Railroad Trains Question-Please!?

Question

I have to do a report on railroad cars and why they are rectangular instead of another shape. Does anyone know what would happen if:

1) The car was square

2) The car was triangular

3) The car was trapezoidal

Websites would be appreciated (sources). Thanks for any help!

Answer 1

square cars would not be as stable, they would have a tendency to wobble side to side, the length gives them stability

triangular would not be as efficient for moving loads, not many pallets or boxes are triangular

same thing with trapezpoidal, and one other thing, lots of angled edges increases wind resistance so long cars with a minimum of space between them are more fuel efficient

Answer 2

Hi Bella, the reason rail vehicles are rectangular is most efficient use of space. Each railway system has a thing called a 'loading gauge'. This is the height above the rails & the distances each side of the rails that are safely usable by rail vehicles to allow clearance through tunnels, bridges, platforms & passing other trains.

  If rail vehicles were any of the shapes you mention above only a percentage of the possible space available would be at the loading gauge maximum-therefore the simple rectangle is the best use of a limited area.

  There are a few slight exceptions to this rule, for instance some of the tunnels on the London Underground are so small that the roofs of the trains that go through them are curved to fit the tunnel profile.

Answer 3

Efficient use of space. And, a railroad car's rigid strength comes from its rectangle design.  A typical car can carry from 100 to 130 tons of freight. Another shape of car would make that much weight unstable. The rectangle design also allows two trains to pass each other relatively close - reducing the area needed, and allows for narrow (cheaper to build) tunnels and bridges.

Answer 4

Why would anyone build a triangular railway carriage? That's just ridiculous. Obviously, the rectangular version is the most efficient use of space.

Answer 5

The rectangle allows for the even distribution of weight within the rail car AND allows for the heighth of over head bridges the train cars must pass under to be lower - saving the States and Railroads money as both the Railroad and the State pay for most bridges to be built.   The rectangle shape also allows for a more airodynamic shape while the car is moving within a train - lessing the wind drag and allows for greater fuel efficiency of the locomotives.  A square would cause the car to be too top heavy as the weight and short wheel axel to wheel axel distance would cause the car itself to have a "rock and roll" action, swaying the car to the left and right - causing the railcar to possibly derail.  A Triangle and trapeziod are not economical.

Answer 6

1), 2), 3) The rectangle is the most efficient shape for train cars hauling freight.