Definition

Noun: 1. A type of freight car: A railroad car specifically designed for transporting coal. It is characterized by having fixed, high sides and no roof, allowing for easy loading and unloading of bulk coal.

Usage and Examples

• Noun:
  • The long train was made up of dozens of coal cars heading to the power plant.
  • Workers used a large shovel to load the coal car at the mine.
  • The design of the coal car prevents the cargo from shifting excessively during transit.

Advanced Usage

• The term coal car is a specific, functional name for this piece of railroad equipment. In formal or technical contexts, it may be part of a longer description, but the core term remains "coal car."
  • The railway company is upgrading its fleet of open-top coal cars.

Variants and Related Words

• Hopper car: A more general type of freight car with a trough-shaped bottom and doors that open to unload bulk material like coal, grain, or gravel. Not all coal cars are hopper cars, but many modern ones are.
• Gondola car: A freight car with low sides and no roof, used for heavy bulk materials. A coal car is a specific type of gondola car designed for coal.
• Freight car / Goods wagon: The general terms for any railroad car used to carry cargo.

Synonyms

• Coal wagon (chiefly British English)
• Open-top wagon

Notes on Meaning

• The definition is very specific to railroad transportation. It does not refer to a toy car, a car that burns coal, or a container for coal in a home setting (which would be a "coal scuttle" or "coal bucket").

Noun

1. freight car with fixed sides and no roof; for transporting coal