Types of Railroad Logging Cars

Center Beam Cars

• A center beam car is a type of flatcar designed to carry timber and other heavy goods and products. A longitudinal steel beam, or center beam, often in an "I" design, runs down the car's middle. It is used for transporting wood that already is cut, called dimensional lumber, including plywood. Per the car's design, a symmetrical load, with the weight of the goods equally distributed on each side of the beam structure, is how the car is loaded. Often called a center beam flatcar, this historical logging railroad car is now used to haul steel products as well.

Flatcars

• Known as the "first freight train car," standard flatcars were freight cars that started out hauling lumber and raw forest products. Historians often credit the foundation of the railroad industry in America on the efficiency of the flatcar. The design of the car dates back to the early 19th century and consists of a flat bed, supported by two-axle railroad car wheel assemblies or trucks. Flatcars have managed to stay serviceable and are now used to transport a variety of cargo. While the simplistic and industrious design of the flatcar has stayed largely the same for centuries, it has many variations, including the aforementioned center beam railroad car.

Gondola Railcar

• A gondola railcar is a type of freight car that can carry bulk items. These cars have four low walls with an open top design. In the early days of industry, these cars would haul steel or scrap metal and dense, bulky items related to the construction of railroads. It also can be used to transport bulky forest products. Historically, they might have been used as a low-cost option to handle logging. Today, they are a logistically and financially convenient car for moving bulk items cross-country. Built to handle heavy loads, the cars are equipped with six axles.