Canadian National 574493 wooden automobile boxcar was built in 1927 by Canadian Car and Foundry. Through its life, it has gone through several name changes. The car was originally CN 582609, then CN 574493, then CN work service car 74428, and finally part of the Tunnel Bay Model Railroad display in Brockville. This wooden automobile boxcar was built with double doors to transport automobiles such as the Ford Model T.
This boxcar was also used for general freight. Often the car would transport automobiles to Western Canada and return to Eastern Canada with grain or lumber. Grain was transported with a special door system. Wood was boarded across the regular door frames and then paper was used to seal any cracks. Grain was then loaded into the car and finally, at the destination, the paper and boards were discarded so that grain could be removed. By using a special door system, less grain was lost during the trip.
