Wagonvignette|Wagon couvert européen (type Gbs) Un wagon (, ou en Belgique ) est un véhicule destiné au transport par chemin de fer des animaux ou des marchandises et incapable de se mouvoir par lui-même. vignette|Wagon-trémie couvert à deux essieux européen type Tdgs-v de la DB. Dans le jargon ferroviaire, on distingue habituellement deux grands types de véhicules remorqués. On parle de wagons pour les marchandises ou les animaux et de voitures pour les passagers, même si au on parlait de wagons voyageurs et la Compagnie internationale des wagons-lits utilisait les noms de wagon-lits ou de wagon-restaurant.
AustauschbauartThe so-called Austauschbauart wagons were German railway vehicles produced from the late 1920s onwards which had common components built to agreed standards. The German term Austauschbau ('interchangeable component manufacture') is a manufacturing concept. The idea was initially used in the field of mechanical engineering, but is now the basis for industrial mass production techniques. The basis of Austauschbau manufacture is that: Any quantity of part 'A' produced at different times and in different places, must match any quantity of a similarly produced part 'B' without further finishing being required.
Wagon couvertUn wagon couvert est un type de wagon ferroviaire constitué d'une caisse, généralement en bois, couverte d'un matériau étanche permettant de transporter des marchandises craignant l'eau ou d'une certaine fragilité. Dans certaines circonstances, ces wagons furent amenés à transporter des hommes. Afin de permettre chargements et déchargements, ce type de wagon comporte une ou deux portes de grande largeur par côté. En Amérique du Nord, le wagon couvert est appelé Boxcar (« wagon-boîte »).
KriegsbauartKriegsbauart (German, 'wartime class') refers to railway goods wagon classes that were developed during the Second World War for the Deutsche Reichsbahn. The start of the war was an arbitrary dividing line for the classification of goods wagons, and did not represent any technological change. In the period shortly before the war, goods wagons were already being designed from a military perspective. This was particularly true for the stake wagons of 1938, which are occasionally referred to as a 'pre-war class' (Vorkriegsbauart) of wagons.
Wagon-tombereauvignette|Un wagon-tombereau ancien. thumb|upright=1.5|Un wagon-tombereau standard UIC. Un wagon-tombereau est un wagon ferroviaire destiné au transport de marchandises en vrac. Ce nom de tombereau lui vient de la caisse qu'il porte. Les wagons-tombereaux appartiennent au type E de la classification UIC. Historiquement, les wagons-tombereaux font partie du parc initial de beaucoup de compagnies. De même que les wagons couverts, leur usage est en baisse constante du fait de la diminution des marchandises en vrac.
Goods wagons of welded constructionGoods wagons of welded construction (Güterwagen der geschweißter Bauart) were developed and built by the Deutsche Reichsbahn in Germany from 1933 to about 1945. With the introduction of welding technology in 1933 almost all wagon components were joined by welding and no longer by rivetting. This enabled goods wagons to be designed, for example, for higher speeds or for higher payloads through the use of different types of steel and other engineering changes, but their further development was so heavily influenced by the exigencies of the Second World War that, as early as 1939, the Deutsche Reichsbahn had to temper the design of goods wagons to the new economic circumstances.
German state railway normsIn German railway engineering, norms (Normalien) are standards for the design and production of railway vehicles. In the 1880s and 1890s, Prussian norms were developed for the locomotives, tenders and wagons of the Prussian state railways under the direction of the railway director responsible for railway engineering, Moritz Stambke. Later, these were largely adopted by the other state railways (Länderbahnen) in Germany.
Wagon platLe wagon plat est le type le plus simple de wagon de marchandises. Il est composé, outre son châssis et les éléments de traction d'un plancher, parfois bordé de ridelles. Certains comportent aussi des ranchers qui permettent de retenir la charge en fournissant un appui latéral, mais aussi un point d'ancrage pour des sangles. Les wagons plats sont destinés à transporter de nombreuses marchandises, ne craignant pas la pluie ni les éléments.
