In the United Kingdom, acovered goods wagon orcovered goods van is a railwaygoods 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 ascovered wagons, and this is the term used by theInternational Union of Railways (UIC). Since the introduction of theinternational 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 asrefrigerated vans andgoods wagons with opening roofs, are closely related to covered wagons from a design point of view. Similar freight cars in North America are calledboxcars.[a]
Covered goods wagons for transporting part-load or parcel goods are almost as old as the railway itself. Because part-load goods were the most common freight in the early days of the railway, the covered van was then the most important type of goods wagon and, for example, comprised about 40% of the German railways goods fleet until the 1960s.[2] Since then however theopen wagon andflat wagon have become more common. By contrast the covered goods wagon still forms the majority of two-axled wagons in countries like Germany, because the comparatively light freight does not routinely require the use ofbogie wagons.
The formerly widespread ordinary covered wagon with side doors was almost fully displaced in the third quarter of the 20th century by special covered wagons with sliding walls which can be rapidly loaded and unloaded withpalletised goods usingfork-lift trucks.
During the 1950s theInternational Union of Railways developed a standard design for covered goods wagons. This has 8 ventilation hatches and is therefore suitable for the transportation of cattle. Since then, European railways have procured covered wagons which at least match the main dimensions of this standard, but otherwise have minor variations. For example, there are wagons with differentaxle bases or a different number of ventilation hatches. The body is of a mainly wood and steel compound construction.Refrigerated vans were also developed, based on the long, twin-axled types (Gbs and Hbfs).
The following table contains details of the UIC ordinary covered wagon according to Behrends[3] because this is the single available source with systematic specifications. Other sources may differ in some respects from this;[2] in particular the door height has not been clarified beyond doubt. It is also unclear to what extent the present-day, twin-axled, sliding wall wagons were standardised.
| UIC 571-1: Ordinary class two axles | UIC 571-2: Ordinary class four axles | UIC 571-3: Special class | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Type 1 (long) | Ferryboat wagon | Type 2 (short) | Type 1 (short) | Type 2 (long) | Covered wagon with sliding walls; four axles |
| Class | Gbs | Hbfs | Gs | Gas(s) | Gabs(s) | Habiss |
| Axle base | 8.00 m (26 ft 3 in) | 6.00 m (19 ft8+1⁄4 in) | − | |||
| Bogie pivot pitch | − | 11.48 m (37 ft 8 in) | 16.66 m (54 ft7+7⁄8 in) | |||
| Length over buffers | 14.02 m (46 ft 0 in) | 10.58 m (34 ft8+1⁄2 in) | 16.52 m (54 ft2+3⁄8 in) | 21.70 m (71 ft2+3⁄8 in) | ||
| Loading length, min. | 12.70 m (41 ft 8 in) | 9.26 m (30 ft4+5⁄8 in) | 15.20 m (49 ft10+3⁄8 in) | 20.41 m (66 ft11+1⁄2 in) | 2 m × 8.67 m (6 ft6+3⁄4 in × 28 ft5+3⁄8 in) | |
| Loading area, ca. | 33 m2 (360 sq ft) | 28 m2 (300 sq ft) | 25 m2 (270 sq ft) | 40 m2 (430 sq ft) | 53 m2 (570 sq ft) | 50 m2 (540 sq ft) |
| Loading volume, ca. | 88 m3 (3,100 cu ft) | 63 m3 (2,200 cu ft) | 67 m3 (2,400 cu ft) | 105 m3 (3,700 cu ft) | 137 m3 (4,800 cu ft) | 131 m3 (4,600 cu ft) |
| Unladen weight, max. | 14.5 t (14.3 long tons; 16.0 short tons) | 12.5 t (12.3 long tons; 13.8 short tons) | 23.0 t (22.6 long tons; 25.4 short tons) | 29.0 t (28.5 long tons; 32.0 short tons) | ||
| Door height | 2.15 m (7 ft5⁄8 in) | 2.00 m (6 ft6+3⁄4 in) | 2.15 m (7 ft5⁄8 in) | − | ||
| Door width | 2.50 m (8 ft2+3⁄8 in) | 4.00 m (13 ft1+1⁄2 in) | − | |||
The UIC's ordinary covered wagon class has rigid, fixed walls with sliding doors on each side. The upper third of the side walls has closable openings of various types. These may be designed as ventilation openings, loading hatches or combined ventilation and loading hatches. Today, Class G wagons have been largely superseded by other classes.
The transportation of part-load goods that are susceptible to the weather in boxes, sacks and barrels is the main function of G class wagons. One disadvantage they have is that the single side door does not facilitate rapid loading and unloading of large unit loads. The demand for G wagons fell with the increasing use ofintermodal freight transport. Today the majority of part-load goods are moved inISO containers, for which special flat wagons are available. Where there is a requirement for the direct loading of part-load goods, wagons with sliding sides are preferred(see below), because they enable a faster transfer ofpallets.
G wagons were also frequently filled with bulk materials that were vulnerable to the weather. Special wall attachments were developed, especially for the transportation ofgrain, with which the side doors could be closed. Today there areself-discharging wagons with opening roofs available for this type of freight that are quicker to load and unload.
G wagons were often attached to passenger trains in order to transport express goods andpost. Special variants were sometimes used that, for example, were fitted with suitablebraking equipment or heating pipes.
G wagons were also used frequently for the transportation ofcattle. This required goodventilation, which is why wagons were initially fitted with four, later eight, ventilation openings.
These wagons were based on the standard covered wagon but developed for special roles and were always built in smaller numbers. All types were still around for the introduction of the UIC classification in the 1960s, but were classed as special wagons due to certain special features and retired almost completely by the end of the 20th century.
Whilst ordinary open or covered goods wagons were used for the transportation ofcattle and other large animals, special livestock wagons were being developed for small livestock as early as the 19th century. Optimal use of the roughly 2 metre high loading volume was made by loading domesticpigs,goats andsheep on two levels. Some wagons could have intermediate floors fitted for transportingpoultry.
The design was closely based on contemporary covered wagons. Externally the most noticeable feature of these mainly twin-axled livestock vans were the slatted sides guaranteeing good ventilation. Dividing walls on many types of livestock van enabled a vertical division of the loading space. In the side walls there were feeding and air flaps, the number of which corresponded to the number of compartments.
Livestock vans were built for theGerman state railways instate classes,Verbandsbauart andAustauschbauart types. After the Second World War the majority of the remaining ones were considerably rebuilt by theDB. Today there are no livestock vans left in service, because animals can be transported at higher speed and with greater flexibility by road.
Variants of the covered goods wagon were also built with end doors from the 1920s to the 1960s. These were, in particular, theAustauschbauart Dresden class wagons, theKriegsbauart four-axled wagons of the Bromberg class and their successors in theDR as well as a batch of 600Umbauwagen for theDB.
The original role of these vehicles was the transport of new, mostlyopen-topped wagons. But by the end of the 20th century there was no longer any significant demand for this type of wagon. However, one remaining sphere of work is, for example, the transportation of the elephants forCircus Knie in specialHcks wagons belonging to theSwiss Federal Railways.
The Leig units were permanently coupled pairs of covered wagons that appeared in the ranks of theDeutsche Reichsbahn from the 1920s, mainly from existing covered wagon stock.
Covered goods wagons designed for goods services toGreat Britain have to comply with the smallerloading gauge in the United Kingdom and therefore had less loading volume than the equivalent wagon for services on continental Europe. The wagons with individual sliding doors have also been replaced by modern sliding wall wagons. In Germany these vehicles were formerly designated as ferry wagons (Fährbootwagen).
The present-day standard wagon for moisture-susceptiblepalletised goods has sliding sides rather than fixed side walls, which enables access to the entire loading area for loading and unloading. These wagons with sliding walls or sides did not evolve from the original covered wagon, but were derived in the 1950s from wagons with sliding roofs and sides, which is why they used to be grouped in ClassK.
TheDB has over 15,000sliding-roof wagons. Wagons built up to the early 1980s have a loading area of 34.1 m2 (367 sq ft) without partitions and can take a maximum of 30 Europool pallets (code letter b). On the more recent types were the dimensions were optimised: on 41.0 m2 (441 sq ft) of loading area (without partitions) up to 40 Europool pallets can be carried (Code letter bb).
In addition to making best use of the loading area there has been a trend towards large-volume wagons, which make maximum use of the availableloading gauge. However they need to take account of the fact that in many countries the permitted loading gauge varies and this reduces theinteroperability of this vehicle. The wagons cleared for use in Great Britain have a very small loading gauge and are distinguished by the code lettersf,ff orfff. Other countries with small loading gauges include Switzerland, something which needs to be borne in mind for trains transiting the country e.g. between Germany and Italy.
Sliding-wall wagons are often fitted with partitions that prevent the goods sliding back and forth in the wagon (code letterl) and some are lockable (code letterll). This is particularly useful if the wagon is not fully laden. However the use of partitions reduces the available loading area.
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To begin with, the largely privately owned railway companies within theGerman Empire in the 19th century procured wagons to their own requirements. However, after the nationalisation of the majority of private railways into the state railway (theLänderbahnen) designs were standardised and theLänderbahn classes emerged.
The growth in trade between the various German-speaking states led to attempts to standardise their vehicle fleets. Initially wagons were produced to the same dimensions and, in 1910, theGerman State Railway Wagon Association (Deutsche Staatsbahnwagenverband) was formed. They developed standard goods wagon designs, the so-calledVerbandsbauart wagons, that were procured in large numbers by the German state railways and other private and foreign railways well into the 1920s. For covered wagons there was the Class A2 wagon with a 15 t (14.8 long tons; 16.5 short tons) maximum load and 21.3 m2 (229 sq ft) loading area built to astandard template, and the large-volume covered wagon based on template A9, also with a 15 t (14.8 long tons; 16.5 short tons) maximum load, but a 21.3 m2 (229 sq ft) loading area.
In the 1920s, wagons with interchangeable parts, theAustauschbauart wagons, were developed for theDeutsche Reichsbahn (DRG). They had similar overall dimensions, but were clearly built to a different design from their forebears. Once again there was a covered wagon with 21.3 m2 (229 sq ft) loading area, classed as the Gr Kassel and a large-volume wagon with 29.4 m2 (316 sq ft) loading area, called the Gl Dresden. In addition, theAustauschbau series saw two new wagon classes being developed. The Glt Dresden was largely similar in design to the "standard" Gl Dresden, but had end doors. These vans were bought to provide sheltered transport for motor vehicles. A second, newer type of wagon was theferry wagon developed during the 1920s for rail ferry services toGreat Britain. This wagon had the same length over buffers as the Gl Dresden, but a loading area of only 22.4 m2 (241 sq ft), because of its narrower wagon body constrained by the smallerloading gauge of British railways. This was designated as the Gfh Trier.
The next significant change was the introduction in the 1930s ofwelding into the construction of railway vehicles. The designs of theAustauschbauwagen were reworked to take advantage of welding technology. As a result, a successor to the Gr Kassel emerged: the Ghs Oppeln with a 21.3 m2 (229 sq ft) loading area. The designs of the Gl Dresden and Glt Dresden were also reworked whilst retaining the same loading area of 29.4 m2 (316 sq ft)² (Glrhs). The Gfh Trier was also redesigned, but due to low demand this was not ready until 1940, and no more were built owing to theSecond World War.
The next stage of development was forced as a result of the Second World War. In order to save material and labour, railway vehicle designs were simplified. As covered wagons the Gmhs Bremen appeared as a successor to the Ghs Oppeln, and the Glmhs Leipzig followed the Gl Dresden. These so-called wartime classes (Kriegsbauart) were also welded, and had loading areas of 23.6 m2 (254 sq ft) and 29.1 m2 (313 sq ft) respectively. More robust variants of these wagon classes were procured after the war by theDeutsche Bundesbahn and theAustrian Federal Railways (ÖBB).
The covered goods wagon has been used to carry passengers, especially during wartime. In both world wars,French boxcars known asforty-and-eights (40/8) were used as troop transports as well as for freight; inWorld War II first by the French forces, then the German, and finally the Allies. The shared experience among Allied soldiers spawned groups such as theForty and Eight veterans organization. In addition to soldiers, the Germans transported prisoners in crowded boxcars during theNazi regime, and an undisclosed number of German soldiers captured by the U.S. Army died of suffocation in American boxcars transporting them from thefront-line toprisoner of war camps in March 1945.[4] The same transportation was used by theSoviet Union during the 1930s and 1940s, when over 1.5 million people weretransferred toSiberia and other areas from different countries and areas incorporated into the Soviet Union.
Historically the open wagon was the most common type of vehicle used for general merchandise traffic in Britain, with covered wagons ('goods vans') being used for specific types of goods requiring greater protection. Most wagons were 'unfitted' (i.e. not equipped with continuous brakes), the exceptions being wagons used on express goods traffic. However, British Railways' fleet modernisation during the 1950s resulted in vans being used for a much higher proportion of merchandise traffic, and the fitting of vacuum brakes as standard. The typical British goods van of this period had a 10-foot (3.05 m)wheelbase and a payload of 12 long tons (13 short tons; 12 t). The most common types were general purpose 'ventilated vans' such as Vanfits, but there were numerous more specialised types:
Construction of the traditional small vans ceased in 1962 due to declining traffic and a surplus of wagons. When construction of general merchandise vans resumed around 1970, these were the air-brakedVAA/VBA/VCA/VDA family of 20 ft 9 in (6,325 mm) wheelbase vans. The last mass-produced merchandise vans built for British Rail were the 29 ft 6 in (8,992 mm) wheelbaseVGA class sliding-wall vans of the early 1980s. Subsequent vans used in the UK have mostly been large (usuallybogie) sliding-wall vans of continental design.
