Wagon with opening roof

The railway freight wagons fitted with an opening roof with the generic letter "T" account for about one -sixth of all freight cars in Germany. The former German main genre was " K " or " KK ". The type designation in 5th place of the UIC car number since 1988, the "0", until then it was like in open freight cars, "5".

They are mainly used for conveying bulk material nässeempfindlichem such as cement, gypsum, lime, potash and grain. The loading can be here on bulk devices or conveyors carried the discharge by gravity. In addition, some newer types with flat underbody are also suitable for the transport of bulky cargo kranbarer.

To date, there are four different designs openable roofs ( the annual figures relate to the DB):

• The Klappdeckelwagen with several fold- up " roof " flaps ( hence the name) as the oldest type are rarely used. Their disadvantage is that the roof is not a large surface area to be opened by the webs in which the valves are secured.
• From 1951, therefore sunroof cars were built, in which each half of the cargo area is barrier-free access from above, by adding a portion of the two-part roof is slid in the longitudinal direction over the other part.
• In the articulated roof wagons used from 1958, the cargo area can be completely released by the roof is swung to the long side of the car. The disadvantage is that for some types of the open roof, the clearance limit does not comply and may block the adjacent track.
• The latest development represent Rolldach cars that are in use since 1973. The plastic top hoods can be rolled up completely towards the front end whereby the entire car can be loaded from the top.

The overall construction and the use of the car but are determined much more by the car floor and the walls and the consequent unloading. These properties, which are encoded as letters, therefore, also form the structure basis of this article.

Movable-roof wagons and flat underbody

Klappdeckelwagen with a flat underbody

The classic Klappdeckelwagen for transporting moisture sensitive solids were obtained only in relatively small numbers compared to other types of wagon by the Railway Administrations. They were both in the control track as well as on narrow gauge railways (eg Saxon narrow gauge railways ) in use. Their construction was leaning closely to each the contemporary open wagons.

They were loaded from the top and discharged through the side doors analogous to the boxcar. Since this discharge was associated with consuming manual work, was already wanted in the 1920s for alternatives. From the 1950s, the Selbstentladewagen the Klappdeckelwagen displaced with roof (see below) completely from their original application. The last Klappdeckelwagen in mass procured the DR 1958.

Regelspurige Klappdeckelwagen can be seen in some railway museums, some Saxon narrow gauge railways they can occasionally be seen even for special events freight train in operation.

Sliding roof and sliding - sliding wall wagon

The sliding carriage incurred for the DB from 1950s. They made constructive initially a development of classical Klappdeckelwagen represents, but were no longer provided for bulk materials, but rather for bulky moisture-sensitive cargo. This can be by crane vertical load and unload, the displaceable in longitudinal direction of the roof each car to release the half- load area.

Soon they went on to replace the small side doors through large sliding walls (letter i) to allow the loading and unloading of palletized goods by forklift. For example, the cars can be loaded at a port directly connected to the crane from the ship, at the station of destination but are discharged through the side doors.

In the 1970s, it was found that the movable roof for palletized goods is rarely used, while for larger bulky items the pivot roof car (see below) are more appropriate. Therefore, we went on with the sliding wall wagon for fixed roof, it originated from 1977, the sliding wall wagon.

Pivot roof car and roof rolling wagons with a flat underbody

For transporting heavy, bulky and moisture sensitive goods DB since 1964 has four-axle wagons with a movable roof. Initially, these were pivotal roofs, swing longitudinally divided in the middle to both sides. To avoid the deterioration of the clearance profile with the roof open, it later went on to roll roofs.

The design allows the cars closely based on the four-axle open freight cars, the standard design. This is also the main dimensions of the UIC standardize Rolldach car match its open counterpart Ea ( o) s:

The pan-and- roll roofing wagons with a flat underbody are characterized by a high load limit of at least 50 tonnes and are therefore often used in heavy industry. In addition, they can also be used for moisture- sensitive bulk material which is to be discharged upwards. Its field of application is divided this type of car with the flat wagons with tarpaulin covers or hoods of the genera K, R and S.

Freight wagons fitted with an opening roof and gravity discharge

To streamline the envelope moisture sensitive solids, already the German Reichsbahn Selbstentladewagen was built with hinged lids. They were designed as a semi- truck, and therefore allowed a sudden gravity discharge.

Since 1958 Selbstentladewagen be used with pan roof in large numbers. You have both the movable-roof wagons and flat underbody (see above) as well as the covered wagons of the standard design now completely displaced from the transport moisture sensitive solids.

Most of these wagons enable side high-side discharge and comply with, such as the open freight car with gravity discharge, two basic forms:

• Hopper car: The car has a funnel-shaped underbody and metered gravity discharge ( Class T ... d ... )
• Saddle car: car with saddle-shaped underbody and sudden gravity discharge (now Class T ... l ... until 1979 T ... d ... )

The main dimensions of the two UIC Standard wagons are those of the open wagons ( Fcs and Fals ) identical:

The cars are usually reserved for a load to bypass the cleaning after each discharge, but also because certain goods require an internal lining of the cargo space so as to prevent sticking to the walls or, when dealing with chemicals to ensure the protection of walls against corrosion. Many of the Td - cars are used exclusively for food transport and therefore also contribute to the identification letter g

There are also special designs for specific applications, for example with the center was lying Schwerkraftendladung ( Class T ... oo ... ).

The transition to the U- car is smooth. Even if the car has no outlet device that corresponds to the UIC standard, or instead of a roof has only domed lid for loading, it falls under special type standard car. Therefore, many French grain carts have a 9 instead of 0 in the car number.

Literature and References

• Stefan Carstens | Carstens S: The freight cars of the DB AG, MIBA -Verlag, Nuremberg 1998.
• Carstens S, et al: Wagons ( Volume 2 ), MIBA -Verlag, Nuremberg 2000.
• Carstens S, et al: Wagons ( Volume 4 ), MIBA -Verlag, Nuremberg 2003.

• Freight car