Types of Goods Trains
1. Shunting Trains
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Carries inward loaded wagons and empties to be supplied for loading at intermediate stations and pickup outward loaded or empty wagons from those stations.
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These trains perform only shunting at intermediate stations and no loading/ unloading is done on the train.
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Wagons detached enroute as sick and subsequently made fit are also collected.
2. Pilots
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Apart from inward and outward traffic in wagon loads, wagons are also loaded in large numbers at Sidings, Goods terminals, Transhipment points, Industrial areas like steel plants etc.
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Outward and inward between above places and marshalling yards are generally cleared by running of pilots.
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For clearing an outward load, an engine with or without BV and Guard is sent from nearest yard to siding.
3. Through Goods Trains
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One Marshalling Yard to next Marshalling Yard without any shunting enroute.
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Resorting done only in next Marshalling Yard.
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A train load which bypasses one or more Marshalling Yard is known as Block load.
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Block loads are given progressive number each month to see how many are run during the month.
4.Point Loads
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All wagons are meant to be unloaded at a particular point.
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Eg. Full train load of coal wagons to a particular thermal power house.
5. Unit Trains
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Integral movement of Goods, usually one particular commodity, moving from a sinlge origin to a single destination on a regular schedule using dedicated equipment and moving under a special tariff requiring annual minimum tonnage is called Unit Trains.
Essential features of Unit Trains are:
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They move between two fixed points on a fixed timetable basis.
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Rakes are dedicated exclusively for such services and no shunting is permitted enroute.
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Bypasses all intermediate yards. No sorting required.
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Loading/unloading operations at originating and destination stations are fully mechanized so that turn round at terminals are drastically curtailed.
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Entire train load is consigned by and consigned to a single consignor so that documentation is for a train load.
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Rolling stock is normally owned by users on whose behalf railways work the unit trains. Users guarantee a minimum quantum of traffic per annum and railways offer a reduced rate for transport of goods.
Advantages of Unit Trains
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Intensive utilization of freight car: Move on a tight schedule, bypasses intermediate yards. Terminal detentions are reduced due to mechanized loading/unloading. As a result utilization of freight cars is high.
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Relief to intermediate yards
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Special wagons: Tare weight can be reduced as they are not subjected to humping etc.
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Reduction in accounting and paper work as documentation is for train load.
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No damage/ loss to consignments and hence reduced claim.
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More orderly operation.
6. Merry Go Round (MGR) Trains
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Formed with bottom discharge hopper wagons which are loaded mechanically from overhead bunkers in the collieries while the train is in slow motion.
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Loaded wagon is moved to thermal power station at normal speed.
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At unloading line doors of wagons are opened through mechanical shaft devices and coal is discharged from bottom into underground bunkers.
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Doors are similarly closed at the exit end of the unloading line.
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Entire loading/unloading operations take hardly 45 minutes with 30 hopper wagons.
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Crew changing, electronic weighing, billing, documentation all is done while the train is in slow motion.
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NTPC have MGR system for thermal power house at Ramagundam, Singrauli etc.
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Advantages : High productivity of Rolling stock, regular movement, less investment in track by way of loading/unloading yards.
7. Freight Liners
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Freight Liners are fully containerized traffic.
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Run between container terminals on large scales.
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Loading/ unloading is mechanized and as such detention to rakes at terminals is reduced to minimum.