Railcar Black
What Is Railcar Black
Railcar Black represents an extraordinary departure from ordinary denim jeans, crafted exclusively on rare collectible 1930s commercial black sewing machines. Unlike modern production methods, these museum quality machines are meticulously maintained by Steven Dang of Railcar to produce garments with a century old authenticity that standard jeans simply cannot match. Each antique machine contains irreplaceable parts and demands exceptional precision to operate, a stark contrast to today's automated manufacturing. The beautiful irregular stitch patterns these machines create cannot be duplicated by modern equipment, giving Railcar Black a distinctive character absent in mass-produced denim. While conventional jeans are quickly assembled on contemporary machines, Railcar Black garments require significantly more time and craftsmanship from highly skilled artisans.
The fabrics selected for Railcar Black are predominantly lighter weight, reflecting the authentic composition of denim from a century ago, unlike today's typically heavier denim. This historical accuracy further distinguishes these pieces from standard jeans. Where mass-market denim uses widely available materials, only rare, deadstock, or specialty fabrics make their way into the Railcar Black collection.
We combine authentic heritage vintage 100 year old machines, collectible fabrics, and highly skilled sewing masters to create Railcar Black, an experience fundamentally different from wearing ordinary jeans.
The Why
From the moment Railcar emerged in 2010, we found ourselves at the heart of a historic movement, a renaissance of heritage denim craftsmanship that captivated the niche denim world. While initially drawing inspiration from this powerful wave, Railcar quickly forged its own distinctive identity, standing apart through our unwavering commitment to quality, timeless design, mechanical precision, and the bold styling of 1950s hot rod culture. These founding principles continue to guide our hands today, shaping every stitch we sew. The Railcar Black collection represents a triumphant return to our roots. A celebration of true heritage construction utilizing magnificent machines from the 1930s that have faithfully served for nearly a century, paired with our signature denim design philosophy.
Who Is Railcar Black For
Railcar Black are handcrafted to be unisex. Both men and women can enjoy these goods just like they did 100 years ago.
This exceptional collection speaks to both the newcomers who missed the transformative heritage movement of 2010 and the connoisseurs who long to experience once again the magic of that extraordinary era when craftsmanship reclaimed its rightful place in American heritage manufacturing.
What To Expect
Expect to own a collectable garment. You'll enjoy handcrafted denim that resembles qualities and character from a century ago and beyond. Beautiful organic irregular stitching and fabrics will make each garment one of a kind. Expect not to throw these out. Instead, think about keeping these for a lifetime, as the garments could even be passed down through generations, with future repairs making them even more unique.
The black Singer single needle machine is used for most of the construction. This machine has no reverse and uses a shuttle hook that gives the stitch lines a unique and beautiful irregular look.
The ultra rare black Union Special 35800 flat felled machine performs the triple needle seat seams. It connects the back panels and upper yokes together with 3 stitches sewn at the same time. This machine is extremely rare and there are only a few of these in the world. Having a garment crafted on this machine something truly special.
The black Singer bar tack machine reinforces the high used area making the garment more durable. This particular model is very rare with a low stitch count so the bar tack looks more like a zig zag stitch. This machine is used to reinforce areas for added durability and to attached the belt loops.
The Union Special "Bull Dog" over lock machine sews an edge around the fabric to control the fraying. We use this Bull Dog style for stitch esthetics. It creates a triangle over lock stitch giving the seam a vintage heritage quality.
The vintage Union Special cover stitch machine was converted to make belt loops. It makes a lower cover stitch to make the belt loops while the folder, folds it to perfection.