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Despite a typical drop-off in the fourth quarter, rail-car orders in 2006 rose 13.6 percent to 91,466 units compared with 2005’s 80,520 units — the fifth-straight year-over-year gain, according to data released by the American Railway Car Institute Committee (ARCI) of the Railway Supply Institute.

Orders previously totaled 70,626 units in 2004, 47,249 units in 2003 and 28,457 units in 2002.

Fourth-quarter orders totaled 15,819 units, a 26.3 percent decrease compared with the third quarter’s 21,466 units.

Meanwhile, car deliveries fell for the third-straight quarter. Fourth-quarter deliveries totaled 17,927 units, a 5.7 percent decrease compared with the third quarter’s 19,008 units.

For all of 2006, deliveries totaled 74,943 units, a 9.2 percent increase compared with 2005’s 68,612 units. Deliveries previously totaled 46,871 units in 2004, 32,184 units in 2003 and 17,714 units in 2002.

ARCI also reported the rail-car backlog as of Dec. 31 totaled 85,826 units, a 2.6 percent decrease compared with the 88,116-unit backlog on Oct. 31. The backlog was 85,692 units on July 1, 86,857 units on April 1 and 69,408 units on Dec. 31, 2005.