Sent: Thursday, August 14, 2008 7:10 PM
To: James Ellwanger
Subject: Trains…

A friend was wondering about trains after she read this NYT piece (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/08/travel/escapes/08RAILCARS.html?ex=1375934400&en=c156556996af8545&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink):

“Hmm, this is kind of an interesting concept… are any of you guys into trains or model trains? I would kind of like to know more about my own personal grade crossing that is an obstacle to and from work. I live near the Avon Indiana rail yard, which I’ve heard is of great interest to trainspotters (not that kind). Trains are apparently being used more frequently now. I’d like to be able to identify the railroad car types while I’m sitting there waiting…”

Any tips for her?

Jim’s response:

Here’s a page on the Avon yard, although some of the lingo used is a little bit “inside.”

http://madisonrails.railfan.net/avon.html

I assume she’s seeing freight trains at the crossing.  (Passenger train cars are relatively easy to figure out, especially if the train is going slowly – it helps that Amtrak prints the name of the type of car somewhere on the side of each one, for the benefit of their passengers.)

I can’t find any web sites that are a “visual glossary” to freight train cars, but here are the most common types…

Intermodal flat cars (loaded with shipping containers; sometimes you also see these cars loaded with truck trailers, complete with wheels, sitting on top)…

Intermodal flat car (empty)…

Boxcar (these carry boxed or palletized shipments that aren’t big enough or going far enough to have filled up an entire shipping container or trailer at the beginning of a trip)…

Automobile carrier (these carry, yes, automobiles)…

Tank car (these carry liquids)…

Hopper (these carry coal, grain, and other granular items)…

Caboose (actually, you very rarely see these now, due to modern technology – they don’t need to have anyone stationed at the end of the train; the replacement is a small silver box attached to the end of the last car that sends telemetry data up to the engineer and the conductor who are sitting in the engine)…

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