An electric container freight train

Freight wagons filled with limestone await unloading, at sidings in Rugby, England

An SP freight train west of Chicago in 1992.

Freight trains have freight cars. Much of the world's freight is transported by train. In the United States there is very little passenger rail service; most of the existing train track is used to transport freight or cargo. Download high resolution version (1024x774, 233 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (1024x774, 233 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... A freight train awaits unloading at Rugby in England: Photo by G-Man 2003 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... A freight train awaits unloading at Rugby in England: Photo by G-Man 2003 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Limey shale overlaid by limestone. ... Rugby is a market town in the county of Warwickshire in central England upon the River Avon. ... Download high resolution version (1092x566, 184 KB)SP 8033, a GE Dash 8-39B, leading an EMD SD40T-2 and a second GE locomotive on a westbound train through Eola, Illinois (just east of Aurora), October 6, 1992. ... Download high resolution version (1092x566, 184 KB)SP 8033, a GE Dash 8-39B, leading an EMD SD40T-2 and a second GE locomotive on a westbound train through Eola, Illinois (just east of Aurora), October 6, 1992. ... The Southern Pacific Railroad (AAR reporting mark SP) was an American railroad. ... Chicago, Illinois is the current Good Article Collaboration of the week! Please help take it from Good to Featured article status. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... Not to be confused with railcar. ... Cargo is a term used to denotes goods or produce being transported generally for commercial gain, usually on a ship, plane, train or lorry. ... For other uses, see Train (disambiguation). ... This article is about mathematics. ... Cargo is a term used to denote goods or produce being transported generally for commercial gain, usually on a ship, plane, train or truck. ...

Under the right circumstances, transporting freight by train is highly economic, and also more energy efficient than transporting freight by road. Rail freight is most economic when freight is being carried in bulk and over long distances, but is less suited to short distances and small loads. Bulk aggregate movements of a mere twenty miles can be cost effective even allowing for trans-shipment costs. These trans-shipment costs dominate in many cases and many modern practices such as container freight are aimed at minimizing these. Containerization is a system of intermodal cargo transport using standard ISO containers (also known as isotainers) that can be loaded sealed and intact onto container ships, railroad cars and trucks. ...

The main disadvantage of rail freight is its lack of flexibility. For this reason, rail has lost much of the freight business to road competition. Many governments are now trying to encourage more freight onto trains, because of the environmental benefits that it would bring. Disruptions in organized traffic flow can create delays lasting hours. ...

There are many different types of freight train, which are used to carry many different kinds of freight, with many different types of wagon. One of the most common types on modern railways are container trains, where containers can be lifted on and off the train by cranes and loaded off or onto trucks or ships. A wagon (in old British English waggon) is a wheeled vehicle, ordinarily with four wheels, usually pulled by an animal such as a horse, mule or ox, which was used for transport of heavy goods in the past. ... A tower crane with a pivoted main boom Cranes on the Shenska River, Cherepovets, Russia A crane is a tower or derrick equipped with cables and pulleys that is used to lift and lower materials. ... The driver of this DAF tractor with an auto-transport semi-trailer prepares to offload Skoda Octavia cars in Cardiff, Wales For other meanings, see Truck (disambiguation). ... Italian ship-rigged vessel Amerigo Vespucci in New York Harbor, 1976 A ship is a large, sea-going watercraft, sometimes with multiple decks. ...

This type of freight train has largely superseded the traditional "box wagon" type of freight train, for which the cargo had to be loaded or unloaded manually.

In some countries "piggy back" trains are used: trucks can drive straight onto the train and drive off again when the end destination is reached. A system like this is used on the Channel Tunnel between England and France. Piggy back trains are the fastest growing type of freight trains in the United States, where they are also known as 'trailer on flat car' or TOFC trains. There are also some intermodal vehicles, which have two sets of wheels, for use in a train, or as the trailer of a road vehicle. The driver of this DAF tractor with an auto-transport semi-trailer prepares to offload Skoda Octavia cars in Cardiff, Wales For other meanings, see Truck (disambiguation). ... The British terminal at Cheriton, from the Pilgrims Way. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the British Isles Languages None official English de facto Capital None official London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001... Intermodal is a term that refers to more than one mode of transport. ...

There are also many other types of wagon, such as "low loader" wagons for transporting road vehicles. There are refrigerator wagons for transporting food. There are simple types of open-topped wagons for transporting minerals and bulk material such as coal and tankers for transporting liquids and gases. Today however most coal and aggregates are moved in hopper wagons that can be filled and discharged rapidly, to enable efficient handling of the materials. A wagon (in old British English waggon) is a wheeled vehicle, ordinarily with four wheels, usually pulled by an animal such as a horse, mule or ox, which was used for transport of heavy goods in the past. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into refrigeration. ... Minerals are natural compounds formed through geological processes. ... Coal is a fossil fuel extracted from the ground by underground mining or open-pit mining (surface mining). ...

Freight trains are sometimes illegally boarded by passengers who do not wish, or do not have the money, to travel by ordinary means. This is referred to as "Hopping" and is considered by some communities to be a viable form of transport. Most hoppers sneak into train yards and stow away in boxcars. More bold hoppers will catch a train "on the fly", that is, as it is moving, leading to occasional fatalities, some of which go unrecorded. Freighthopping is the act of surreptitiously hitching a ride on a railroad freight car. ...