Introducing Covered Freight Wagon as an Efficient Rail Car

Transportation is a crucial concept in global trading, and people have always looked for efficient, reliable vehicles to transport their cargo safely and soundly. Freight wagons are one of the most versatile rail cars provided in various types based on their structure, features, application, and other details. Understanding different types of freight wagons will help you choose the right one that meets your expectations better.

Covered freight wagons are efficient freight wagons initially used by German railway companies in the 19th century. They were created from wood and mostly used to transport goods. Today, covered railway freight wagons are still among the most versatile rail cars worldwide, suitable for transporting weather-sensitive cargo according to their box-shaped structure.

In this blog post, we will introduce covered rail freight wagons in detail, helping you understand how they work, their primary features, the main factors you need to consider about them, and any other details that will help you with that.

What Are the Covered Freight Wagons?

Covered freight wagons, also known as covered goods wagons or boxcars (in North America), are railway cars with enclosed bodies designed to transport products that should be protected from primary external factors like weather conditions. Their body’s structure resembles a box, including floors, fixed or removable roofs, and four walls with side doors on them.

These side doors are typically represented in two main forms: plug and sliding. Plug doors seal tightly against the wagon’s frame and create a flush surface when closed, while the sliding doors move horizontally along tracks mounted on the wagon’s body. They are used to load and unload cargo from covered freight wagons, usually by hand or special equipment and mechanical devices. However, loading can be performed through their roof in some cases.

Applications for Covered Rail Freight Wagons

In World War II, the French and Germans used covered freight wagons to carry passengers and soldiers. However, their application significantly changed over time, and now, they are primarily used to transport goods and cargo. This is why they are also referred to as covered goods wagons or covered cargo wagons. In the following, we will discuss the products and cargo they transport and the reason more specifically.

What Are Covered Railway Freight Wagons Used for?

Due to their unique enclosed structure, covered freight wagons are designed to transport products or cargo, protecting them from main external factors such as weather conditions, dust and dirt, animals, etc. They are usually used to carry forest products, paper, packaged goods, building materials, palletized goods, appliances, food products, canned goods, beverages, grains, metal products, and manufactured goods.

Crucial Factors You Must Consider to Choose Covered Freight Wagons

Covered goods wagons are efficient rail cars that ensure the safe and protected transport of cargo and products. However, you must consider some factors that significantly affect their efficiency. These factors are as follows:

Capacity

One of the most crucial factors to consider before transporting your cargo with a covered cargo wagon is its capacity. The box-shaped body of these freight wagons is often available in various sizes, allowing you to choose the one that best suits your cargo.

Total Weight

The covered rail freight wagons are typically designed to carry a defined weight range. If the weight of your cargo is not included in this range, the covered freight wagon cannot be efficient for you.

Height

In the case that you aim to transport specific equipment or manufactured goods, you need to consider the height limitation of covered railway freight wagons due to their box-shaped body. However, some of them include removable roofs, offering you more height allowance but making them vulnerable to external factors. Therefore, they are unsuitable for weather-sensitive products or those requiring special protection.

Side doors

The type of side doors on covered freight wagons plays a significant role in protecting the cargo from external factors. Plug doors offer better airtight and watertight sealing and are a better choice for products sensitive to weather, moisture, and temperature changes.

Modular Design

Modular design is another crucial factor that you must consider, especially if your cargo is diverse. Moreover, it allows for more straightforward maintenance concepts and repair requirements.

AAWS

Average Annual Wagon Speed (AAWS) is a key performance indicator that measures the average speed of a wagon in a year. Understanding this indicator can play a crucial role in choosing a covered rail freight wagon due to the importance of their speed in transportation.

Advantages and Limitations of Covered Goods Wagons

Although covered freight wagons are one of the most versatile and beneficial railway cars, they might have some limitations you must consider before using one. Here, we provide you with the common advantages and limitations of them in more detail, helping you make informed decisions:

Advantages

The box-shaped body of covered railway freight wagons makes them efficient for transporting weather-sensitive and protection-needed cargo. Therefore, they are widely used for packaged items, paper, industry equipment, metal goods, and other vulnerable products, ensuring that they are transported completely safe and sound. In addition, the loading and unloading processes are performed through the side doors, making them straightforward.

Limitations

Covered cargo wagons have a box-shaped body, which limits the height of some higher cargo, such as industry equipment. However, most covered freight wagons have removable roofs that make them more efficient. On the other hand, the loading and unloading processes are often performed by hand, making it difficult to load and unload bulk materials like coal or sand. Moreover, their special and protected design includes a higher cost.

ADORTech’s Products: Side Loaders and Side Dumpers

In cooperation with Kiruna Wagon, ADOR represents one of the most efficient covered freight wagons. These versatile rail cars are designed to load and unload your cargo and products straightforwardly and ensure you transport them in the safest and most protected way.

Regarding our efficient side loaders and side dumpers' technical features, they are provided with a higher AAWS than the average, transporting your cargo as fast as possible. They also offer a 72-tonne to 130-tonne maximum allowed total weight, 4 axles, standard gauge, 55 m³ to 59 m³ loading volume, 1500 tonnes/h unloading capacity, and almost 1250 mm length for each wagon. They are also provided with customizable features, allowing you to make them efficient for your case.

In addition, our covered freight wagons have a different structure than the common ones. They have fully opening sides that offer unrestricted and more efficient loading and unloading. Moreover, we offer loading and unloading solutions, making these processes easier and faster. As an important issue, it should be mentioned that our products are suitable and most efficient for ore transportation.

Conclusion

In this dynamic world of industry, transporting cargo and products plays a crucial role, and covered freight wagons have come to help us with that. They are included as the most efficient rail cars for transporting vulnerable cargo, such as weather-sensitive products or those that require more protection. By doing so, covered goods wagons have become more popular than ever today.

Understanding what covered freight wagons are and how they work specifically can make them more efficient rail cars for you and help you make more informed decisions. In conclusion, we provided a comprehensive overview of them and guided you on what crucial factors you must consider while choosing one, their most common advantages and limitations, and any other details you need to know about covered railway freight wagons.