Coal Car Weight

I see coal cars that say LD Limit 242,300 and LT WT 42,000, etc. Is the total weight of the loaded car BOTH of those values added together? Thanks.

Denver Dude wrote:I see coal cars that say LD Limit 242,300 and LT WT 42,000, etc. Is the total weight of the loaded car BOTH of those values added together? Thanks.

The 242,300 lbs. figure is the maximum loaded weight for the car, the 42K lbs. is the empty weight. Rail crews need to know both figures for calculating the amount of HP needed to pull a given number of cars, bridge weight allowances, etc..
If you SUBTRACT the second number from the first one you will derive the amount by weight of product (coal) the car is designed to carry.

v8interceptor wrote:

v8interceptor wrote:

Denver Dude wrote:I see coal cars that say LD Limit 242,300 and LT WT 42,000, etc. Is the total weight of the loaded car BOTH of those values added together? Thanks.

The 242,300 lbs. figure is the maximum loaded weight for the car, the 42K lbs. is the empty weight. Rail crews need to know both figures for calculating the required horsepower (i..e number of locomotives) needed to pull a given number of cars, bridge weight allowances, etc..
If you SUBTRACT the second number from the first one you will derive the amount by weight of product (coal) the car is designed to carry;in this case 200,300 lbs. (100.15 tons)..

With respect, that is incorrect.

Dude, you are close... adding the two gives you the maximum ALLOWABLE total (gross) weight.

The LD (load) limit is the maximum weight of combined lading/dunnage. The LT WT (light weight) is the empty, or tare weight of the car. Adding those two together will give you the maximum allowable gross weight of the car. While there are exceptions, most cars have a maximum gross weight of either 286,000, 263,000 or 220,000 lbs.

Here's a 263K GWR car

http://gaphotoedge.com/trax/wide/toallm ... eit_lg.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This
http://trn.trains.com/railroads/abcs-of ... r-markings" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
little article by th editors of "Trains" magazine seems to be in agreement with Cowford.
"LD Limit" appears to mean the limiting LOAD: the maximum permissible amount of cargo you can put in the car. Add the "LT WT"(=Light Weight), the weight of the empty car, and you get the maximum permissible mass of the loaded car: loading it heavier than that, in the judgment of the AAR mechanical standards-setters, would risk mechanical failure of the wheel bearings.