Traditionally, the passenger car can be divided into several distinct types. The most basic division is between cars, which do carry passengers, and "head-end" equipment. The latter are run as part of passenger trains, but do not themselves carry passengers. Traditionally, they were put between the locomotive and the passenger-carrying cars in the
consist, hence the name. Some specialized types are variants of or combine elements of the most basic types. Also, the basic design of passenger cars is evolving, with articulated units that share a truck, double-decker designs, and the "low floor" design, where the loading area is very close to the ground and slung between the
trucks.
Passenger-carrying types Coach File:Janshatabdi train kerala india.JPG|thumb|An open-type [3+3] chair car of
Indian Railways The coach is the most basic type of passenger car, also sometimes called "chair cars". • Open/Saloon • Compartment • Composite Two main variants exist.
Open coach In one variant, an "
open coach" has a central aisle; the car's interior is often filled with row upon row of seats as in a
passenger airliner,
coach bus, or a
school bus. Other arrangements of the "open" type are also found, including seats around tables, seats facing the aisle (often found on mass transit trains since they increase standing room for rush hour), and variations of all three. Seating arrangement is typically [2+2], while the
hard seat in China has [3+2] arrangements. The seating arrangements and density, as well as the presence or absence of other facilities, depend on the intended use, ranging from mass transit systems to long-distance luxury trains. Some cars have reclining seats to make it easier for passengers not traveling in a sleeping car to sleep.
Compartment Corridor coach In another variant, "closed" coaches, "corridor" coaches, or "compartment" cars have a side corridor to connect individual compartments along the body of the train, each with two rows of seats facing each other. In both arrangements, carry-on baggage is stowed on a shelf above the passenger seating area. The opening into the cars is usually located at both ends of the carriage, often into a small hallway, which in railway parlance is termed a
vestibule. Earlier designs of UK coaching stock had additional doors or doors along their length, some supporting compartmentalised carriages.
Compartment coach The compartment coach is similar to a corridor coach but without the corridor. Each compartment is completely separated from the others, with no movement between them. Entry and exit from each compartment are only possible when stopped at a station.
Composite "Composite" coaches are also known. These are mixed-class cars featuring both open seating and compartments. One such coach is the
Composite Corridor, introduced for
British Rail in the 1950s; though such coaches existed from early pre-grouping days, at the end of the 19th century. In India, normal carriages often have double-height seating, with benches (berths), so that people can sit above one another (not unlike a bunk bed). In other countries, true double-decker carriages are becoming more common. The seats in most coaches until the middle of the 20th century were usually bench seats; the backs of these seats could be adjusted, often with one hand, to face in either direction so the car would not have to be turned for a return trip. The conductor would walk down the aisle in the car, reversing the seat backs to prepare for the return trip. This arrangement is still used in some modern trains.
Dining car A dining car (or diner) serves meals to passengers. Its interior may be split with a portion of the interior partitioned off for a
galley, which is off-limits to passengers. A narrow hallway is left between the galley and one side wall of the car for passengers. The remainder of the interior is arranged with tables and chairs to resemble a long, narrow
restaurant dining room. There are special personnel to perform waitstaff and kitchen duties.
Lounge Superliner lounge car (also a
low-floor,
double-decker car) Lounge cars carry a bar and public seating. They usually have benches, armchairs, or large swivelling chairs along the sides of the car. They often have small tables for drinks, or they may be large enough to play cards. Some lounge cars include small pianos and are staffed by contracted musicians to entertain the passengers. These cars are often pulled in addition to the
dining car, and on very long trains in addition to one or more snack or café cars.
Café cars, such as the Amtrak
café cars, are simpler, lacking window-facing seats; instead, rows of tables with facing pairs of bench seats, split by a food and drink counter. Lounge cars are an important part of the appeal of passenger trains compared to aircraft, buses, and cars; they offer more space to move around, socialize, eat, and drink, and good views.
Observation In US practice, the observation car was almost always the last car on a passenger train. Its interior could include features of a coach, lounge, diner, or sleeper. The main spotting feature was at the tail end of the car. Some more modern US designs had car walls usually curved together to form a large U-shape, and larger windows were installed all around the ends of the car; earlier designs had square ends with an observation open deck (preserved stock in Southern Africa, Oceania, and many countries elsewhere). Before these cars were built with steel walls, the observation ends of heavyweight cars in the US and Canada resembled a roofed porch. Larger windows were installed at the observation end on these cars as well. At the end of the car, there was almost always a lounge where passengers could enjoy the view as they watched the track rapidly recede into the distance.
Sleeping car ) Often called "sleepers" or "Pullman cars" (after the main American operator), these cars provide sleeping arrangements for passengers travelling at night. Early models were divided into sections, where coach seating converted at night into semi-private berths. Modern interiors are typically partitioned into separate bedroom compartments for passengers. The beds are designed to roll out of the way, fold out of the way, or convert into seats for daytime use. Compartments vary in size; some are large enough for only a bed, while others resemble efficiency apartments, including bathrooms. In China, sleeping cars still serve as major travel classes in long-range rail transport. The classes of sleeping cars include
hard sleeper (YW) with six bunks per compartment,
soft sleeper (RW) typically with four bunks, and deluxe soft sleeper (GRW) typically with two bunks.
Trailer car A similar car which was usually found in
DMUs,
EMUs, and
locomotive-hauled
passenger trainsets. They also generally intermediate cars within the consist and sometimes have
driving control facilities. They may carry auxiliary equipment (e.g., the braking system, air conditioning, etc.) where space is limited.
Head-end equipment Baggage car Image:Resgodsvagn.jpg|A
resgodsvagn of the
Swedish State Railways (SJ) in
Malmö in 1988 Image:STCR57636-oct132003.jpg|A baggage car File:XL25K 206110@BJI (20150527105848).JPG|A
China Railway XL25K baggage car at
Beijing railway station Although passengers were generally not allowed access to the baggage car, it was included on a great number of passenger trains as regular equipment. The baggage car was normally placed between the train's motive power and the remainder of the passenger train. The car's interior is normally wide open and is used to carry passengers' checked
baggage. Baggage cars were also sometimes commissioned by freight companies to haul
less-than-carload (LCL) shipments along passenger routes (
Railway Express Agency was one such freight company). Some baggage cars included restroom facilities for the train crew, so many baggage cars had doors to access them just like any other passenger car, although they did not always have windows along the side. Baggage cars could be designed to look like the rest of a passenger train's cars, or they could be repurposed
box cars equipped with high-speed trucks and passenger train steam and air connections. However, they are typically plainer in finish, shorter in length, less influenced by changing fashion, and longer in service life than other passenger cars . A special type of baggage car came equipped with doors on one end to facilitate transport of large pieces of equipment and scenery for
Broadway shows and other productions. These "theatrical" baggage cars were assigned theatrical names (i.e.
Romeo and
Juliet), and were similar to the "
horse cars" that were used to transport racehorses.
Express car Express cars carry high-value freight in passenger
consists. These cars often resembled baggage cars, though in some cases specially equipped
boxcars or
refrigerator cars were used. In the United States, the majority of these cars were operated by
Railway Express Agency (REA) from 1918 to 1975. Following REA's bankruptcy, Amtrak took over express-type shipments under the
Amtrak Express brand, eventually introducing rolling stock such as material handling cars and
roadrailers. Amtrak mostly exited the express business in 2003, now only using extra space in baggage cars on trains.
Prisoner car In some countries, such as Russia, convicts are transported from court to prison or from one prison to another by railway. In such transportation, a specific type of coach, a prisoner car, is used. It contains several cell compartments with minimal interior and commodities, and a separate guard compartment. Usually, the windows are opaque, nontransparent glass to prevent prisoners from seeing outside and determining their location, and they also have bars to prevent escapes. Unlike other passenger cars, prison cars do not have doors at the ends of the wagon.
Railway post office in
Green Bay, Wisconsin Like baggage cars, railway post office (RPO; US term) cars or travelling post offices (TPOs; British term) were not accessible to paying passengers. These cars' interiors were designed with sorting facilities that were often seen and used in conventional post offices around the world. The RPO is where mail was sorted while the train was en route. Because these cars carried mail, which often included valuables or large amounts of cash and checks, the RPO staff (who were employed by the postal service, not the railroad) were the only train crews allowed to carry guns. The RPO cars were normally placed in a passenger train between the train's motive power and baggage cars, further inhibiting their access by passengers.
Specialized types birdcage brake
Birdcage carriage A birdcage car, or carriage, was a name used for a variety of arrangements. In the English use of the term, a short section of the roof was raised above the normal roof level, with windows being provided at both ends. The supports for the raised section doubled as window frames, giving the appearance of a bird cage. It was most commonly used in south east England to describe a brake coach, from which the guard was able to keep a lookout along the train using a "birdcage" on the roof, which were used from 1899 on the
South Eastern & Chatham Railway. On the
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroad, in the early 1880s, a birdcage car described an early form of dome car. In New Zealand birdcage carriages, officially named gallery cars, were built at
Addington from 1889 and one was in a crash in 1897, but they were coaches with larger than usual open areas, protected by railings, or cages, which allowed for more comfortable travel in warm, humid weather. They remained in use by
New Zealand Railways until at least 1934 and similar open air
AKV coaches are still used by
Great Journeys trains.
Colonist Car A colonist car, or emigrant car, was a special sleeping car designed to transport
immigrants from ocean ports to settlement areas in western North America at the lowest possible fare. They offered simple
sleeping berths and a cooking area for immigrants who were expected to bring their own food and bedding.
Combine A combine is a car that combines features of a head-end and a regular passenger car. The most common combination is that of a
coach and a
baggage car, but the combination of coach and
post office car was also common. Combines were used most frequently on
branch lines and
short line railroads where there wasn't necessarily enough traffic to justify single-purpose cars economically. As lightweight cars began to appear on railroads, passenger cars increasingly combined features of two or more car types into a single car, and the classic heavyweight combine fell out of use.
Control car (cab) in Czech Republic A
control car (also known as a
Driving Trailer in Europe and the UK) is a passenger car that allows the train to be run in reverse with the locomotive at the rear. It is common on commuter trains in the US, Canada, and Europe. This can be important for serving small towns without extensive switching facilities, end-of-train stations, and dead-end lines, and for fast turnaround when changing directions in commuter service.
Dome car A dome car can include features of a coach car, a sleeping car, a lounge car, a dining car, and an observation car. Within the United States, the primary manufacturers were The Budd Company (
stainless steel construction), The Pullman Company (
steel construction), and ACF (American Car & Foundry,
aluminum construction). A portion of the car, usually in the center, is split into two levels, with stairs leading up and down to the train's regular passenger car floor. The lower level of the dome usually consisted of a small lounge area, while the upper portion was usually coach or lounge seating within a "bubble" of glass on the car's roof. Budd Co. dome cars used curved glass, whereas Pullman company cars used flat panels of glass that were positioned at different angles above the roofline. Passengers in the upper portion of the dome were able to see in all directions from a vantage point above the train's roof line. On some dome cars, the lower portion was built as a
galley, where car attendants used
dumbwaiters to transfer items between the galley and a dining area in the car's dome. In the United States, the Union Pacific Railroad was the primary user of dome dining cars in the pre-Amtrak era. Some dome cars were built with the dome extending the entire length of the car (a "full dome" car), while others had only a small observation bubble. There were also combination dome-observation cars built, intended to be the last car on the train, with both a rear observation and a dome on top. Dome observation cars came in both round-end and square-end versions. The Union Pacific in the US was the primary user of square-end observation cars before Amtrak, although the Burlington Route had several stainless-steel square-end cars.
Double-decker or bilevel coach As passenger car construction improved to the point where dome cars were introduced, some passenger car manufacturers began building
double decker passenger train cars for use in areas that are more heavily populated or to carry more passengers over a long distance while using fewer cars (such as
Amtrak's
Superliner cars). Cars used on long-distance passenger trains could combine features of any of the basic car types, while cars used in local commuter service are often strictly coach types on both levels. Double-decker coaches were tried in the UK (
SR Class 4DD), but the experiment was unsuccessful because the restricted British
loading gauge resulted in cramped conditions.
Drovers' car Drovers' cars were used on long-distance
livestock trains in the western United States. The purpose of a drover's car was to accommodate the livestock's handlers on the journey between the
ranch and the processing plant. They were usually older, shorter cars equipped with stove heaters, as no trainline steam heating was provided.
Hospital car A variety of
hospital trains operate around the world, equipped with specialist carriages that serve as
hospital wards, treatment rooms, and full-scale
operating theaters (US: operating rooms).
Private car Many cars built by Pullman and other companies were either originally built or later converted for use as business and private cars, which served as the "private jet" of the early-to-mid-20th century. They were used by railroad officials and dignitaries as business cars, and by wealthy individuals for travel and entertainment. There are various configurations, but the cars generally have an observation platform and include a full kitchen, dining room,
state rooms, a secretary's room, an observation room, and often servants' quarters. A number of these private cars have survived the decades, and some are used for tours, private event rentals, etc. A small number of private cars (along with other types of passenger cars), have been upgraded to meet current Amtrak regulations, and may be chartered by their owners for private travel attached to
Amtrak trains. The only current example in Britain is the
British Royal Train.
Troop sleeper A "troop sleeper" was a railroad passenger car constructed to serve as a mobile barracks (essentially, a sleeping car) for transporting troops over distances sufficient to require overnight accommodations. This method allowed part of the trip to be made overnight, reducing the amount of transit time required and increasing travel efficiency.
Troop kitchens, rolling galleys, also joined the consist to provide meal service en route (the troops took their meals in their seats or bunks).
Troop hospital cars, also based on the troop sleeper carbody, transported wounded servicemen and typically travelled in solid strings on special trains averaging fifteen cars each.
Car technology Passenger cars are almost as old as railroading itself, and their development paralleled that of freight cars. Early two-axle cars gave way to conventional two-truck construction, with the car floor riding above the wheels; link-and-pin couplers gave way to automatic types. Several construction details characterized passenger equipment. Passenger trains were expected to run at higher speeds than freight trains, and therefore, passenger trains evolved to provide a superior ride and better tracking at those speeds. Over time, in most cases, provision was made for passengers and train staff to move from car to car; therefore, platforms and later
vestibules were used to bridge the gap. In later years, several changes to this basic form were introduced to improve speed, comfort, and cost.
Articulated s (coupled) with articulated trainsets Articulated passenger cars are becoming increasingly common in Europe and the US. This means that the passenger cars share trucks and that the passageways between them are more or less permanently attached. The cars are kept in "trainsets" and not split up during normal operations. Articulated cars have several advantages. They reduce the total number of wheels and trucks, lowering costs and maintenance expenses. Further, movement between cars is safer and easier than with traditional designs. Finally, it is possible to implement tilting schemes such as the
Talgo design, which allows the train to lean into curves. The chief disadvantage is that failure of a single car disables the entire set, since individual cars cannot be readily switched in and out of the consist.
Low-floor light rail vehicle (
articulated,
low-floor) in
Portland, Oregon In some countries (such as the US), the platform level may be below the floor of passenger cars, resulting in a significant step up, which slows boarding times and is important for high-capacity systems. Low-floor cars have their main passenger and loading floors directly level with the loading platform, rather than having a step up to the passenger compartment, as was traditional until around the 1970s. This is achieved by using a low-slung chassis with the "low floor" resting
between the trucks, rather than resting completely on top, as in a simpler straight-chassis design. This improved design is seen in many passenger cars today, especially double-decker cars. The low floor enables easy access for bicycles, strollers, suitcases, wheelchairs, and those with disabilities, which is otherwise not always convenient or even possible with the traditional passenger car design. Within the United States, the Pennsylvania Railroad developed 'The Keystone' 7-car set of cars with their own attached (head-end) power car in the late 1950s. It was mostly used between New York City and Washington, DC. Boarding was at the normal platform level, at the end of the cars, with the centre section between the trucks lowered to give the cars a lower centre of gravity and higher speed capability.
Self-propelled passenger equipment These vehicles usually carry motive power in each unit.
Trams,
light rail vehicles, and
subways have been widely constructed in urban areas worldwide since the late 19th century. By the year 1900, electric-powered passenger cars were ubiquitous in the developed world. Still, they fell into decline after World War II, especially in the U.S. By 2000, they had regained popularity, and modern lines were being rebuilt where they had been torn up only 40 years earlier to make way for automobiles. On lightly trafficked rural railways, powered
diesel cars (such as the
Budd Rail Diesel Car) remain popular. In Germany, the new
Talent design shows that the diesel-powered passenger car is still a viable part of rail service. In the UK, locomotive-hauled passenger trains have largely been replaced by
diesel multiple units and
electric multiple units, such as the
Bombardier Voyager family and the
Hitachi A-Train AT300 family, even on express services.
Tilting These cars can tilt to counteract inertia during turns, making the ride more comfortable for passengers. Amtrak has adopted
Talgo trainsets for its
Amtrak Cascades service in the Pacific Northwest. Other manufacturers have also implemented tilting designs. The
British Rail Class 390 is a tilting train operating in the UK. ==Lighting, heating, air-conditioning==