The Dunedin City Corporation's initial order for trams from J. G. Brill & Company, Philadelphia, USA was for 14 Boxcars, 14 Californian Combos and 15 Toastrack cars all of standard Brill design. Each type entered service in Dunedin from December 1903 through to October 1904, when the last of the Combo's arrived, and some of them served for over 50 years and almost to the end in 1956. In 1914 there was a proposal to rebuild the Boxcars into longer double truck trams resulting in Boxcar No. 1 being extended to become Big Lizzie, but it was not popular and so the scheme was dropped.

In 1922, an alternative plan was introduced which saw Boxcar No. 11 coupled with  No. 10, as a test for the Caversham, St Kilda, Normanby and St Clair routes.  This did prove successful with four other cars, 2 & 12 and 6 & 7 being similarly coupled in pairs from 1925 through to 1951, allowing No's. 11 and 10 to be released for single running again in 1926.

In 1923, two of the Boxcars were transferred to the Roslyn 3 ft 6 inch gauge Maori Hill line and renumbered 86 and 87. No. 5 was converted to a rail grinding tram in 1914 but was later reconverted to a passenger car and transferred to the Roslyn line in 1933.

Boxcar No. 11 was retired in 1955 and ended up on the Hasties farm at Pinehill, North of Dunedin until 1967 when it was repatriated to Ferrymead for restoration.

In 1995, No. 11 was leased to the Christchurch City Tramways. Initially this was expected to be a short term lease, but it has become a favourite on the city tramway, and is frequently paired with Dunedin Horse Car No 18.