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A train is a connected series of vehicles that move along a track (permanent way) to transport freight or passengers from one place to another. "Railroad" and "Railway" both redirect here For other uses see Railroad (disambiguation. A railway can be broken down into two major components Basically these are the items which "move" the Rolling stock, that is the locomotives passenger carrying vehicles (coaches |}A train station, railway station, railroad station, or station yard is a facility at which Passengers may board and alight from Trains A locomotive is a railway Vehicle that provides the motive power for a Train. A railroad car or railway carriage is a Vehicle on a rail transport system (railroad or railway that is used for the carrying of Cargo or See also Rail transport The history of rail transport dates back nearly 500 years and includes systems with man or horse power and rails of wood or stone Asia India Europe Denmark France Germany 0-9 Note for 4-4-0 2-6-4T 0-4-4-0 etc See Whyte notation or UIC classification A B This page provides an index of articles on Rail transport by country. Model railroading (US or Railway modelling (UK Australia and Canada is a Hobby in which Rail transport systems are modeled at a reduced scale The permanent way means the physical elements of the railway line itself generally the pairs of rails typically laid on sleepers embedded in ballast intended to carry the ordinary "Railroad" and "Railway" both redirect here For other uses see Railroad (disambiguation. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway. A monorail is a transportation system based on a single beam The term is also used variously to describe the beam of the system or the vehicles travelling on such a beam or MAGLEV, or magnetic levitation, is a system of transportation that suspends guides and (usually propels vehicles predominantly trains using magnetic forces Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate locomotive, or from individual motors in self-propelled multiple units. A locomotive is a railway Vehicle that provides the motive power for a Train. The term multiple unit or MU is used to describe a self-propelling train unit capable of coupling with other units of the same or similar type and still Most modern trains are powered by diesel locomotives or by electricity supplied by overhead wires or additional rails, although historically (from the early 19th century to the mid-20th century) the steam locomotive was the dominant form of locomotive power. A Diesel locomotive is a type of Railroad Locomotive in which the prime mover is a Diesel engine. "Electric Trains" redirects here For the 1995 Squeeze single see Electric Trains (song. Railway electrification supplies electrical energy to railway Locomotives and Multiple units so they can operate without having a Reciprocating A steam locomotive is a Locomotive powered by Steam. The term usually refers to its use on Railways but can also refer to a "road locomotive" Other sources of power (such as horses, rope or wire, gravity, pneumatics, and gas turbines) are possible. The horse ( Equus caballus) is a hoofed ( Ungulate) Mammal, one of eight living species of the family Equidae. A cable car is any of a variety of transportation systems relying on cables to pull vehicles along or lower them at a steady rate or a vehicle on these systems Gravitation is a natural Phenomenon by which objects with Mass attract one another Pneumatics, Pressurized gas to affect mechanical motion Pneumatic power is used in Industry, where it is common to have factory units plumbed for Compressed A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a rotary Engine that extracts energy from a flow of Combustion gas

The word 'train' comes from the Old French trahiner, itself from the Latin trahere 'pull, draw'. Old French was the Romance Dialect continuum spoken in territories which span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. ^[1]

Contents 1 Types of trains 1.1 Official terminology 2 Motive power 3 Passenger trains 3.1 Long-distance trains 3.1.1 High-speed trains 3.2 Inter-city trains 3.3 Branch line trains 3.4 Commuter trains 3.5 Named trains 4 Freight trains 5 Gallery 6 See also 7 References 8 Further reading

Types of trains

There are various types of train designed for particular purposes. A train can consist of a combination of one or more locomotives and attached railroad cars, or a self-propelled multiple unit (or occasionally a single powered coach, called a railcar). A locomotive is a railway Vehicle that provides the motive power for a Train. A railroad car or railway carriage is a Vehicle on a rail transport system (railroad or railway that is used for the carrying of Cargo or The term multiple unit or MU is used to describe a self-propelling train unit capable of coupling with other units of the same or similar type and still A railcar (not to be confused with a railway car) is a self-propelled railway Vehicle designed to Transport passengers Trains can also be hauled by horses, pulled by a cable, or run downhill by gravity.

Special kinds of trains running on corresponding special 'railways' are atmospheric railways, monorails, high-speed railways, maglev, rubber-tired underground, funicular and cog railways. An atmospheric railway is a Railway that uses air Pressure to provide power for propulsion A monorail is a transportation system based on a single beam The term is also used variously to describe the beam of the system or the vehicles travelling on such a beam or MAGLEV, or magnetic levitation, is a system of transportation that suspends guides and (usually propels vehicles predominantly trains using magnetic forces A rubber-tyred metro (or rubber-tired in non-British English is a form of Rapid transit system that uses a mix of road and rail technology A funicular, also known as a funicular railway, incline, inclined railway, inclined plane, or cliff railway, is a type of self-contained A cog railway, rack-and-pinion railway or rack railway is a Railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails.

A passenger train may consist of one or several locomotives, and one or more coaches. Alternatively, a train may consist entirely of passenger carrying coaches, some or all of which are powered as a "multiple unit". The term multiple unit or MU is used to describe a self-propelling train unit capable of coupling with other units of the same or similar type and still In many parts of the world, particularly Japan and Europe, high-speed rail is utilized extensively for passenger travel. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics.

Freight trains comprise wagons or trucks rather than carriages, though some parcel and mail trains (especially Travelling Post Offices) are outwardly more like passenger trains. A Travelling Post Office (TPO is a type of Mail train where the post is sorted en-route

Trains can also be 'mixed', comprising both passenger accommodation and freight vehicles. Such mixed trains are most likely to occur where services are infrequent, and running separate passenger and freight trains is not cost-effective, though the differing needs of passengers and freight usually means this is avoided where possible.

Special trains are also used for track maintenance; in some places, this is called maintenance of way. MOW redirects here For other meanings see MOW (disambiguation.

In the United Kingdom, a train hauled by two locomotives is said to be "double-headed", and in Canada and the United States it is quite common for a long freight train to be headed by three or more locomotives. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A train with a locomotive attached at each end is described as 'top and tailed', this practice typically being used when there are no reversing facilities available. Where a second locomotive is attached temporarily to assist a train up steep banks or grades (or down them by providing braking power) it is referred to as 'banking' in the UK, or 'helper service' in North America. A bank engine ( United Kingdom / Australia) (colloquially a banker) or helper engine or pusher engine ( North America) Recently, many loaded trains in the US have been made up with one or more locomotives in the middle or at the rear of the train, operated remotely from the lead cab. This is referred to as "DP" or "Distributed Power. "

Official terminology

The railway terminology that is used to describe a 'train' varies between countries. The British Rail Class 153 " Sprinter " is a single-car Diesel multiple unit train A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a Multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board Diesel 0-9 Note for 4-4-0 2-6-4T 0-4-4-0 etc See Whyte notation or UIC classification A B

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, the interchangeable terms set and unit are used to refer to a group of permanently or semi-permanently coupled vehicles, such as those of a multiple unit. The term multiple unit or MU is used to describe a self-propelling train unit capable of coupling with other units of the same or similar type and still While when referring to a train made up of a variety of vehicles, or of several sets/units, the term formation is used. (Although the UK public and media often forgo 'formation', for simply 'train'. ) The word rake is also used for a group of coaches or wagons.

In the United Kingdom Section 83(1) of the Railways Act 1993 defines "train" as follows:

a) two or more items of rolling stock coupled together, at least one of which is a locomotive; or

b) a locomotive not coupled to any other rolling stock.

United States

In the United States, the term consist is used to describe the group of rail vehicles which make up a train. When referring to motive power, consist refers to the group of locomotives powering the train. In Thermodynamics, motive power is an agency as Water or Steam, used to impart motion. A locomotive is a railway Vehicle that provides the motive power for a Train. Similarly, the term trainset refers to a group of rolling stock that is permanently or semi-permanently coupled together to form a unified set of equipment (the term is most often applied to passenger train configurations). Rolling Stock was a Newspaper of ideas and a chronicle of the 1980s published in Boulder, Colorado A train is a connected series of vehicles that move along a track ( Permanent way) to transport freight or passengers from one place to another Also, in the United States, they sometimes call the engine an 'iron horse', but varies by person as well. The term 'iron horse' was thought of when the steam locomotive first appeared in the United States. They called it that, due to the fact that it replaced the horse on the railway lines, and was made of metal.

The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway's 1948 operating rules define a train as: "An engine or more than one engine coupled, with or without cars, displaying markers. The Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. "^[2]

Motive power

The first trains were rope-hauled, gravity powered or pulled by horses, but from the early 19th century almost all were powered by steam locomotives. A steam locomotive is a Locomotive powered by Steam. The term usually refers to its use on Railways but can also refer to a "road locomotive" From the 1920s onwards they began to be replaced by less labour intensive and cleaner (but more complex and expensive) diesel locomotives and electric locomotives, while at about the same time self-propelled multiple unit vehicles of either power system became much more common in passenger service. A Diesel locomotive is a type of Railroad Locomotive in which the prime mover is a Diesel engine. "Electric Trains" redirects here For the 1995 Squeeze single see Electric Trains (song. The term multiple unit or MU is used to describe a self-propelling train unit capable of coupling with other units of the same or similar type and still In most countries dieselisation of locomotives in day-to-day use was completed by the 1970s. Dieselisation or Dieselization (see spelling differences) is generally used for the nowadays increasingly common use of Diesel fuel in vehicles as A few countries, most notably the People's Republic of China, where coal and labour are cheap, still use steam locomotives, but this is being gradually phased out. Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES Historic steam trains still run in many other countries, for the leisure and enthusiast market.

Electric traction offers a lower cost per mile of train operation but at a higher initial cost, which can only be justified on high traffic lines. Since the cost per mile of construction is much higher, electric traction is less favored on long-distance lines with the exception of long-distance high speed lines. Electric trains receive their current via overhead lines or through a third rail electric system. Overhead lines or overhead wires are used to transmit Electrical energy to Trams Trolleybuses or Trains at a distance from the A third rail is a method of providing Electricity to power a railway through a continuous rigid conductor alongside the railway track or between the rails

Passenger trains

A passenger train is one which includes passenger-carrying vehicles. It may be a self-powered multiple unit or railcar, or else a combination of one or more locomotives and one or more unpowered trailers known as coaches, cars or carriages. The term multiple unit or MU is used to describe a self-propelling train unit capable of coupling with other units of the same or similar type and still A railcar (not to be confused with a railway car) is a self-propelled railway Vehicle designed to Transport passengers This article is about railroad equipment For other cars see Automobile and Wiktionary definition of passenger car. Passenger trains travel between stations where passengers may join or leave the train. |}A train station, railway station, railroad station, or station yard is a facility at which Passengers may board and alight from Trains Many of the more prestigious passenger train services have been given a specific name, some of which have become famous in literature and fiction. In the history of Rail transport, dating back to the 19th Century there have been literally hundreds of named passenger trains. India has the largest passenger density in the world. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country India has one of the largest passenger density due to a great population, referring to a population chart of India, yet it is only one of the most populated countries, but is the only populated one to have the greatest passenger density out of the other countries. ^[3]

Long-distance trains

Long-distance trains travel between many cities and/or regions of a country, and sometimes cross several countries. They often have a dining car or restaurant car to allow passengers to have a meal during the course of their journey. A dining car (American English or restaurant car (British English also diner, is a railroad passenger car that serves meals in the manner of a Trains traveling overnight may also have sleeping cars. The sleeping car or sleeper is a railroad passenger car that can accommodate all its passengers in beds of one kind or another primarily for the purpose of making

High-speed trains

Main article: High-speed rail

In Japan, most of the public transportation between the Tokyo metropolitan area and the Osaka metropolitan area (around 500 km) is dominated by the Shinkansen, however in longer journeys (such as Tokyo-Hiroshima) more people prefer to travel by air. The is a Network of High-speed railway lines in Japan operated by four Japan Railways Group companies The 500 Series Shinkansen are the fastest most powerful and most expensive Trainsets yet to run on Japan 's Shinkansen high-speed rail network For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. officially, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. is a city in Japan, located at the mouth of the Yodo River on Osaka Bay, in the Kansai region of the main island of Honshū The is a Network of High-speed railway lines in Japan operated by four Japan Railways Group companies officially, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. The Japanese city of ( is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshū, the largest of Japan 's ^[4]

Very fast trains sometimes tilt, like the APT, the Pendolino, or the Talgo. A tilting train is a Train with a tilting mechanism that enables increased speed on regular Railway tracks The Advanced Passenger Train ( APT) was an experimental tilting High Speed Train developed by British Rail during the 1970s and early 1980s which Pendolino (from Italian Pendolo "Pendulum" and -ino, a diminutive suffix is an Italian family of Tilting trains used in Talgo is a Spanish manufacturer of railway vehicles It is best known for a design of articulated railway passenger cars in which the wheels are mounted Tilting is a system where the passenger cars automatically lean into curves, reducing the sideways g-forces on passengers and permitting higher speeds on curves in the track with greater passenger comfort. In Mathematics, curvature refers to any of a number of loosely related concepts in different areas of geometry g-force (also G-force, g-load) is a measurement of an object's Acceleration expressed in g s

The fastest train on rails is the French TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse) (French for High Speed Train) which achieved a 574. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The TGV ( t rain à g rande v itesse, French for "high-speed train" is France 's High-speed rail service 8 km/h (356 mph) speed in testing in 2007. However, TGVs run at a maximum commercial speed of 300-320 km/h. The German ICE uses this commercial speed of 300-320 km/h as well. The InterCityExpress or ICE (German pronunciation) is a system of high-speed trains predominantly running in Germany and neighbouring countries

Inter-city trains

Trains connecting cities can be distinguished into two groups, inter-city trains, which do not halt at small stations, and trains that serve all stations, usually known as local trains or "stoppers" (and sometimes an intermediate type, usually known as limited-stop). Inter-city rail services are express Train passenger services which cover longer distances than Commuter trains Africa Inter-city services are reasonably A train is a connected series of vehicles that move along a track ( Permanent way) to transport freight or passengers from one place to another

Branch line trains

Branch lines are usually defined as connections to local stations or local lines and usually stopping services, running to all stations or the majority of stations on a line.

Commuter trains

For shorter distances many cities have networks of commuter trains, serving the city and its suburbs. The Mumbai Suburban Railway ( Marathi: मुंबई उपनगरीय रेल् system part of the public transportation system of Mumbai, is India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Commuter rail, regional rail or suburban rail is a Passenger rail transport service between a city center and outer suburbs and Commuter towns Some carriages may be laid out to have more standing room than seats, or to facilitate the carrying of prams, cycles or wheelchairs. The bicycle, cycle, or bike is a pedal-driven, human-powered vehicle with two wheels attached to a frame, one behind A wheelchair is a wheeled Mobility device in which the user sits Some countries have double-decked passenger trains for use in conurbations. The bilevel car ( North American English) or double-decker (British English increases the passenger or freight capacity of a train without lengthening a train Double deck high speed and sleeper trains are becoming more common in mainland Europe.

Passenger trains usually have emergency brake handles (or a "communication cord") that the public can operate. Abuse is punished by a heavy fine. FINE was created in 1998 and is an informal association of the four main Fair Trade networks F Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International

Large cities often have a metro system, also called underground, subway or tube. A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway or metro(politan system is an electric passenger railway The trains are electrically powered, usually by third rail, and their railroads are separate from other traffic, without level crossings. A third rail is a method of providing Electricity to power a railway through a continuous rigid conductor alongside the railway track or between the rails The term level crossing (also called a railroad crossing, road through railroad, railway crossing, train crossing or grade crossing Usually they run in tunnels in the city center and sometimes on elevated structures in the outer parts of the city. They can accelerate and decelerate faster than heavier, long-distance trains.

A light one- or two-car rail vehicle running through the streets is by convention not considered a train but rather a tram, trolley, light-rail vehicle or streetcar, but the distinction is not always strict. A tram, tramcar, trolley, trolley car, or streetcar is a railborne vehicle, of lighter weight and construction than a Train In some countries such as the United Kingdom the distinction between a tramway and a railway is precise and defined in law. "Railroad" and "Railway" both redirect here For other uses see Railroad (disambiguation.

The term light rail is sometimes used for a modern tram, but it may also mean an intermediate form between a tram and a train, similar to metro except that it may have level crossings. For specific light rail systems many of which use the words "light rail" as part of their name see List of light-rail transit systems. These are often protected with crossing gates. They may also be called a trolley. A tram, tramcar, trolley, trolley car, or streetcar is a railborne vehicle, of lighter weight and construction than a Train

Maglev trains and monorails represent minor technologies in the train field. MAGLEV, or magnetic levitation, is a system of transportation that suspends guides and (usually propels vehicles predominantly trains using magnetic forces A monorail is a transportation system based on a single beam The term is also used variously to describe the beam of the system or the vehicles travelling on such a beam or

The term rapid transit is used for public transport such as commuter trains, metro and light rail. A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway or metro(politan system is an electric passenger railway However, in New York City, lines on the New York City Subway have been referred to as "trains". The New York City Subway is a Rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency

Some commuter trains in Tokyo, Japan have special cars which the bench seats fold up to provide standing room only during the morning rush hour (until 10 a. officially, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. m. ). The E231 series train has two of these cars in each set (usually as part of a 10- or 11-car set), officially nicknamed "roku-tobira-sha" (literally, "6 door car") - all the other cars have four sets of doors on each side. The E231 series is currently the standard EMU used for commuter and outer-suburban services operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East and manufactured

An estimated 3. 5 million passengers ride every day on Tokyo's Yamanote Line, with its 29 stations. The of East Japan Railway Company (JR East is one of Tokyo 's busiest and most important Commuter rail lines For comparison, the New York City Subway carries 4. 8 million passengers per day on 26 lines serving 468 stations.

Named trains

Railway companies often give a name to a train service as a marketing exercise, to raise the profile of the service and hence attract more passengers (and also to gain kudos for the company). Kudos is a program used mostly in schools for young people deciding on their career choices and what qualifications they may need to get reach careers Usually, naming is reserved for the most prestigious trains: the high-speed express trains between major cities, stopping at few intermediate stations. The names of services such as the Orient Express, the Flying Scotsman, the Flèche d’Or and the Royal Scot have passed into popular culture. The Orient Express is the name of a long-distance Passenger train originally operated by the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits. This article is about the railway passenger service known as the "Flying Scotsman" The Golden Arrow was a luxury Train of the Southern Railway and later British Railways that linked London with Dover The Royal Scot was a named passenger train that ran between London Euston and Glasgow, the length of the WCML, with previously

See also: Famous trains

See also: Passenger trains

A somewhat less common practice is the naming of freight trains, for the same commercial reasons. A train is a connected series of vehicles that move along a track ( Permanent way) to transport freight or passengers from one place to another The "Condor" was an overnight London-Glasgow express goods train, in the 1960s, hauled by pairs of "Metrovick" diesel locomotives. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Glasgow (ˈglæzgoʊ is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom The British Rail Class 28 ( Metropolitan-Vickers Type 2 Diesel locomotives or 'Metrovicks' as they were popularly known were built as part of the In the mid-1960s, British Rail introduced the "Freightliner" brand, for the new train services carrying containers between dedicated terminals around the rail network. See also Rail transport in Great Britain, National Rail, Network Rail This article is about the defunct entity "British Railways" Freightliner Group Limited are a rail Freight and logistics company founded in 1995 and now operating in the United Kingdom and Poland. Containerization (or containerisation) is a system of Intermodal freight transport Cargo Transport using standard ISO containers The Rev. W. Awdry also named freight trains, coining the term The Flying Kipper for the overnight express fish train that appeared in his stories in The Railway Series books. Wilbert Vere Awdry, OBE, ( 15 June 1911 &ndash 21 March 1997) better known as the Reverend W The Railway Series by Reverend WV Awdry and Christopher Awdry is populated with many and varied characters We know how exciting this is but WPTHOMAS/FAQ explains WikiProject Thomas'

Freight trains

A freight train (also known as goods train) uses freight cars (also known as wagons or trucks) to transport goods or materials (cargo) – essentially any train that is not used for carrying passengers. A railroad car or railway carriage is a Vehicle on a rail transport system (railroad or railway that is used for the carrying of Cargo or Cargo (or freight) refers to goods or produce transported generally for Commercial gain by ship, aircraft, train, Much of the world's freight is transported by train, and in the USA the rail system is used more for transporting freight than passengers. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

Under the right circumstances, transporting freight by train is highly economic, and also more energy efficient than transporting freight by road. Rail freight is most economic when freight is being carried in bulk and over long distances, but is less suited to short distances and small loads. Bulk aggregate movements of a mere twenty miles (32 km) can be cost effective even allowing for trans-shipment costs. These trans-shipment costs dominate in many cases and many modern practices such as container freight are aimed at minimizing these. Containerization (or containerisation) is a system of Intermodal freight transport Cargo Transport using standard ISO containers

The main disadvantage of rail freight is its lack of flexibility. For this reason, rail has lost much of the freight business to road competition. Road transport ( British English) or road transportation ( American English) is Transport on Roads of passengers or goods Many governments are now trying to encourage more freight onto trains, because of the benefits that it would bring.

There are many different types of freight trains, which are used to carry many different kinds of freight, with many different types of wagons. A railroad car or railway carriage is a Vehicle on a rail transport system (railroad or railway that is used for the carrying of Cargo or One of the most common types on modern railways are container trains, where containers can be lifted on and off the train by cranes and loaded off or onto trucks or ships. A crane is a lifting machine equipped with a Winder, Wire ropes or Chains and sheaves that can be used both to lift and lower materials and to This article is about the semi-truck For the North American use of the word see Pickup truck. A ship /ʃɪp/ is a large vessel that floats on water Ships are generally distinguished from Boats based on size

This type of freight train has largely superseded the traditional boxcar (wagon-load) type of freight train, with which the cargo has to be loaded or unloaded manually. A boxcar (the American term the British call this kind of car a " goods van " while in Australia they are usually referred to as "

In some countries "piggy-back" trains are used: trucks can drive straight onto the train and drive off again when the end destination is reached. Intermodal freight transport involves the transportation of freight in a container or Vehicle, using multiple modes of Transportation ( This article is about the semi-truck For the North American use of the word see Pickup truck. A system like this is used through the Channel Tunnel between England and France, and for the trans-Alpine service between France and Italy (this service uses Modalohr road trailer carriers). The Channel Tunnel (Le tunnel sous la Manche also known as the Chunnel, is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in England with England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest In Railroad terminology, a gondola is an open-top type of Rolling stock that is used for carrying loose bulk materials 'Piggy-back' trains are the fastest growing type of freight trains in the United States, where they are also known as 'trailer on flatcar' or TOFC trains. In American English a semi-trailer is a trailer without a front axle A flatcar (also flat car) is a piece of Railroad rolling stock that consists of an open flat deck on four or six wheels or a pair of trucks (US or 'Piggy-back' trains require no special modifications to the vehicles being carried. An alternative type of "inter-modal" vehicle, known as a Roadrailer, is designed to be physically attached to the train. In Railroad terminology a Roadrailer or RoadRailer is a highway trailer, or Semi-trailer, that is specially-equipped for use in railroad The original trailers were fitted with two sets of wheels: one set flanged, for the trailer to run connected to other such trailers as a rail vehicle in a train; and one set tyred, for use as the semi-trailer of a road vehicle. In American English a semi-trailer is a trailer without a front axle More modern trailers have only road wheels and are designed to be carried on specially adapted bogies (trucks) when moving on rails. A bogie (ˈboʊgi (BŌ-gē is a Wheeled wagon or trolley In mechanics terms a bogie is a Chassis or framework carrying wheels attached to a vehicle

There are also many other types of wagons, such as "low loader" wagons for transporting road vehicles. A railroad car or railway carriage is a Vehicle on a rail transport system (railroad or railway that is used for the carrying of Cargo or There are refrigerator cars for transporting foods such as ice cream. A refrigerator car (or "reefer") is a refrigerated Boxcar, a piece of Railroad Rolling stock designed to carry perishable Food is any substance usually composed primarily of Carbohydrates Fats water and/or Proteins that can be eaten or drunk by an There are simple types of open-topped wagons for transporting minerals and bulk material such as coal, and tankers for transporting liquids and gases. In Railroad terminology, a gondola is an open-top type of Rolling stock that is used for carrying loose bulk materials A mineral is a naturally occurring substance formed through geological processes that has a characteristic chemical composition a highly ordered atomic structure and specific For Jay Leno's bespoke Tank -engined car see the Blastolene Special. Today however most coal and aggregates are moved in hopper wagons that can be filled and discharged rapidly, to enable efficient handling of the materials. A hopper car is a type of Railroad freight car used to transport loose bulk commodities such as Coal, Ore, grain, Track ballast

Freight trains are sometimes illegally boarded by passengers who do not wish to pay money, or do not have the money to travel by ordinary means. This is referred to as "hopping" and is considered by some communities to be a viable form of transport. Freighthopping or train hopping is the act of surreptitiously hitching a ride on a Railroad freight car. Most hoppers sneak into train yards and stow away in boxcars. More bold hoppers will catch a train "on the fly", that is, as it is moving, leading to occasional fatalities.

Gallery

Airport Express train in Oslo, Norway

An electric Transperth train at Mclver, Perth, Western Australia

A heritage steam train in Poland

An early horse-pulled train

See also

• Armoured train
• Famous trains
• Heaviest trains
• History of rail transport
• List of rail accidents
• List of railway companies
• Monorail
• Rail transport modelling
• Rail transport in fiction
• Toy train
• Unit train

References

Further reading

• Glancey, Jonathan (2005), The Train, Carlton Publishing Group, ISBN 978-1-844423-45-3 , 256 pp.

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