Rail Freight

Boxcar What boxcars carry Boxcars can carry a wide variety of crated or palletized freight, including paper, lumber, packaged goods, beverages and (shocker) boxes.
How boxcars are built Boxcars are fully enclosed and, true to their name, are the most “boxy” looking of all the rail car types. Boxcars typically have doors on the side of the car, but can have them at the ends, too. Because they are enclosed, boxcars protect the freight inside from weather during transport.

Covered Hopper What covered hoppers carry Free-flowing dry bulk commodities like cement, roofing granules, sand, corn, wheat, barley, fertilizer, soda ash, sugar and rice.
How covered hoppers are built Covered hoppers feature an open top into which product can be loaded and a sloped floor that allows product to be unloaded through doors at the bottom using gravity. The top is then covered to protect the contents inside.

Coil Car What coil cars carry Coil cars are designed for products like coiled steel, steel plate or high-grade ores.
How coil cars are built Coil cars come in a variety of lengths, tonnage and capacities for specialized commodities. For instance, some coil car troughs are designed to prevent coils from rolling, some feature side brackets so the load can be secured without using cables, and others are designed so special measures aren’t needed to secure the load.

Flatcar What flatcars carry Pipe, rail, steel plate, machinery, steel beams, tractors, military vehicles, lumber, poles and logs.
How flatcars are built Flatcars are, well…flat. Some feature an open design with a simple flat, even platform and others feature bulkheads at each end to protect loads from shifting. Like coil cars, flatcars come in a variety of lengths, tonnage and capacities and are ideal for freight that won’t be damaged by the elements.

Gondola What gondolas carry Heavy bulk commodities including scrap metal, aggregates, logs, lumber, steel, sand, copper and iron ore.
How gondolas are built Gondolas are sturdy cars with low side walls and open tops. Imagine a boxcar cut in half horizontally, and you’ve got yourself a gondola.

Intermodal Equipment What intermodal equipment carries A wide variety of goods, from apparel to electronics to refrigerated products and much more.
How intermodal equipment is built Intermodal equipment includes containers (which are like boxcars without train wheels) and trailers (the part of an over-the-road truck that holds freight). Containers can be transferred between ships, trains and trucks without unloading or reloading the cargo (a process commonly known as intermodal shipping).

Open-Top Hopper What open-top hoppers carry Coal, petroleum coke, sand, rock and copper concentrate.
How open-top hoppers are built An open-top hopper is similar to a covered hopper in that it has an open top for loading and a sloped floor with doors for unloading. The difference is open-top hoppers do not have covers, so are better suited to freight that can be exposed to the elements.

Refrigerated boxcar What refrigerated boxcars carry Perishable freight, like fresh fruits, vegetables, frozen food, beverages, meat, poultry, seafood, cheese and other refrigerated shipments.
How refrigerated boxcars are built Refrigerated boxcars (commonly referred to as “reefers”) are much like traditional boxcars but with one very important difference they are temperature controlled.