Last updated Inscription on an Italian flat wagon of Class Rgmms.
This list contains the UIC classification of goods wagons and their meanings. The description is made up of a category letter (in capitals) and usually several index letters (in lower case).
The international system for the classification of goods wagons was agreed by the Union internationale des chemins de fer (UIC) in 1965 and subsequently introduced into member countries. For example it was adopted in Germany on 1 January 1968 replacing the previous German railway wagon classes that originated as early as 1905. The UIC classification has been amended several times since it began.
Not all wagons are given UIC designations. In Germany the few remaining guards vans and narrow gauge goods wagons have retained their original classifications.
Category letters
The following table contains the complete list of standard category letters. Letters A, B, C, D, P and W are reserved for coaches. However, also S is used for coaches and this doubles a goods wagons class.[1] These are covered in detail in the article on UIC classification of railway coaches. Each goods wagons type is given a type number, whose first digit forms the fifth digit of the 12-digit UIC wagon number.
Maximum load on class C route: m >25t (25 long tons; 28 short tons)[note 4]
H
Maximum load on class C route: m >28t (28 long tons; 31 short tons)[note 4]
E, G, K, L, T
Maximum load on class C route: m >30t (30 long tons; 33 short tons)[note 4]
F, O, U, Z
Maximum load on class C route: m >30t (30 long tons; 33 short tons) for twin-axled wagons / m >40t (39 long tons; 44 short tons) for three-axled wagons[note 4]
Ia, La
maximum load at limit of load C: m >40t (39 long tons; 44 short tons)[note 4]
Ea, Fa, Ga, Ha, Laa, R, S, Ta, Ua, Za
Maximum load on class C route: m >60t (59 long tons; 66 short tons)
Eaa, Faa, Gaa, Haa, Sa(a), Taa, Uaa, Zaa
Maximum load on class C route: m >60t (59 long tons; 66 short tons)
o
E
Not end-tipping
F, T, U
Loose gravity discharge hopper. Underside of floor ≥70cm (27+1⁄2in) above top of rails. Lifting gear not usable
G, H
Twin-axled with loading length under 12m (39ft 4+1⁄2in) and more than 70m3 (2,500cuft) loading area
1 2 In the version of the classification scheme valid up to 1979 a meant bogie wagon, aa was not applicable to classes E, F, G, H, T, U, Z.
1 2 3 4 Up to 1979 both wagons with metered as well as those with loose gravity discharge were designated with a d.
↑ In version of the classification scheme valid up to 1979 there was also a load limit 40t.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 The index letter was not part of the original 1966 version and was not introduced until later.
1 2 3 4 5 6 In the DR the definition was initially just "length under …m", which referred to the length over buffers. As a result numerous wagons were given the wrong classification with the m missing.
1 2 3 4 In the original 1965 version m was only intended for classes E, G, I, K, O, R.
1 2 In the original 1965 version mm was only intended for classes K, O, R.
1 2 The index letter could be dropped in 1980, but was sometimes displayed beyond that date.
↑ The index letter was introduced later than 1980.
National index letters
Country code 50: DR
Classes
Period
Meaning
t
Gbkl, Hkr
1968 to 1979
with special equipment for transporting personnel
u
E, G, K, R
1968 to 1979
not suitable for military use
v
E, T
1968 to 1979
not suitable for loading or unloading with a crane
G, H
1968 to 1993
With roof hatches (loading hatches in the roof)
U
1980 to 1993
For cement
w
U
1968 to 1979
For liquid fuel
Z
1980 to 1993
x
Uc
1968 to 1993
For coal dust
E
1980 to 1993
With steel floor
y
Uc
1968 to 1979
Chemical container wagon
T, U, Z
1980 to 1993
With internal lining
z
K, L, R, S
1968 to 1979
Removable platform railings
G, I
1980 to 1993
With steam heating pipes
zz
F
1980 to 1993
With steam heating pipes and equipment
Country code 80: DB
(Germany)
Classes
Meaning
t
H
Daberkow transport protection equipment (to 30 April 1994)
L
inside loading width at the ends under 2.45 m
tt
H
Lockable partitions (to 30 April 1994)
u
E, F, S
Hydraulic tipping system
G, H, I, K, L, T
Steam heating pipes
v
all
Electrical heating pipes for 1,000 or 1,500 volts
vv
all
Electrical heating pipes and heating equipment for 1,000 or 1,500 volts
↑ COMMISSION DECISION of 11 August 2006 concerning the technical specification of interoperability relating to the subsystem ‘Traffic Operation and Management’ of the trans-European conventional rail system (notified under document number C(2006) 3593) (Text with EEA relevance) (2006/920/EC)
The UIC classification of locomotive axle arrangements, sometimes known as the German classification or German system, describes the wheel arrangement of locomotives, multiple units and trams. It is used in much of the world, notable exceptions being the United Kingdom, which uses a slightly simplified form of UIC, and in North America, where the AAR wheel arrangement system is used to describe diesel and electric locomotives. In North America, Whyte notation is only used for steam locomotives.
The International Union of Railways is an international rail transport industry body.
A reporting mark is a code used to identify owners or lessees of rolling stock and other equipment used on certain rail transport networks. The code typically reflects the name or identifying number of the owner, lessee, or operator of the equipment.
A number of different numbering and classification schemes have been used for carriages and wagons on Britain's railways, and this page explains the principal systems. Carriages and wagons have frequently had similar arrangements for classification and numbering, so are considered together. There are also links to other pages that deal in greater depth with the particulars of individual types.
The Chemin de Fer de la Baie de Somme, is a preserved railway in northern France. The railway is managed by a non-profit organization, which runs from March to December between the towns of the Baie de Somme area: Le Crotoy and Cayeux-sur-Mer via Noyelles-sur-Mer and Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, on metre gauge tracks. The association was founded in 1970 and over the years it has become a major player in tourism development in the Picardy coast and is also responsible for the preservation, safeguarding and enhancement of the fleet full of cars, wagons, steam locomotives and diesel locomotives. The line is one of the closest French heritage lines to the UK, Noyelles is 73 kilometres (45 mi) from Boulogne-sur-Mer and 105 kilometres (65 mi) from Calais. A part of the line has dual gauge track, and although forming part of a group of five lines, at least a part of it has always been open to traffic.
For more than a century, the Swiss locomotive, multiple unit, motor coach and railcar classification system, in either its original or updated forms, has been used to name and classify the rolling stock operated on the railways of Switzerland. It started out as a uniform system for the classification and naming of all rolling stock, powered and unpowered, but had been replaced and amended by the UIC classification of goods wagons.
Goods wagons or freight wagons, also known as goods carriages, goods trucks, freight carriages or freight trucks, are unpowered railway vehicles that are used for the transportation of cargo. A variety of wagon types are in use to handle different types of goods, but all goods wagons in a regional network typically have standardized couplers and other fittings, such as hoses for air brakes, allowing different wagon types to be assembled into trains. For tracking and identification purposes, goods wagons are generally assigned a unique identifier, typically a UIC wagon number, or in North America, a company reporting mark plus a company specific serial number.
The system of German railway wagon classes (Wagengattungen) was introduced in Germany in 1902 and 1905 by the Prussian state railways based on their system of norms, and was soon taken up by the other state railways (Länderbahnen). On the formation of the Deutsche Reichsbahn, the system became mandatory across the whole of Germany. In the course of the years more and more adjustments to it were made. It was finally replaced between 1964 and 1968 when the two German railway administrations - the Deutsche Bundesbahn and the Deutsche Reichsbahn - adopted the internationally standard UIC classifications for passenger coaches and goods wagons. Today, the system is still regularly being used for narrow gauge goods wagons, because these were not generally given UIC designations, as well as on many historical vehicles.
The DRG locomotive classification system was developed by the German Imperial Railway Company or Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft (DRG), which was formed in 1924 following the merger of the German state railways (Länderbahnen) in 1920. A common classification and numbering scheme was needed in order to organise effectively the four hundred or so different steam locomotive classes taken over from the state railways, as well as new locomotives. This process lasted until 1926. Only then was the final renumbering plan fixed.
The DR locomotive classification scheme in East Germany in the initial post-war period used the DRG system, consisting of a class number (Baureihennummer) followed by a serial number (Ordnungsnummer). With the introduction of computerised (EDP) numbers in 1970 as part of the UIC framework, the system was fundamentally changed for the first time.
Railway coaches are classified under an international system developed by the UIC. This UIC classification of railway coaches replaced earlier national classification schemes in many countries, such as Germany. The coach class is expressed as a combination of letters. It is sometimes followed, for example in the Deutsche Bahn AG, by a three-figure class number. In a broader sense the vehicle number displayed on the coach is also part of its classification, because it encodes other technical details such as the top speed or the type of heating system used.
Flat wagons, as classified by the International Union of Railways (UIC), are railway goods wagons that have a flat, usually full-length, deck and little or no superstructure. By contrast, open wagons have high side and end walls and covered goods wagons have a fixed roof and sides. Flat wagons are often designed for the transportation of goods that are not weather-sensitive. Some flat wagons are able to be covered completely by tarpaulins or hoods and are therefore suitable for the transport of weather-sensitive goods. Unlike a "goods wagon with opening roof", the loading area of a flat is entirely open and accessible once the cover is removed.
The UIC identification marking for tractive stock is a standard for identifying train stock like locomotives that supply tractive force primarily in Europe. Since the beginning of 2007 locomotives or other traction units in Europe have been given a 12-digit number. Vehicle numbering is now governed by the Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail and in Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSI) of the European Union, specifically the European Railway Agency's CR OPE TSI. This makes the locomotive clearly identifiable within Europe and parts of Asia and northern Africa.
The UIC type X, Y and Z coaches are passenger coaches for international railway services that have been standardised in certain respects by the International Union of Railways.
Wagon numbers are key data for railway operations. They enable a railway wagon or coach to be positively identified and form a common language between railway operators, infrastructure companies and the state authorities. The system of wagon numbering has been laid down by the International Union of Railways and is similar to that used for the locomotives and multiple units. Vehicle numbering is now governed by the Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail and in Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSI) of the European Union.
A covered goods wagon or van is a railway goods wagon which is designed for the transportation of moisture-susceptible goods and therefore fully enclosed by sides and a fixed roof. They are often referred to simply as covered wagons, and this is the term used by the International Union of Railways (UIC). Since the introduction of the international classification for goods wagons by the UIC in the 1960s a distinction has been drawn between ordinary and special covered wagons. Other types of wagon, such as refrigerated vans and goods wagons with opening roofs, are closely related to covered wagons from a design point of view. Similar freight cars in North America are called boxcars.
The International Union of Railways groups all special classes of railway goods wagon into Class U in its goods wagon classification system.
A new wagon numbering system was adopted in Indian Railways in 2003. Wagons are allocated 11 digits, making it easy for identification and computerization of a wagon's information. The first two digits indicate Type of Wagon, the third and fourth digits indicate Owning Railway Zone, the fifth and sixth digits indicate Year of Manufacture, the seventh through tenth digits indicate Individual Wagon Number, and the last digit is a Check digit.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
