters in Philadelphia.

Trailer Train’s first employee was Ed Martin, borrowed from the Pennsylvania Railroad. On December 16, 1955, the first Board of Directors meeting was held during which Trailer Train’s first rail cars, 500 75-foot flat cars capable of hauling two standard 35-ft trailers were purchased from the Pennsylvania Railroad. Operations began

85-ft flatcars equipped with trailer hitches became the state of the art in piggyback service. Without the trailer hitch, the securement of trailers was a labor-intensive and time-consuming task.

The first low-level cars were purchased for piggyback service in the Eastern states where clearances were an issue.

The first low-level cars equipped with auto racks entered service. The percentage of new automobiles shipped by rail had declined to 10% by 1960.

First 89-ft cars entered service.

First cars equipped with End-Of-Car Cushioning devices were purchased.

First 60-ft and 85-ft general service cars added to the fleet.

25,000th car delivered to Trailer Train.

First 89-ft flatcars entered piggyback and autorack service.

First all-purpose flush deck prototype cars entered service.

First 60-ft cars equipped with heavy duty tie-down chains for hauling construction machinery.
Low-profile trailer hitches applied to piggyback and all-purpose cars eliminating the need for risers.

First 62-ft bulkhead flatcars entered service.

First 100-ton 68-ft flatcars entered service.

50,000th car delivered to Trailer Train.

The highly visible Trailer Train yellow paint scheme replaces the old freight car red paint scheme.

Offices moved to Chicago, IL, from Philadelphia, PA.

Mobile vans in Chicago and St. Louis began operation to provide railroads with hitch parts and repair expertise in order to keep cars in service. These laid the frame work for the future FMO network.

Trailer Train purchases Hamburg Industries (now called SRD-North Augusta).

Railbox is formed as a subsidiary of Trailer Train Company and places orders for 10,000 50-ft boxcars. The first car is delivered on October 15, 1974.

The first low-level flush deck design 89-ft flatcar enters the fleet for application of a new generation of rack equipped with roofs and end doors.

75,000th car delivered to Trailer Train.

10,000th Railbox car delivered on June 9, 1976.

First ABOX car delivered to Railbox.

TTX opens Calpro in Mira Loma, CA, as its second repair facility.

Two prototype lightweight, 2-unit drawbar-connected hitch cars are built at Hamburg.

Railgon formed as a subsidiary of Trailer Train on May 24, 1979.

100,000th car delivered to Trailer Train/Railbox.

TTX opens Delpro as its third repair facility. It was closed in July 1982 due to the recession and was later sold to Amtrak in 1984.

TTX opens Acorn in Jacksonville, FL, as its fourth repair facility.

The TTX “4-Runner” enters service in the joint C&NW/UP Chicago-Los Angeles Falcon Service.

TTX moves from 300 South Wacker Drive to 101 North Wacker Drive in Chicago.

Modification of over 20,000 cars to handle two 45-ft trailers (Twin-45) begins.

One prototype single-axle, single-platform hitch car and two articulated hitch cars are tested.

First Field Maintenance Operations (FMOs) begin in Chicago and Houston.

Single-axle, single unit 50-ft flatcars equipped with one hitch are added to the fleet. These were given the name “Front Runner® .”

Modification of 89-ft and 89-ft 4-inch hitch cars to Twin-45/Triple-28 configuration begins.

Modification of surplus 60-ft General Service cars to container service is undertaken.

Double-stack cars are purchased.

Two 89-ft flatcars connected by drawbars enter into service.  These cars were given the name “Long Runner® .”

Trailer Train purchases Draco in Waterford, MI.

First TTAX all-purpose articulated spine cars enter service.

Name changed to TTX Company.

Heavy-duty flatcars added to the TTX Company fleet.

Total Quality Management effort initiated.

First drawbar and stand-alone well cars acquired.

125,000th car delivered.

The major program to apply premium trucks and cushioning units to cars in multilevel service is initiated.

Articulated bi-level cars added to the fleet.

Reload who manages the distribution of autoracks is absorbed by TTX.

First 53-ft double-stack cars purchased.

Pipe service/100-Ton 89-ft flatcars added to the fleet.

QTTX cars built by Hamburg.

Raymond C. Burton, Jr. retires as President and Chief Executive Officer. Andy Reardon becomes President and Chief Executive Officer.

TBOX and FBOX boxcars enter the fleet.

48 to 40-ft cut down programs initiated for double-stack cars.

TTIX cars added to fleet. Cars equipped with combination winches, lading ties, side stake pockets and hydraulic end of car cushioning (EOCC).

TTUX “Uni-Levels” added to the fleet (fully enclosed, 82-ft flat car designed to carry vehicles, such as buses, fire trucks, RV’s, etc.).

TTX’s Strategic Technology Transformation (STT) Project is launched.

TTX’s Unified Fleet Distribution (UFD) Milestone 1 System Goes Live.

Formation of Bedloe Industries LLC on January 19, 2007.

Windmill carrying cars enter service.

Andy Reardon retires as President and Chief Executive Officer. Thomas F. Wells becomes President and Chief Executive Officer.

Program to modify surplus 89-ft intermodal flat cars for wind turbine service begins.

Formation of Nevis Industries LLC on November 3, 2008.

Idling of Calpro Mira Loma Shop.

Ferromex joins TTX Railcar Pool.

TTX Company launches the newly designed ttx.com web-site to the public.

TTX embarks on a major effort to adapt its fleet of single-unit 48-ft double-stack railcars by stretching to 53-ft to maximize railroad efficiency.

TTX receives AAR and FRA approval to perform 15-year life extensions (known Increased Life Status or ILS) on most of its 89-ft autorack flats.

Company establishes a training center in Chicago, which properly instructs maintenance specialists on how to safely weld as well as inspect and repair cars.

TTX decommissions its mainframe system and replaces it with client/server.

TTX deploys handheld technology across the FMO network, which was a key step in implementing TTX’s Maximo maintenance planning system and the foundation of TTX’s Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) approach.

A four-year extension to the Company’s labor Agreement with the Brotherhood Railway Carmen was successfully negotiated and ratified by the membership.

TTX launches its first Career Development Program for high potential, corporate, salaried employees.

The Surface Transportation Board (the successor agency to the Interstate Commerce Commission) reauthorizes TTX’s pooling authority for a 15-year term.

TTX Fleet size exceeds 150,000 cars.

TTX opens 7 Field Maintenance Operations (FMOs).

With the addition of 13 FMOs, TTX’s Field Maintenance Network expands to 59 locations, including new operations at the massive San Pedro Bay harbor complex (the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach)

The Company significantly expands its field maintenance network to be more responsive to the railroads by establishing 8 new FMO locations.

TTX opens its third training school in the LA Basin in addition to schools in Chicago, IL and the Pacific Northwest.

TTX licenses its Bedloe technology to a third party.

TTX IT rolls out a formal Enterprise Data Warehouse (EDW) to the entire organization with new user interface solutions Tableau, SAS and Collibra.

60^th Anniversary of TTX Company.

TTX receives AAR approval for increased life status (ILS) on the 60-ft chain flat fleet, preserving the size of the fleet carrying civilian and military loads.

The Company expands its FMO network by adding 11 new FMO locations bringing the total to 68 Field Maintenance Operations.

The first TPDX 89’, 110-ton chain-tie down flatcar delivers. Each car is equipped with universal chain tie-downs for either 3/8-inch or 1/2-inch chains and container pedestals for carrying military cargo (vehicles and containers). Its civilian counterpart, the TOEX, provides similar flexibility.

TTX successfully negotiates a three-year extension to the labor Agreement with the Brotherhood Railway Carmen (BRC).

In March of 2017, TTX resumes management of the Mira Loma, California shop.

TTX opens 6 new FMOs.

TTX develops and applies 1/2-inch and 3/8-inch universal chains for the 60-ft and 89-ft flat chain tie-down flatcars used to carry commercial and military equipment.

To help solve for increased bi-level autorack demand, TTX begins a conversion program to convert tri-level autoracks to a bi-level configuration.

TTX receives AAR approval for increased life status (ILS) on 68-ft bulkhead flatcars.

TTX opens 13 additional FMOs.

TTX embarks on a transformative technology project into a single platform cloud-based system, which we called eSHIFT (Enterprise, Supply Chain, Human Resources, Inventory, Finance, Technology).

The TTX Human Resources group was the initial TTX Department scheduled to implement the Human Capital Management (HCM) module of the Oracle Cloud solution in Phase One of the eSHIFT project.

TTX develops several machine-learning models in 2019 for cost savings and operational efficiencies.

The TTX Law Department, along with the Government Affairs team, works closely with the Coalition Against Bigger Trucks and other coalition partners to again defeat efforts to mandate Double 33’s and raise the allowable weight of single trucks to 91,000 lb. on the National Highway system.

TTX opens 4 new FMOs.

All corporate headquarters’ employees pivot to a full work remote schedule from mid-March through the end of 2020.

The TTX Law Department leads the Incident Management Team in its oversight and management of COVID-19 for TTX.

Key transformational programs TTXNEXTT, TTXINSIGHT and ServiceNow are kicked-off in 2020. TTXNEXTT is a cross functional program aiming to replace, decommission or transform key TTX business processes, systems, tools and data stores used by fleet management, maintenance management, revenue accounting, planning and analytics, and engineering. TTXINSIGHT is an exploratory program that focuses on GPS and Load Tracking & Operational Intelligence sensors and ServiceNow is an IT Service Management and IT Operations Management cloud‐based software to centralize core IT capabilities in addition to aid in TTX’s overall Digital Transformation Strategy.

In February 2020, the IT team successfully completes the migration of TTX IT-delivered services from our legacy data centers to purpose-built, state-of-the-art colocation facilities.

In late 2020, TTX reaches a 5-year agreement with the Brotherhood Railway Carmen.

TTX opens 1 FMO.

The Company’s salaried workforce continues to work in a remote capacity as the COVID-19 pandemic persisted, and City of Chicago & State of Illinois health protocols restricted activity in the Chicago business district. With an eye on returning to the office in 2022, Human Resources led the Company’s “Working Together … Reimagined” project, which is responsible for establishing our future hybrid workplace.

TTX Talent Development partners with the TTX Equipment Department to launch TTX Company’s inaugural “Railroad Operations Leadership Training Program.” A comprehensive program designed to hire new engineer graduates and train them for Maintenance Operations leadership roles.

The TTX Law Department co-leads TTX’s “Packing Day” effort, which facilitated the cleaning of physical offices, addressing paper files in accordance with the Record Retention Schedule and scanning of Company records. The Law Department continues its efforts to support TTX’s modernization goals and hybrid work environment through oversight of additional scanning efforts and the evaluation of an Enterprise Content Management System.

In May 2021, the TTX IT team successfully completes the migration of on-premises SharePoint to the online cloud platform.

TTX opens 5 FMOs

TTX’s fleet exceeds 170,000 railcars and the FMO network has grown to 77 locations

The 20,000^th TBOX delivers. TTX now owns over 25,000 Plate F, 110-ton boxcars. Initialed TBOX (60-ft, with two 8-ft plug doors per side), or FBOX (50-ft), the cars are intended to replace nearly 70 different varieties of 70-ton, Plate C boxcars that are aging out of the fleet. The larger capacity cars with their near universal specifications, combined with efficient pools managed by TTX, eliminate the need to replace the older cars on a one-for-one basis.

On April 14, 2022, the STB approves the merger of two of TTX’s owners – CSX and PanAm. With CSX’s acquisition of PanAm, TTX’s owners go from 9 to 8.

TTX’s Human Resources Department completes the Company’s “Working Together … Reimagined” project, which was responsible the return of the salaried workforce in a hybrid capacity.

Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG):  TTX formally launches its ESG initiative in 2021, and published the company’s first Fact Sheet in 2022.  This Fact Sheet highlighted the company’s efforts around Employee Safety and Training, Engagement in the community, Environmental Impact and Corporate Governance.

TTX acquires a railcar storage facility from South Plains Lamesa Railroad, Ltd. (“SPLR”) in Slaton, Texas.

TTX opens 1 FMO.

The STB approves the merger of two of TTX’s owners – CP and KCS – effective April 14, 2023. TTX ownership goes from 8 to 7.

On July 11, 2023, TTX announces the relocation of its headquarters from Chicago, IL to Charlotte, NC.

TTX opens 1 FMO.