What do the letters on rail cars mean?


What do the letters on rail cars mean? Railroad cars are identified by two, three, or four letters and by a number of up to six digits. The letters, known as reporting marks, indicate the owner of the car, while the number places it in the owner's fleet. Reporting marks ending in X indicate ownership by a private company as opposed to a railroad.


What does L and N railroad stand for?

The Louisville and Nashville Railroad (reporting mark LN), commonly called the L&N, was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States. Louisville and Nashville Railroad. L&N system map, circa 1901.


What does LD LMT on a rail car mean?

LD LMT (load limit) is the maximum weight of lading that can be carried by the car, to the nearest 100 pounds. This is determined by subtracting the weight of the car when empty from the total allowable gross weight given the size of the car's journal bearings.


What does GS mean in train?

GS coaches refers to the general seating coach. It is a second class unreserved coach. Normally every train including mail/express trains have atleast two GS coaches one near the locomotive and one at the end of the train. Anyone with a General/Unreserverd ticket bought from counter can travel in those compartments.


How many rail cars can a train pull?

Once the train is rolling, an engine with 110,000 lb tractive effort should be able to maintain 11-12 mph with at least 200 cars-- maybe 300 or more.


What does H1 mean in train?

H1 means AC first class and inside first class AC coach there are blocks of coupes and cabins defined by A,B,C,D etc. First AC cabin with 4 berths. First AC coupe cabin with 2 berths. Layout of H1 (AC First Class) Total Berths: 18-24.


What happens to old railroad cars?

“It comes out in shreds as small as your fist. The scrap steel from BART cars is sold to mills to create new products like rebar. The aluminum and copper are shipped to smelters and foundries to make new aluminum airplane and car parts, and copper wiring for home appliances and electronics.


What does CSX stand for?

CSX Transportation (it's name deriving with the “C” standing for Chessie, “S” for Seaboard, and “X” an all-encompassing multiplication symbol that “together we are so much more”) is the railroad division of CSX Corporation. The latter was originally created in 1980 as a holding company for several subsidiaries.


What is Rule 98 on the railroad?

What the hell is rule 98? “Movement on a track not governed by ABS, DCS or interlocking rules must be made at Restricted Speed.” But you probably already knew that.


What is the car at the end of a train called?

A caboose is a train car that is usually at the end. If you are pulling up the rear, you could call yourself the caboose. The engine is the first car on a freight train, and the last car is usually the caboose. Besides being last, the other feature of a caboose is its use by the crew.