Sliding end panels for a rail car

A rail car comprising:

• a bottom deck, sidewalls and a roof, the roof connecting one end of each sidewall and the deck connecting the opposite end of each sidewall to form an open end of the rail car;
• at least one intermediate deck extending between and connecting the sidewalls;
• a left and right door for closing the end opening, said doors sized to substantially conform to the profile of the end opening when they are in the closed position;
• and
• a means for sliding the doors such that each can be moved from a closed position to a stowed position along the outside of the rail car, said sliding means including a bottom track mounted on said bottom deck and an upper track mounted on the uppermost of said intermediate deck(s), said upper track and said bottom track curving around the sidewalls and closely following the form of the end of the rail car to allow the doors to stand substantially in one plane in the closed position and parallel to and adjacent the exterior surface of the sidewalls in the stowed position.