I wonder how exactly the decision was made as to exactly what kind of cars to design.
The USRA box car designs were fairly minor modifications of the three ARA sample cars built in 1917: ATSF 32001 (double-sheathed), IC 175001 (single-sheathed), and PRR 38000 (steel-sheathed).
There was an ARA committee working toward a “recommended standard” box car, from 1915 to 1917. The USRA Car Committee simply took over their work and made a few tweaks.
