Types of Freight Railcars for Cargo Transportation

Freight transport by rail utilizes a variety of railcars, each designed for specific types of cargo. 

Main types of freight railway wagons and their characteristics

Depending on the nature of the cargo, the body structure, the methods of loading and unloading, as well as the safety of the cargo, the following are distinguished: covered wagons, open wagons, flatcars, tank cars, dump cars, hopper-type wagons and refrigerated wagons.

Covered wagons

Covered wagons are designed for transporting valuable goods and cargo that need protection from weather conditions. They are used for carrying grain, cased and packaged goods, and various other items. In a covered, all-metal wagon, the side walls have hatches, and the metal roof has four loading hatches with lids that close automatically. The solid metal doors of the wagon are equipped with unloading hatches at the bottom, allowing part of the grain to be unloaded to reduce pressure on the doors before opening.

Grain is transported in wagons with doors without using grain shields. For four-axle covered wagons used for grain transport, grain shields are installed in the door openings.

1. Length: 15,724 mm
2. Width: 2,764 mm
3. Height: 3,050 mm
4. Weight: 26 tons
5. Volume: 138 m³
6. Load capacity: 68 tons

Open Wagons

Open wagons make up a significant portion of the freight wagon fleet and are used most intensively. An open wagon has no roof, and its floor consists of unloading hatches, which are closed with special locks. These wagons are designed for transporting bulk cargo that does not require protection from weather, such as ore, timber, coal, metal, as well as automobiles and agricultural machinery. For routes with heavy bulk cargo, especially on high-load routes, eight-axle open wagons with increased load capacity per meter of track are required.

• Length: 12,690 mm
• Width: 2,890 mm
• Height: 2,050 mm
• Weight: 23 tons
• Volume: 75 m³
• Load capacity: 71 tons

Hopper

A type of open wagon used for mass transportation of fertilizers, cement, grain, and other bulk cargo is the hopper. There are two main types of hoppers—open and closed. Closed hoppers are used for cargo that needs protection from weather conditions, while open hoppers are used for transporting hot agglomerates and pellets, coal, peat and coke. A specific type of wagon is the hopper-doser, which is used exclusively for transporting ballast during various track maintenance operations.

Specifications:

• Weight: 23 tons
• Volume: 81 m³
• Load capacity: 70 tons

Flatcar

Flatcars are designed for transporting long items (such as rails and timber), containers, as well as cars and various road and agricultural machinery. The basic type is a four-axle flatcar with solid metal sides. Special four-axle, two-level flatcars are built for transporting passenger cars, and flatcars for oversized containers. 

Container flatcars have no sides and are equipped with special locks to secure large universal containers of any type. Flatcars for transporting timber have end walls and additional special stakes to prevent the cargo from shifting.

Tank Wagon

Tank wagons are used for transporting liquid cargo and petroleum products. Depending on the type of petroleum product being transported, tanks are equipped with devices for either top or bottom discharge. The body of a tank wagon is a cylindrical boiler with a cap at the top. Safety valves are installed on tanks used for transporting gasoline. Tanks with a load capacity of 62 tons, equipped with a universal discharge device, are used for transporting gasoline and light petroleum products.

High-capacity eight-axle tanks are built for transporting petroleum products, allowing more cargo to be transported within the same train length as a train made up of four-axle tanks. There are also tanks for transporting viscous petroleum products (such as fuel oil and lubricants), which have heating jackets around the tank. This group also includes tanks for transporting milk, which are made from stainless steel and have an insulating layer. Tanks are also available for transporting alcohol, acids, and other liquids.

• Weight: 27 tons
• Volume: 83 m³
• Load capacity: 67 tons

Isothermal Wagons

Isothermal wagons are used for transporting perishable goods. For this purpose, wagons with mechanical cooling, known as refrigerated wagons, are produced. These wagons are assembled into trains or sections of 23, 12, or 5 units. Each train or section includes wagons equipped with electric power and refrigeration equipment. Autonomous refrigerated wagons with individual mechanical cooling and electric heating are becoming increasingly popular. There are also isothermal wagons with ice-salt cooling, known as ice wagons, as well as special wagons for transporting live fish, wine, and other products.

• Length: 20,450 mm
• Width: 2,600 mm
• Height: 4,690 mm
• Weight: 38 tons
• Volume: 117 m³
• Load capacity: 50 tons

Transporter Wagons

Transporter wagons vary in load capacity and are built to transport heavy and oversized cargo (such as rotors, generators, turbines, transformers, etc.). They feature strong beam-frames, curved in the middle, which outline a loading platform with a lowered floor. The frame rests on multi-axle bogies.

• Length: 24,130 mm
• Width: 2,770 mm
• Height: 1,347 mm
• Weight: 54 tons
• Load capacity: 120 tons

Dumpcar (Self-Unloading Wagon)

A dumpcar is used for transporting and mechanically unloading bulk and large-sized materials. The key features of this wagon are its ability to carry bulk cargo and unload via tipping (the body tilts, allowing the contents to spill out). The unloading system may be hydraulic or pneumatic. Dumpcars are commonly used to transport coal, ore, sand, and gravel.

• Maximum load capacity: 180 tons
• Length: 17,630 mm
• Width: 3,520 mm
• Height: 3,620 mm
• Weight: up to 30 tons
• Volume: up to 70 m³
• Load capacity: up to 180 tons

Cargo requiring special transportation conditions is carried in special-purpose wagons. In rail transport, these types of freight wagons are classified as follows:

• Double-deck car carriers
• Car carriers
• Dumpcars
• Mineral carriers
• Pellet carriers
• Hopper-dosers
• Hopper-cement carriers
• Transporters

Special-purpose wagons also include fire-fighting and recovery train wagons, as well as workshop wagons.