Flat wagon

Flat wagons (sometimes flat beds, flats or rail flats, US: flatcars), as classified by the International Union of Railways (UIC), are railway goods wagons that have a flat, usually full-length, deck (or 2 decks on car transporters) and little or no superstructure. By contrast, open wagons have high side and end walls and covered goods wagons have a fixed roof and sides. Flat wagons are often designed for the transportation of goods that are not weather-sensitive. Some flat wagons are able to be covered completely by tarpaulins or hoods and are therefore suitable for the transport of weather-sensitive goods. Unlike a "goods wagon with opening roof", the loading area of a flat is entirely open and accessible once the cover is removed.

Flats form a large proportion of goods wagons; for example in 1998 they comprised 40% of the total goods fleet owned by the German carrier, DB, the overwhelming majority of which were flat wagons with bogies.

Typical goods transported by these railway wagons are: vehicles, engines, large pipes, metal beams, wire coils, wire mesh, half-finished steel products, (sheets, coils, pipes, bars and plates), containers, rails, sleepers and complete sections of railway track. Gravel, sand and other bulk goods are transported on flat wagons with side panels.

Flat wagons are classified by the UIC into:

The main difference between the ordinary and special types of flat wagon is that the former always have to have a flat deck that can be driven on, whereas the special types do not have to be so designed. Within both types of flat wagon, there are variants with separate axles as well as bogie wagons.

In addition numerous other terms are used to classify flat wagons according to their purpose, but without clear and comprehensive specifications.

Attempts by the International Union of Railways (UIC) to standardise flat wagons go back to the 1950s. These efforts led to the establishment of characteristics for so-called "standard wagons". Standardised flat wagons are specified in the following UIC pamphlets:

The implementation of these guidelines is partly binding and partly voluntary for members of the UIC. Since the end of 1977, flat wagons that partially conform to these guidelines are identified by the designation "UIC". Flat beds that comply fully with the leaflets, and are therefore true UIC standard wagons, are given the designation "UIS St".

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