Misplaced Pages

#119880

23-553: Gilbert Car Company was a railroad car builder based in Troy, New York . It began manufacturing streetcars in the late 1880s. Gilbert cars were sold and exported worldwide. Founded by Orsamus Eaton (1792–1872) and Uri Gilbert (1809–1888), the company changed names several times as the partnership changed: In 1879, Gilbert leased the Buffalo Car Works facility in Buffalo, which had

46-476: A head-end power generator on the locomotive via bus cables, or by an axle-powered generator which continuously charges batteries whenever the train is in motion. Modern cars usually have either air conditioning or windows that can be opened (sometimes, for safety, not so far that one can hang out), or sometimes both. Various types of onboard train toilet facilities may also be provided. Other types of passenger car exist, especially for long journeys, such as

69-557: A capacity of five to twelve new cars per day. The Gilbert company saw some success in 1881 when it secured an order for several hundred refrigerator cars for the newly established American Refrigerator Transit Company . In 1886, Gilbert leased the Jones Car Works of Schenectady . Following the Panic of 1893 , and the death in March 1893 of company president Edward Gilbert, son of Uri Gilbert,

92-496: A glass-enclosed upper level extending above the normal roof to provide passengers with a better view. Sleeping cars outfitted with (generally) small bedrooms allow passengers to sleep through their night-time trips, while couchette cars provide more basic sleeping accommodation. Long-distance trains often require baggage cars for the passengers' luggage. In European practice it used to be common for day coaches to be formed of compartments seating 6 or 8 passengers, with access from

115-554: A higher net-to-tare ratio of 4.9 than traditional steel based wagons, which have 3.65. Non-revenue cars are those that do not derive income for the railroad. They include: Military armoured trains use several types of specialized cars: During the Cold War , the Soviet Union fielded a number of trains that served as mobile missile silos . These trains carried the missile and everything necessary to launch, and were kept moving around

138-402: A horizontal position and serves as the middle bunk. There are two types of couchette car in countries of the former USSR: "coupé" and "platzkart". "Coupé" cars are more expensive and comfortable with 4-bunk compartments fully separated from each other and the corridor. The cheaper "Platzkart" cars, use a somewhat different layout, with no wall between compartment and corridor, only four bunks along

161-594: A side corridor. In the UK, Corridor coaches fell into disfavor in the 1960s and 1970s partially because open coaches are considered more secure by women traveling alone. Another distinction is between single- and double deck train cars. An example of a double decker is the Amtrak superliner . A "trainset" (or "set") is a semi-permanently arranged formation of cars, rather than one created "ad hoc" out of whatever cars are available. These are only broken up and reshuffled 'on shed' (in

184-608: A train together in the event of a derailment or other accident. Many multiple unit trains consist of cars which are semi-permanently coupled into sets: these sets may be joined together to form larger trains, but generally passengers can only move around between cars within a set. This "closed" arrangement keeps parties of travellers and their luggage together, and hence allows the separate sets to be easily split to go separate ways. Some multiple-unit trainsets are designed so that corridor connections can be easily opened between coupled sets; this generally requires driving cabs either set to

207-442: A wide variety of types, adapted to carry a host of goods. Originally there were very few types of cars; the flat car or wagon, and the boxcar (US/Canada), covered wagon (UIC) or van (UK), were among the first. Freight cars or goods wagons are generally categorized as follows: The first two main-line all aluminum passenger cars were exhibited at the 1933-35 Chicago World's Fair by Pullman Company . Aluminum freight cars have

230-469: Is commonly used by itself in American English when a rail context is implicit. Indian English sometimes uses " bogie " in the same manner, though the term has other meanings in other variants of English. In American English, "railcar" is a generic term for a railway vehicle; in other countries " railcar " refers specifically to a self-propelled, powered, railway vehicle. Although some cars exist for

253-528: Is not done, and it is normal for passengers to be awoken by border police and railway inspectors at each border crossing. Toilets and washrooms are located at the ends of the car. Couchette cars have not been as popular in Britain (except on the Royal Train , presumably as staff accommodation); as they have been in continental Europe, although a number of sleeper trains can trace their history back to as early as

SECTION 10

#1732884760120

276-401: The continental United States . Couchette car A couchette car is a railway carriage conveying non or semi-private sleeping accommodation. The car is divided into a number of compartments (typically 8 to 10) accessed from the side corridor of the car, which in daytime are configured with a bench seat along each long side of the compartment. At an appropriate time in the journey,

299-426: The dining car , parlor car , disco car, and in rare cases theater and movie theater car. In some cases another type of car is temporarily converted to one of these for an event. Observation cars were built for the rear of many famous trains to allow the passengers to view the scenery. These proved popular, leading to the development of dome cars multiple units of which could be placed mid-train, and featured

322-599: The 1870s. It was normal practice, nevertheless, for British passengers to join long-distance overnight trains at Calais , Boulogne , Ostend or Hook of Holland after crossing the English Channel or North Sea by ferry . There has been a substantial decline in the number of long-distance overnight train services since the mid-1990s, caused by the increase in the number of high-speed daytime services, and competition from low-cost airlines . Environmental organizations are trying to make night trains more attractive again, as

345-413: The attendant who travels in the car (or by agreement the passengers booked in the compartment) converts the compartment into its night-time configuration with two (1st class) or three (2nd class) bunks on each long side of the compartment, creating a total of four bunks in first class and six in second class. Typically, in 2nd class the seat serves as the lowest bunk, and the back of the seat is turned into

368-545: The company entered receivership in August 1893. Only a few months earlier, Gilbert had completed construction of a hundred cars for New York Central Railroad passenger trains. Then in 1895, the company stopped building rail cars. Upon closure, the plant value was estimated at $ 400,000 (equivalent to $ 14,649,600 in 2023). In 1899, the plant was rumored to be the target of acquisition for conversion into an automobile manufacturing facility. Railroad car The term " car "

391-412: The long sides of the compartment, and two more mounted on the corridor wall, the lower bunk folding in the daytime to become two seats. The attendant provides a sheet, blanket, and pillow for each passenger. Unlike in sleeping cars , couchette compartments are not always segregated by sex, and it is normal not to undress except for removing footwear. One compartment at the end of the car is reserved for

414-530: The maintenance depot). Trains are then built of one or more of these 'sets' coupled together as needed for the capacity of that train. Often, but not always, passenger cars in a train are linked together with enclosed, flexible gangway connections through which passengers and crewmen can walk. Some designs incorporate semi-permanent connections between cars and may have a full-width connection, effectively making them one long, articulated 'car'. In North America, passenger cars also employ tightlock couplings to keep

437-434: The railroad's own use – for track maintenance purposes, for example – most carry a revenue-earning load of passengers or freight, and may be classified accordingly as passenger cars or coaches on the one hand or freight cars (or wagons ) on the other. Passenger cars, or coaches , vary in their internal fittings: In standard-gauge railway cars, seating is usually configured into ranges from three to five seats across

460-728: The railway network to make them difficult to find and destroy in a first-strike attack . A similar rail-borne system was proposed in the United States of America for the LGM-30 Minuteman in the 1960s, and the Peacekeeper Rail Garrison in the 1980s, but neither were deployed. The Strategic Air Command 's 1st Combat Evaluation RBS "Express" deployed from Barksdale Air Force Base with Radar Bomb Scoring units mounted on military railroad cars with supporting equipment, to score simulated thermonuclear bombing of cities in

483-709: The side or (as in the Dutch Koploper or the Japanese 285 series ) above the passenger compartment. These cabs or driving trailers are also useful for quickly reversing the train. It has been common in some systems to differentiate between first- and second-class carriages, with a premium being paid for first-class tickets, and fines imposed for non-compliance. Facilities and appurtenances applying to first-class carriages may include More recently, mains power outlets and Wi-fi facilities have been offered. Freight cars (US/Canada), goods wagons (UIC), or trucks (UK) exist in

SECTION 20

#1732884760120

506-468: The use of the attendant (who may supervise two adjacent cars), who will sell (if not included in the fare) hot and cold drinks and continental breakfasts in the morning. In western Europe the attendant will take charge of passengers' tickets and passports at the start of the journey, returning them before arrival at the destination, thus ensuring that passengers are not disturbed by ticket and passport inspections. In some former eastern bloc countries this

529-424: The width of the car, with an aisle in between (resulting in arrangements of 2+1, 2+2 or 3+2 seats) or at the side. Tables may be provided between seats facing one another. Alternatively, seats facing in the same direction may have access to a fold-down ledge on the back of the seat in front. Passenger cars can take the electricity supply for heating and lighting equipment from either of two main sources: directly from

#119880