Exploring Railcar Types: A Comprehensive Guide

• Tri-Level Autorack: An autorack featuring three levels for use of hauling automobiles.
• Bi-Level Autorack: An autorack featuring two levels for use of hauling automobiles

Typical Use: Paper, appliances, pulp, forest products and panel products

• 50' Standard Boxcar: Standard boxcar that can carry 70-100 tons. Typically used for; rolled paper, pulp, newsprint, metals, building materials, appliances, food products, or any bagged and palletized material
• 60' Standard Boxcar: Similar to the 50' but 10' longer in interior length. Used for commodities/products that tend to "cube out" before "weighing out"
• 50' Hi-roof Boxcar: Similar to the 50' however is 2' taller.
• 60' Hi-roof Boxcar: Similar to the 60' however is 2' taller.
• 86' Auto Boxcar: Built specifically for auto parts, when availabile these cars can be used for lightweight , bulky, shipments such as tissue paper or insulation.

Boxcar Codes

• XM: Regular boxcar without insulation or load restraints. General purpose use
• XL: Similar to the XM, however with load restraints
• XP: Modified for specific load types.
• XAP: Typically used for auto parts.
• RB: Bunkless reefer, heavily insulated and without refrigerant or cooling.
• RBL: RB with load restraints.
• RP: Mechanical Reefer
• RPL: Mechanical Reefer with load restraints
• RC: Cryogenic reefer

• Non-Intermodal Flatcar: Ideal for shipping lumber, steel products, wind blades, machinery, and misc building products. These can be outfitted with center partitions, bulkheads, side stakes, and various tie-down mechanisms.
• General Service: 100ton, 89.4' in length. Same function as the Non-Intermodal Flatcars.
• Municipal Solid Waste: 100ton 85 foot railcar used for solid waste products.
• Centerbeam Railcar: Lumberproducts and wallboard. Essentially bulkhead flatcars that were reinforced by a longitudinal I-beam truss. The center truss helps protect the cargo from damage caused from loads shifting along transit. These cars are loaded symmetrically.

• Mill gondola: Typically used to ship scrap steel, construction materials and other commodities that are not affected by weather.
• 52' gondola: Scrap Metal, Aggregates, Steel, Sand, Copper, and Iron Ore. Allows for unfinished commodities.
• 65' gondola: Scrap Metal or Steel. Allows for unfinished commodities.
• A-Gon: Specifically made for aggregates only. Designed for car top unloading. Length varies from 36-47 feet. Height from 7-8 feet. Width from 8-10 feet.
• Coal Gondola: High capacity, open-top railcars specifically designed to maximize coal loading with a max capacity of 122 tons.

• Small Cube Covered Hoppers: Roofing granules, cement, sand, or other dense dry bulk material.
• Mid Cube Covered Hoppers: Grain, fertilizer or other dense dry bulk material.
• Large Cube Covered Hoppers: Plastic pellets, dry distillers grain, or other dense dry bulk material.
• A-Gon: Specifically made for aggregates only. Designed for car top unloading. Length varies from 36-47 feet. Height from 7-8 feet. Width from 8-10 feet.
• Coal Hopper: Aluminum coal hoppers are designed specifically to carry the maximum amount of coal and to unload via hopper gates on the bottom of the railcar. Many are equipped with both gates for bottom unloading and rotary couplers.

Used to carry a wide range of consumer goods as well as industrial and agricultural products.

• Double-Stack Intermodal Railcars: Designed to carry two intermodal containers stacked on top of each other.
• Conventional Intermodal Railcars: Non-double stacked intermocal railcars used mainly to transport highway truck-trailers or intermodal containers through routes that lack double-stack clearances.

• AAR-211 Tank Cars: Vegetable oils and unregulated commodities
• DOT-111 Tank Cars: Non-flammable chemicals - nonpressurized general service tank service. Can be made from carbon steel, aluminum alloy, high alloy steel, or nickel plate steel. These are the most common tank car making up 69% of the US fleet and 80% of the Canadian fleet. Can be used for Haz and Non-Haz. Retrofits available see PFL for details.
• DOT-105: A pressurized tank car that is designed with additional safety features not found on a DOT-111.
• CPC-1232 Tank Cars: Designed to be safer than the DOT-111 tank cars. Used for carrying petroleum crude oil and ethanol.
• DOT-112 Tank Cars: Pressurized gases - uses additional safety features not commonly found on a DOT-111s such as head puncture resistance systems, couple vertical restraints, thermal protection systems, and safety relief valves.
• DOT-113 Tank Cars: Liquid hydrogen tank car - designed to carry cryogenic liquid hydrogen Vacuum insulated with an inner stainless steel alloy or nickel alloy container and a carbon steel outer shell. (tank, not jacket)
• AAR-204 Tank Cars: Liquid hydrogen tank car - designed to carry cryogenic liquid hydrogen. Similar to the DOT-113. Vacuum insulated with an inner stainless steel alloy container and a carbon steel outer shell. (tank, not jacket)
• DOT-114 Tank Cars: Pressurized gases - uses additional safety features not commonly found on a DOT-111s such as head puncture resistance systems, couple vertical restraints, thermal protection systems, and safety relief valves.
• DOT-115 Tank Cars: Commonly referred to as the "tank within a tank" this is an insulated tank car insulated with carbon or an alloy such as stainless steel or aluminum and a carbon steel outer shell. (not a jacket)
• AAR-206 Tank Cars: Similar to the DOT-115, this tank car uses an inner tank and a carbon steel outer shell.
• DOT-117 Tank Cars: Non-pressurized tank car - flammable and hazardous products
• DOT-120 Tank Cars: Pressurized tank car - Class 3 flammable products that is required to have additional safety features.
• DOT-211 Tank Cars: Non-pressurized tank car that is similar to the DOT-111. This railcar is less common, but used primarily for Class 3 flammable liquids.

Car Designations

DOT111A60ALW1 - (DOT)*(111)*(A)*(60) *(AL)*(W)*(1)
(Authorizing Agency)(Class)(Separator)(Tank Test Pressure in PSI)(Tank Material)(Weld Type)(Other)

Authorizing Agency

• DOT: Department of Transportation.
• AAR: Association of American Railroads.
• ICC: Interstate Commerce Commission. (Regulatory Authority dissolved January 1996, superseded by Surface Transportation Board.)
• CTC: Canadian Transport Commission.

Separator

Significant only for class 105, 113, 114, and retrofited 111 tank cars.

• A: Top and bottom shelf couplers.
• R: Retrofit
• S: Tank heat sheilds, top and bottom shelf couplers.
• J: Jacketed thermal protection, tank heatsheilds, top and bottom shelf couplers.
• T: Spray-on thermal protection, tank heatsheilds, top and bottom shelf couplers.

Tank Material

• No letter: Carbon steel
• AL: Aluminum (Classes 103,105,109, and 111. Otherwise A or AL is aluminum alloy.)
• N: Nickel
• C, D or E: Stainless Steel (Alloy/Steel.)

Weld Type

• W: Fusion Weld
• F: Forge Weld

Other

• Fittings, Material or linings