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Fourth-quarter rail-car orders dropped about 40 percent to 12,244 compared with the third quarter. But orders placed during the year's last three months helped finish off a solid 2004 for car builders, who obtained orders for 70,626 cars — a 50 percent increase compared with 2003's 47,249 orders, according to data recently released by the American Railway Car Institute Committee (ARCI) of the Railway Supply Institute. Car orders in 2002 and 2001 totaled 28,457 and 19,872, respectively.

During the fourth quarter, car builders received orders for 3,300 covered and 3,100 open-top hoppers, 1,000 gondolas, and 3,600 tank and 800 flat cars.

Meanwhile, quarterly car deliveries rose about 20 percent to 14,419 compared with the third quarter. Deliveries — which totaled 46,871 in 2004 compared with 32,184 in 2003 — increased every quarter last year.

ARCI also reported a year-end car backlog of 58,677 units, a 73 percent increase compared with a backlog of 33,967 cars on Dec. 31, 2003. However, the year-end backlog declined slightly from the 61,052-unit backlog as of Oct. 1, 2004. Last year, the backlog on July 1 and April 1 stood at 51,446 units and 42,242 units, respectively.