Goods Wagons Identification Markings

General:

Identification markings for goods wagons serve for the identification of the characteristics of goods wagons with respect to their loading and operation. The european railroad companies have been using such markings for over 100 years, but an international unification in the framework of UIC took place only in the sixties. Since then there exists a uniform classification, accepted by all UIC-railways, but not used by all UIC member railways. In some railway companies there still exist national classification schemes that are used next to the UIC uniform markings.

Up to now, most detailed descriptions of the classification schemes reference from this page are in German only. Is there somebody who would like to help me translating them?

National classification schemes in use before the introduction of the UIC system:

• The identification markings of the Union of German State Railway Wagons (Deutscher Staatsbahnwagenverband) (1909-1921)
• The identification markings of the German State Railway (Deutsche Reichsbahn) (1921-1949) (in Englisch, within the German Railways Homepage)
• The identification markings of the German Federal Railway (Deutsche Bundesbahn, 1951-1964)
• The identification markings of the German State Railway (Deutsche Reichsbahn, DDR, 1951-1964) (German only)

• The identification markings of the Czechoslovakian State Railways (CSD, ca. 1960) (German only)
  
• The identification markings of the Federal Railways of Austria (BBÖ, 1929) (German only)
• The identification markings of the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB, 1951) (German only)

• The identification markings of the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) (German only)

• The identification markings of the Hungarian State Railways (MÁV) (German only)

• The identification markings of the French State Railways (SNCF, 1938) (German only)
• The identification markings of the French State Railways (SNCF, 1949) (German only)

• The identification markings of the Swedish State Railways (SJ, 1962) (German only)

• The identification markings of the Norwegian State Railway (NSB, from 1933 onwards) (German only)
  
• The identification markings of the Danish State Railways (DSB, 1938-1966) (German only)

Who can supply me with information about other classification schemes?

UIC-Classification:

Beginning in 1960/64, the UIC introduced standardized classification markings for freight wagons. The basic steps of development are as follows:

• UIC classification marks of 1960, not generally introduced
• UIC classification marks of 1964, generally introduced (German only)
• UIC classification marks of 1980, an extensive reworking of the 1964 version (German only)

Besides those, smaller modifications in these schemes took place in the passing of time. National classification system: A few countries use national classification schemes in addition to, or instead of the UIC classification. As far as I know, this is true for at least the following railroad companies:

• The State Railway of Finland (VR) uses a national classification scheme, which at first sight appears very similar to the UIC system, but partially allocates other meanings to the letters.
• The State Railways of the Czech Republic (CD) use next to the UIC system a national classification, that is mentioned, but not described, in "Katalog nákladních vozu - Catalogue of Wagons - Katalog der Güterwagen, Ceské dráhy - Czech railways - Tschechische Bahnen, 1994, ISBN 80-85884-12-7."
• British Rail (and accordingly the consecutive companies) use TOPS (Total Operations Processing System) widely instead of the UIC system. A description can be found, for example, in: British Rail Wagon Fleet, B-Prefixed Freight Stock. Author: J. Dickinson. South Coast, 1994. ISBN 1-872768-11-3, in the magazine articles about TOPS, given below and under TOPS Codes.
• The Railways of Spain (RENFE) use next to the UIC system a specific classification mentioned, but not described, in "Album de Vagones, Cargas RENFE, 1995."

Who can supply me with information on the above identification marking schemes (particularly on VR, CD, RENFE), as well as other identification marking systems?

Literature on Freight Wagon Classification Marks:

• UIC Leaflet No 438-2 - UIC-Merkblatt Nr. 438-2 - UIC Fiche N^o 438-2.
• Coating and Notation of Freight Wagons. The external appearance of German freight wagons, (Title of the original: "Anstrich und Bezeichnung von Güterwagen. Das äußere Erscheinungsbild deutscher Güterwagen von 1864 bis heute.") The Author: Wolfgang Diener. Abend-Verlag, 1992. ISBN 3-926243-11-2.
• DB DV 754, Güterwagenvorschriften Teil 1 (Freight Wagon Regulations, Part 1), 15. 10. 1952
• DB DV 754, Güterwagenvorschriften Teil 1 (Freight Wagon Regulations, Part 1), 1. 10. 1959
• DB DV 754, Güterwagenvorschriften Teil 1 (Freight Wagon Regulations, Part 1), 1. 10. 1962
• DB Kundenbrief, 12/64, Die neue international vereinheitlichte Kennzeichnung der Güterwagen (The New International Standardized Identification Marking of Freight Wagons), page 186.
• DB Kundenbrief, Sonderdruck zu 6/71, Die einheitliche Kennzeichnung der Güterwagen (The Unified Identification Marking of Freight Wagons).
• DB Kundenbrief, Sonderdruck zu 1/80, Die einheitliche Kennzeichnung der Güterwagen (The Unified Identification Marking of Freight Wagons).
• DB Kundenbrief, Sonderdruck zu 4/80, Kennzeichnung der DB-Güterwagen (Identification Marking of Freight Wagons of the DB).
• Die Bundesbahn, 17/51, Rudolf Körner: Die neue Kennzeichnung und Nummerung der Güterwagen der Deutschen Bundesbahn (The New Identification Marking and Numbering of Freight Wagons of the DB), pages 592-594.
• Die Bundesbahn, 23/64, Eberhard von Olshausen: Das neue Kennzeichnungssystem für die Güterwagen (The New Identification Marking System for Freight Wagons, pages 948-963.
• ZEV Glasers Annalen, 11/65, Eberhard von Olshausen: Die internationale Einheitskennzeichnung der Güterwagen (The Standardized Identification Marking of Freight Wagons), pages 470-474.
• Güterwagen-Correspondenz ?/94, Nationale Kennbuchstaben bei Güterwagen der DB (National Identification Letters on Freight Wagons of the DB), page 53.
• Güterwagen-Correspondenz ?/94, Neue nationale Kennbuchstaben bei der DB AG (New National Identification Letters of the DB AG), page 117.
• Kupplung, 45 (4/96), Hermann Heless: ÖBB-Kennzeichnung der Güterwagen 1945-1970 (Identification Marking of Freight Wagons of the ÖBB 1945-1970), pages 1-5.
• Kupplung, 49 (10/97), Kennzeichnung der Güterwagen im internationalen Verkehr (Identification Marking of Freight Wagons in International Traffic), page 16.
• Eisenbahn 7/64, Reimar Holzinger: Neue Eisenbahn-Gattungszeichen (New Railway Identification Markings), pages 144-146.
• Die Modelleisenbahn, 1/62, J. Schimani: Die Bezeichnung der CSD-Güterwagen (The Identification Markings of CSD Wagons), pages 9, 10D.
• Eisenbahn-Magazin, 8/82, Wolfgang Diener: Städtenamen an Güterwagen (City Names on Freight Wagons), pages 19-23.
• Miniaturbahnen, 13/60, Peter Sonns: Neue internationale Gattungszeichen für Güterwagen (New International Classification Markings for Freight Wagons), pages 500-504.
• Miniaturbahnen, 10/69, H. Walter: Die neue Kennzeichnung der Güterwagen der DB (The New Identification Marking of Freight Wagons of the DB), pages 640-644.
• Modelleisenbahner, 7/85, Helmut Behrends, Wolfgang Hensel, Gerhard Wiedau: Güterwagen deutscher Eisenbahnen, Teil 12, Bezeichnung und Anschriften an Güterwagen von 1920 bis heute (Wagons of German Railways, Part 12, Classification of and Inscriptions on Wagons from 1920 to today), pages 15-18.
• Continental Modeller January/February '87, Guy Driffield: UIC identification codes (freight) - Part 1, pages 258, 265.
• Continental Modeller March/April '87, Guy Driffield: UIC identification codes (freight) - Part 2, pages 291, 292.
• Continental Modeller May/June '87, Guy Driffield: UIC identification codes (freight) - Part 3, pages 343, 344.
• Rail, 126, TOPS Wagon Codes - Part 1, page 37.
• Rail, 128, TOPS Wagon Codes - Part 2, page 45.
• Rail, 130, TOPS Wagon Codes - Part 3, page 45.
• Rail, 132, TOPS Wagon Codes - Part 4, page 3?.
• Rail, 136, TOPS Wagon Codes - Part 5, page 45.
• Rail, 140, TOPS Wagon Codes - Part 6, page 45.
• Rail, 142, TOPS Wagon Codes - Part 7, page 23.
• Railway Modeller, 12/82, Harry Drummond: British Rail TOPS Codes - 1, pages 440-442.
• Railway Modeller, 1/83, Harry Drummond: British Rail TOPS Codes - 2, pages 28-30.
• Railway Modeller, 2/83, Harry Drummond: British Rail TOPS Codes - 3, pages 54-56.
• Railway Modeller, 3/83, Harry Drummond: British Rail TOPS Codes - 4, pages 108-110.
• Railway Modeller, 4/83, Harry Drummond: British Rail TOPS Codes - 5, pages 138-140.
• Railway Modeller, 5/83, Harry Drummond: British Rail TOPS Codes - 6, pages 198, 199.
• Les cahier du modelisme, 13 (2/95), Roger Pichon: Le marquage des wagons, années 50 (Identification Markings on Wagons in the Fifties), pages 14-16.
• Les cahier du modelisme, 17 (2/96), Marquage des wagons - SNCF 1938 & Anciens Réseaux (Identification Markings on Wagons - SNCF 1938 and "Old Networks"), pages 30-34.
• Loco Revue, Fiches Documentaires, ancienne série (documentation sheets, old series):
  • 54^ème série:
    • Marquage SNCF wagons (SNCF Wagon Marking)
    • Marquage UIC wagons (UIC Wagon Marking)

Hier geht's zur deutschen Version

Zurück zur deutschen Homepage

Back to the English home page