Goods wagon
Encyclopedia
Development
At the beginning of the railway era, the vast majority of goods wagons were four-wheeled vehicles of simple construction. These were almost exclusively small covered wagons, open wagons with side-boards, as well as flat wagonsFlatcar
A flatcar is a piece of railroad or railway rolling stock that consists of an open, flat deck on four or six wheels or a pair of trucks or bogies . The deck of the car can be wood or steel, and the sides of the deck can include pockets for stakes or tie-down points to secure loads...
with and without stakes used. But over the course of time an increasing number of specialised wagons were developed.
Special wagons for specific purposes or wagons with special features were already being introduced around 1850 by private companies. Amongst these were tank wagons and numerous refrigerated van
Refrigerated van
A refrigerated van is a railway goods wagon with cooling equipment. Today they are designated by the International Union of Railways as Class I.-History:...
s. In countries like Germany, wagon hire firms procured large numbers of these wagons and hired them to the end users.
In the early days of the railway goods trains still ran at top speeds of about 20 mph (32.2 km/h). However the introduction of through brakes using air pipes (such as the Kunze-Knorr brake
Kunze-Knorr brake
The Kunze-Knorr brake is an automatic compressed-air brake for goods, passenger and express trains. It was the first graduated brake for goods trains in Europe. When it was introduced after the First World War, goods train brakes switched from hand operation to compressed-air in various European...
s in Germany) from the 1920s enabled higher speeds to be safely achieved. Modern goods wagons are authorised for speeds up to around 75 mph (120.7 km/h) and in certain countries wagons are increasingly equipped with GPS
Global Positioning System
The Global Positioning System is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth, where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites...
receivers and transponder
Transponder
In telecommunication, the term transponder has the following meanings:...
s which provide location monitoring as required. The Deutsche Bahn (DB) even has goods wagons cleared for high-speed rail travel at up to 100 mph (160.9 km/h). Because the braking distance of fast goods trains is longer than the separation between distant and home signals (as are Express Passenger trains), they may only run at high speeds of 150 mph (241.4 km/h) with locos on routes with early signalling systems in the driver’s cab (LZB
Linienzugbeeinflussung
Linienzugbeeinflussung is a cab signalling andtrain protection system used on selected German and Austrian railway linesas well as the AVE in Spain.In Germany, the system is mandatory on all lines where trains exceed speeds of...
, FZB and ETCS
European Train Control System
The European Train Control System is a signalling, control andtrain protection system designed to replace the many incompatible safety systems currently used by European railways, especially on high-speed lines.- History :...
).
German wagon history
In Europe the first agreements were struck very early on between the national state railways (LänderbahnenLänderbahnen
The German term Länderbahnen generally refers to the state railways of the German Empire in the period from about 1840 to 1920 when they were merged into the Deutsche Reichsbahn after the First World War....
) and private companies for the mutual use of each other’s goods wagons. And around 1850 the Union of German Railway Administrations
Union of German Railway Administrations
The Union of German Railway Administrations or VDEV emerged in 1847 from the Association of Prussian Railways , which had been founded on 10 November 1846 by the ten Prussian railway administrations in order to simplify the standardisation of resources, equipment and regulations between the...
(Verein Deutscher Eisenbahnverwaltungen) drew up regulations for the standardisation of dimensions and fittings. The formation of the Prussian State Railway Union in 1881 encouraged the emergence of wagon classes built to standard norms
German state railway norms
In German railway engineering, norms are standards for the design and production of railway vehicles.In the 1880s and 1890s, Prussian norms were developed for the locomotives, tenders and wagons of the Prussian state railways under the direction of the railway director responsible for railway...
.
One further European milestone was the formation of the German State Railway Wagon Association
German State Railway Wagon Association
The German State Railway Wagon Association was an association of the German state railways Länderbahnen founded in 1909. The purpose of the association was to guarantee the unrestricted exchange of goods wagons between the member railway administrations...
on 1 April 1909. With the participation of all the German state railways, it created a common pool of goods wagons, which by the end of 1911 had no less than 560,000 wagons. In addition, they all had standardised inscriptions and red-brown livery. In order to standardise future procurements a total of 11 wagon classes were defined (Sheet nos. A1 to A11
German state railway norms
In German railway engineering, norms are standards for the design and production of railway vehicles.In the 1880s and 1890s, Prussian norms were developed for the locomotives, tenders and wagons of the Prussian state railways under the direction of the railway director responsible for railway...
). These wagons of the so-called standard class (Verbandsbauart
Verbandsbauart
The German term Verbandsbauart describes both a type of goods wagon as well as a type of tram.In order to standardise the goods wagons classes of the various German state railways , the German State Railway Wagon Association issued regulations...
) and subsequent developments from them (the Austauschbauart
Austauschbauart
The so-called Austauschbauart wagons were German railway vehicles produced from the late 1920s onwards which had common components built to agreed standards.-Origin of the concept:...
class with interchangeable parts) dominated goods traffic in Germany up to the Second World War and had a significant impact in many other countries which acquired these wagons either through war reparations
War reparations
War reparations are payments intended to cover damage or injury during a war. Generally, the term war reparations refers to money or goods changing hands, rather than such property transfers as the annexation of land.- History :...
or simply because they were left behind by the Germans after the two world wars.
From 1939, wagons were developed primarily from a military point of view and were known as wartime classes (Kriegsbauart
Kriegsbauart
The German term Kriegsbauart refers to railway goods wagon classes that were developed during the Second World War for the Deutsche Reichsbahn. The start of the war was an arbitrary dividing line for the classification of goods wagons, and did not represent any technological change...
). After the war, in East Germany, some pre-war goods wagon classes were given a new lease of life as ‘reconstructed goods wagons’ (Reko-Güterwagen) and continued for several more decades in service.
Since the foundation of the Union of Private Goods Wagon Companies (Vereinigung der Privatgüterwagen-Interessenten (VPI)) in 1921 the interests of private transport organisations in Germany (including wagon hire firms, goods wagon builders and repair firms, owners of private sidings) has been represented jointly. The Union has around 100 members, who own 50,000 goods wagons. In 2007 they transported 361000000 t (355,297,476 LT; 397,934,383 ST) of goods. Other countries have similar organisations.
European wagon history
Since 1922 the agreement for the mutual use of goods wagons in international traffic (RIV) has regulated the exchange of goods wagons in Europe and the Near East. In addition, international goods wagon fleets were created in 1953 in Western Europe with the Europ-Verband and in 1964 in Eastern Europe with the Common Goods Wagon Park (OPW). During the second half of the 20th century, national goods wagon classes in Europe were increasingly replaced by Union internationale des chemins de fer (UIC) standard wagons. Since 1964, all goods wagons in Germany, for example, have to be classified using the UIC goods wagon classification system.Types of goods wagon
The numerous types of goods wagon are categorised here based on their main design features and in accordance with the international UIC classification system:
- Open wagons (US: gondolasGondola (rail)In railroad terminology, a gondola is an open-top type of rolling stock that is used for carrying loose bulk materials. Because of its low side walls, gondolas are used to carry either very dense material, such as steel plates or coils, or bulky items such as prefabricated pieces of rail...
) were formerly referred to in Germany as O wagons; today the international standard types are:- Open wagons of standard design (UIC Class E) with at least 85 cm high walls, with side-doors, and without self-discharging equipment
- Open wagons of special design (UIC Class F) – especially self-discharging wagons (see photo) of type Fcs092.
- LowmacLowmacLowmac is a United Kingdom railway term for a design of low-floored wagon. A Lowmac's purpose is for carrying vehicles or equipment that would normally be over the recommended height of a normal flatbed wagon, and hence exceed the loading gauge....
s
- Covered wagonsCovered goods wagonA covered goods wagon or van is a railway goods wagon which is designed for the transportation of moisture-susceptible goods and therefore fully enclosed by sides and a fixed roof. They are often referred to simply as covered wagons, and this is the term used by the International Union of Railways...
or vans (US: boxcarBoxcarA boxcar is a railroad car that is enclosed and generally used to carry general freight. The boxcar, while not the simplest freight car design, is probably the most versatile, since it can carry most loads...
s) have a fixed roof and are mainly used for the transportation of part-load goods or parcels. Today these are divided into:- Ordinary classes (UIC Class G)
- Special classes (UIC Class H), which are often distinguished by their large loading volumes.
- Livestock vans (US:stock carsStock car (rail)In railroad terminology, a stock car or cattle wagon is a type of rolling stock used for carrying livestock to market...
) for transporting cattle are no longer used. In Germany they were called V wagons and were counted as a special class.
- Refrigerated vanRefrigerated vanA refrigerated van is a railway goods wagon with cooling equipment. Today they are designated by the International Union of Railways as Class I.-History:...
s (Class I wagons), formerly known in Germany as T wagons (T = "Thermos") – are insulated covered vans, which are either cooled like conventional refrigerated vans by a cooling medium such as water or dry iceDry iceDry ice, sometimes referred to as "Cardice" or as "card ice" , is the solid form of carbon dioxide. It is used primarily as a cooling agent. Its advantages include lower temperature than that of water ice and not leaving any residue...
, or are machine-cooled wagons with their own cooling system. - Flat wagonsFlatcarA flatcar is a piece of railroad or railway rolling stock that consists of an open, flat deck on four or six wheels or a pair of trucks or bogies . The deck of the car can be wood or steel, and the sides of the deck can include pockets for stakes or tie-down points to secure loads...
have no walls or low walls no higher than 60 cm (23.6 in). Today these include wagons with individual axles in UIC Classes K (standard) or L (special), bogie wagons of UIC Classes R (standard) or S (special). - Wagons with a sliding roof (UIC Class T) either have a flat wagon floor or equipment for self-discharging.
- The special wagons of UIC Class U include powder wagons and low-loading wagons
- Tank wagonsTank carA tank car is a type of railroad rolling stock designed to transport liquid and gaseous commodities.-Timeline:...
(UIC Class Z) are suitable for a wide variety of fluids and gases. - Spine cars to carry intermodal containerIntermodal containerAn intermodal container is a standardized reusable steel box used for the safe, efficient and secure storage and movement of materials and products within a global containerized intermodal freight transport system...
s.
Goods wagons for special purposes include:
- Works wagons are used by railway administrations exclusively for their own internal works purposes (such as the slag wagons of Class X in Germany which were mainly based on old open wagons of Class O),
- Ferry wagons with smaller loading gaugeLoading gaugeA loading gauge defines the maximum height and width for railway vehicles and their loads to ensure safe passage through bridges, tunnels and other structures...
s for traffic travelling to Great BritainUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, which were designated with a lower case letter f. - the rarely mixed open, flat wagons of UIC Class O, which are equipped with folding sides or stakes and can be used either as flats or as open goods wagons.
- Mineral wagonMineral wagonA mineral wagon is a small railway vehicle used in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to carry coal, ores and other mine products . In the United Kingdom they usually have four wheels. They were originally made of wood and were often of very simple construction, with no train brakes, but from the...
s
Railway post vans
Post Office Sorting Van
A Post Office Sorting Van is a type of rail vehicle built for use in a Travelling Post Office.British Rail built ninety-six of these vehicles between 1959 and 1977, to several similar designs, all based on the Mark 1 coach design. They were numbered in the range 80300–80395...
(Mobile post office
Mobile post office
Mobile post offices deliver mail and other postal services through specially equipped vehicles, such as trucks and trains.-United Kingdom:The United Kingdom pioneered the modern use of what it calls the Travelling Post Office , a railway service that operated for the first time in 1838...
s) are not counted as goods wagons.
The UIC’s instructions were sometimes interpreted differently by the various railway administrations, so that it could happen that almost identical wagons were grouped into different classes. In addition wagons had occasionally to be reclassified after slight modifications. For example, an E Class wagon can become an F Class simply through welding on a door.
See also
- Forty-and-eights
- General Utility VanGeneral Utility VanA General Utility Van is a type of rail vehicle built by British Rail and its predecessors, which was primarily used for transporting mail and parcels. They were used by both Express Parcels Systems, the British Post Office and Railtrack. National Rail and some Train Operating Companies still use...
- Goods trains
- List of railway vehicles
- List of rolling stock manufacturers
- Railroad car - the freight car section
contains a list of US freight car types - UIC classification of goods wagonsUIC classification of goods wagonsThis list contains the UIC classification of goods wagons and their meanings. The description is made up of a class letter and usually several code letters ....
Source
- The original source for this article is the German Wikipedia:Güterwagen