unit train

unit train
a freight train of uniform consist that remains coupled, carrying a bulk commodity, as coal or wheat, to a specific destination and that after unloading returns to the point of origin ready for another load.
[1960-65]

* * *

▪ freight transportation
      freight train composed of cars carrying a single type of commodity that are all bound for the same destination. By hauling only one kind of freight for one destination, a unit train does not need to switch cars at various intermediate junctions and so can make nonstop runs between two terminals. This reduces not only the shipping time but also the cost. The unit train was introduced by American railroad companies in the 1950s so that they could offer lower shipping rates and thereby make their freight service more marketable. Initially, unit trains were used primarily to haul coal from mines to power plants. By the late 20th century about 50 percent of the coal shipped in the United States was carried by these trains. Other forms of bulk cargo, such as grain and cement, were also transported in this fashion.

      To fully exploit the advantages of the unit train and to extend this service to shippers of manufactured goods, American railroads in the second half of the 20th century redesigned their equipment. They developed larger freight cars, many of which are specially constructed to carry particular commodities. The 10,000-cubic-foot (280-cubic-metre) boxcar, for example, is three times larger than the standard car and can economically transport such items as automobile parts and television sets. Another key innovation is the tri-level rack car capable of carrying 12 to 15 finished automobiles from assembly points to distribution points. Though most widely employed in the United States, unit trains equipped with these and other types of high-volume freight cars are also used in Canada and various European countries on a limited scale.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Unit train — A unit train, also called a block train, is a railroad train in which all the cars making it up are shipped from the same origin to the same destination. This saves the hassle of assembling and disassembling trains at rail yards near the origin… …   Wikipedia

  • unit train — noun Date: 1964 a railway train that transports a single commodity directly from producer to consumer …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • unit train — noun : a railway train that transports a single commodity directly from producer to buyer …   Useful english dictionary

  • Multiple-unit train control — Multiple unit train control, sometimes abbreviated to multiple unit or MU, is a method of simultaneously controlling all the traction equipment in a train from a single location, whether it is a Multiple unit comprising a number of self powered… …   Wikipedia

  • Train — This article is about the vehicle. For other uses, see Train (disambiguation). Steam locomotive hauled passenger train …   Wikipedia

  • unit — /ˈjunət / (say yoohnuht) noun 1. a single thing or person; any group of things or persons regarded as an individual. 2. one of the individuals or groups making up a whole, or into which a whole may be analysed. 3. any magnitude regarded as an… …  

  • Train — Train, n. [F. train, OF. tra[ i]n, trahin; cf. (for some of the senses) F. traine. See {Train}, v.] 1. That which draws along; especially, persuasion, artifice, or enticement; allurement. [Obs.] Now to my charms, and to my wily trains. Milton.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Train mile — Train Train, n. [F. train, OF. tra[ i]n, trahin; cf. (for some of the senses) F. traine. See {Train}, v.] 1. That which draws along; especially, persuasion, artifice, or enticement; allurement. [Obs.] Now to my charms, and to my wily trains.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Train of artillery — Train Train, n. [F. train, OF. tra[ i]n, trahin; cf. (for some of the senses) F. traine. See {Train}, v.] 1. That which draws along; especially, persuasion, artifice, or enticement; allurement. [Obs.] Now to my charms, and to my wily trains.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Train of mechanism — Train Train, n. [F. train, OF. tra[ i]n, trahin; cf. (for some of the senses) F. traine. See {Train}, v.] 1. That which draws along; especially, persuasion, artifice, or enticement; allurement. [Obs.] Now to my charms, and to my wily trains.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”