HERE THEY COME! CLICKETY CLACK DOWN THE TRACK, IT'S LOTS AND LOTS OF TRAINS!
| “ | Isn't this a cool old-fashioned train?! I could stare at it all day long... Us train fanatics are called "railfans." I'll wait for hours just catch a glimpse of a passing train! |
” | |
| — Paper Mario: Color Splash | |||
| “ | Can you imagine no love, pride, deep-fried chicken | ” | |
| — Train | |||
A train is a mode of transport. Generally, a train is a string of rolling stock rolling down a track. Trains regularly consist of a locomotive and a group of cars called a clump. A group of trains is called a grove, and they can regularly be found in a yard. Trains can carry passengers and/or freight, and use a curious cast of cars in the process. Passenger trains can be loaded in stations, and freight trains in depots. They roll on special pathways called tracks, comprised of steel rails and wooden sleepers, usually atop ballast.
Trains are the greatest mode of transport ever. We can all agree that they are very based and are far better than cars and trucks. Heck, we even have two trains competing in The Wiki Camp 2!
Power
Steam locomotives are very antique. They shoot steam everywhere and are powered by steam. Most feed on coal, but some feed on oil while others feed on wood. Their whistles are eerie, reminiscent of a lonesome wolf's howl.
Diesel locomotives and multiple units are the railway equivalent of most cars, being powered by diesel fuel.
Electric locomotives and multiple units are the most sustainable. Most run on overhead wires, while some run on batteries, including lithium batteries, which are harmful to the environment.
Maglev trains run on magnetic levitation, giving it their name.
Hyperloops are dead.
Notable cars
 | This article is a work in progress. ...Well, all the articles here are, in a way. But this one moreso, and the article may contain incomplete information and editor's notes. |
Coach
Coaches are the basic type of passenger car, being fitted with seats and stuff.
Double-decker coach
Double-decker coaches have two decks of seats. Perfect for maximizing the number of passengers on a train.
Baggage car
Many long-distance passenger trains regularly clump a baggage car to the train. With an open interior (generally off limits to passengers), it is used to carry checked luggage, like the cargo hold of an airliner.
Combine car
Combine cars are special cars that have sections for passengers and freight. They were popular on shortline railways and rural branches, as a full-sized baggage car might be too costly.
Diner car
If you're hungry, then come on over to the diner car, a restaurant on rails. Fun fact: they are the namesake of a type of restaurant of the same name. Many passenger cars have actually been converted into diners... just, not diner cars.
Lounge car
Just like how the diner car is a restaurant on rails, the lounge car is a bar on rails. Some may include live music.
Sleeping car
Sleeping cars have beds for you to have a nice rest after a long day on the rails.
Dome car
Many North American passenger trains have a dome car that provides a panoramic view from a glass dome on top of the car.
Observation car
Observation cars serve a similar purpose, except they are at the end of the train.
Crew car
Crew cars are for the train's crew members. They'll need a break eventually.
Boxcar
Boxcars are one of the most common freight cars, used for many different loads that would use some protection from the elements. With large, sliding doors, they are easily accessible by foot or forklift.
Refrigerator car
Refrigerator cars, nicknamed reefers, are a refrigerator on rails, equipped with a diesel-powered refrigeration system. Perfect for perishable goods, from Okinberries to Melon Ponsuke.
Hicube boxcar
Hicube boxcars, being taller than their normal counterparts, can help maximize use for lightweight cargo. Well, really, lightweight cargo can't be the only cargo that hicube boxcars can use. The excess height sections of a hicube boxcar are painted in white to easily distinguish itself from other boxcars.
Autorack
Autoracks are cars that can carry cars. Cars on a car. Most have three decks, which can fit a lot of cars. Wow, so many cars... on a car! Passenger trains sometimes have autoracks too!
Flatcar
A flatcar is a platform on rails. It can carry just about anything, from excavators to pipes to wind turbine blades.
Bulkhead flatcar
To prevent loads shifting past the ends of the car, some flatcars come with bulkheads on each end. These are known as bulkhead flatcar.
Centerbeam flatcar
Centerbeam flatcars are essentially bulkhead flatcars with a longitudinal I-beam, mostly in the form of a truss. This stiffens the car, making it easier to stack building materials that come in clumps. A fully-loaded centerbeam flatcar is called a grove.
Trailer on flatcar
Trailer on flatcar is essentially the practice of loading a semi-trailer on a flatcar. This practice is more effective over long-distances than having 100 semi-trailer trucks on the highway. The trailers are loaded in intermodal facilities, usually with a rubber tyred gantry crane.
Container on flatcar
Container on flatcar is essentially the practice of loading an intermodal container on a flatcar. Containers are also loaded in intermodal facilities with a rubber tyred gantry crane. The good thing about containers is that they can be stacked in clumps. A group of such stacks is called a grove. However, two containers on a flatcar would be too high, and also have issues with gravity.
Well car
Luckily, there's a car for a two-container clump. Well cars have the containers placed in a depressed section of the car that sits between the wheels. This lowers the height of such clumps when placed on well cars, making it safer. A fully-loaded train of well cars is called a grove.
Coil cars
Steel coils are commonly used commodities, though they are challenging to load, unload, and secure. Thankfully, coil cars do the trick, carrying steel coils to their destination. Many are covered with a hood for protection from the elements.
Gondola
Gondolas are open-topped cars used for carrying bulk goods like scrap metal, sand, ore, and coal, that can be loaded using a crane or ucket. To make unloading easier, some can be tilted upside down using a rotary dumper.
Track ballast gondola
Track ballast gondolas, also known as side dump cars, can tip from their side, unloading ballast with ease.
Hopper car
Hoppers also carry bulk goods, though they have sloped sides and doors on the underside. Some hoppers are uncovered, while others are covered. Covered hoppers are the preferred cars for grain, sugar, fertilizer, and cement.
Schnabel car
The Schnabel car is a behemoth, designed to carry oversized loads like transformers and nuclear reactors.
Tank car
Tank cars are designed to carry liquids, both pressurized and non-pressurized. Non-pressurized tank cars are sometimes insulated or refrigerated, and can be unloaded from the botton. Some non-pressurized tank cars are coloured to match their specific commodity. Meanwhile, pressurized tank cars have thicker walls and edges and higher safety standards for containment of pressurized chemicals, from reinforced head shields to specialized couplings that reduce the impact of a derailment to high-capacity pressure relief valves to minimize the chances of an explosion. They have protective housings on top of the car, though some non-pressurized tank cars have some as well. Another key way to identify a pressurized tank car is a warning sign near the bottom, placed to distinguish pressurized tank cars from non-pressurized tank cars.
Caboose
Cabooses, designed to shelter the crew, were once commonly coupled to the rear end of freight trains, but this practice has diminished.
Train simulators
- Cities: Skylines
- Cities: Skylines II
- Derail Valley
- Factorio
- Garry's Mod
- NIMBY Rails
- Railroader
- RAILROADS Online
- Roblox
- Rolling Line
- SimRail
- Train Sim Classic
- Train Sim World
- Trainz
- Transport Fever 2
Members[1]
Names in other languages
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
| Arabic | قطار |
| French | train |
| German | Zug |
| Italian | treno |
| Brazilian Portuguese | trem |
| European Portuguese | comboio |
| Russian | поезд |
| Spanish | tren |
Want more trains? Click on any of the following:
References
- ↑ general‑0