Transporting wide steel plates has long presented a challenge in the rail industry. Traditional railcars—and much of the rail infrastructure itself—weren’t designed to accommodate loads more than 10 feet wide, as oversized cargo risked colliding with parallel tracks, tunnels and bridges. As a result, many manufacturers had to rely on barges instead. But with the introduction of Greenbrier’s Tilt Flatcar™, that limitation has changed.
Developed in collaboration with Nucor and AKB, the Tilt Flatcar™ is a first-of-its-kind railcar engineered to efficiently move steel plates up to 14 feet 3 inches wide and 82 feet long. The concept originated from a simple yet powerful idea: if a load is too wide to move upright, tilt it—just like you would when maneuvering furniture through a doorway.
As we were developing the concept, we realized the solution could be as intuitive as tilting a piece of furniture. This car allows the plate to be loaded flat, then tilted precisely into position for rail transport.
—Dan Schuller, Sr. Project Design Engineer at The Greenbrier Companies
Sustainable Strength Through Smarter Engineering
Unlike typical tilt or lift systems that rely on hydraulics or pneumatics—which can leak or degrade over time—the Tilt Flatcar™ employs a mechanical screw jack system designed by AKB. The screw mechanism provides exceptional durability and reliability, performing smoothly under demanding industrial conditions with minimal maintenance requirements.
This feature not only improves long-term performance but also enhances safety and environmental sustainability by removing hydraulic fluids from the equation.
One of the biggest engineering challenges was addressing longitudinal impact forces because the elevated plates sit much higher than typical cargo. We developed an innovative ‘tent structure’ that distributes impact loads evenly across the car, creating rigidity and strength without relying on traditional bulkheads
—Peter Jones, SVP, International Engineering, Product Development & Automation at The Greenbrier Companies
This advanced structure provides superior stability and a cleaner design—an achievement made possible through close collaboration between engineering teams and partners.
A Collaborative Success Story
The Tilt Flatcar™ represents more than just an engineering breakthrough, it’s the product of a strong partnership between Greenbrier, Nucor and AKB. From concept to construction, the collaboration combined industry expertise and innovation to solve a logistical challenge that had never been addressed by rail.
Greenbrier was incredibly responsive to our needs and together we turned a design challenge into a new industry standard.
—Travis Tuten, Mechanical Services Group at Nucor Logistics
Moving the Industry Forward
As freight demands evolve, so must the equipment that powers them. The Tilt Flatcar™ exemplifies Greenbrier’s commitment to advancing railcar technology and offering customers safer, more efficient solutions for oversized loads.
By reimagining what’s possible in rail transport, Greenbrier continues to lead the way in engineering innovation, collaboration and reliability, driving progress across North America.
Explore how the Tilt Flatcar™ expands the possibilities for transporting large steel plates by rail.
It’s been incredibly rewarding to see this project come to life—from design to reality.
—Christof Hettiger, Product Development Engineer at The Greenbrier Companies