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:Wagon numbering system in India

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{{redirect|Carriage numbering system|the rolling stock numbering system in the United Kingdom|British carriage and wagon numbering and classification}}

Indian Railways operates India's railway system and comes under the purview of the Ministry of Railways of Government of India. Indian Railways operates more than 4000 cargo and goods trains daily.{{cite web|url=https://indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/view_section.jsp?lang=0&id=0,1|title=About Indian Railways|publisher=Indian Railways|access-date=1 January 2024}} It hauls variety of cargo to cater to various requirements and have specialized rolling stock corresponding to the cargo hauled. Indian Railways uses a specific wagon numbering system, adopted in 2003.{{cite web|url=http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/directorate/mec_engg/downloads/freight/New_Wagon_Numb_Sys.pdf|title=Circular by Ministry of Railways|date=4 July 2003|via=Railway Board}}

Classification

Wagons are allocated 11 digit codes for identification.{{cite web|title=Wagon Numbering System|url=http://trainguard.in/eleven-digit-wagon-numbering-system/|publisher=Trainguard|access-date=6 December 2020}} The first two digits indicate the wagon type, the next two digits indicate wagon ownership, the fifth and sixth digits indicate the year of manufacture, the seventh through tenth digits indicate unique wagon number and the last digit is a check digit.

Wagon type

These two digits indicate the type of wagon.{{cite web|url=http://icfbogie.com/wp/wagons/|title=Types and definition of wagons|publisher=Integral Coach Factory|access-date=1 December 2023}} There are 243 types of rolling stock used for cargo operations.{{cite web|url=https://www.fois.indianrail.gov.in/RailSAHAY/Home.jsp|title=Cargo wagons|publisher=Indian Railways|access-date=1 December 2023}} These include covered wagons, boxcars, flat wagons, flatbeds, open wagons, hoppers, containers, automobile carriers, defense vehicle carriers and tankers.{{cite report|url=https://secr.indianrailways.gov.in/uploads/files/1596631341023-Freight.pdf|title=Types of freight cars|publisher=Indian Railways|access-date=1 December 2023}}{{cite web|url=https://irfca.org/faq/faq-stock2.html|title=Cargo and other rolling stock|publisher=IRFCA|access-date=1 December 2023}}

File:Indian Railways BCNHL freight wagon.jpg

File:BCACBM - B, The car container wagon ( Indian Railways) 2.jpg

File:Tank Wagon (BTPNM).jpg

File:BLC Wagon, Indian Railways.jpg

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|+Wagon type classification{{cite web|url=https://www.irfca.org/faq/faq-stock2.html#freight|title=Wagon numbering|publisher=IRFCA|access-date=1 December 2023}}

!Classification

!Prefix

Track gauge

|

Wagon type

|

  • B {{ndash}} Bogie wagon
  • BV {{ndash}} Brake van
  • V {{ndash}} Brake/parcel van
  • O {{ndash}} Open wagon
  • C {{ndash}} Covered wagon
  • F {{ndash}} Flat car
  • FK {{ndash}} Flat car for container transport
  • FU {{ndash}} Well wagon
  • LA {{ndash}} Low flat car with standard buffer height
  • LB {{ndash}} Low flat car with low buffer height
  • LAB {{ndash}} Low flat car, one end with low buffer, the other with high buffer
  • R {{ndash}} Rail-carrying wagon
  • T {{ndash}} Tanker
  • U {{ndash}} Well wagon
  • W {{ndash}} Well wagon
  • K {{ndash}} Open wagon: ballast/material/refuse transport
  • C {{ndash}} Centre discharge
  • S {{ndash}} Side discharge
  • R {{ndash}} Rapid (forced) discharge, bottom discharge
  • X {{ndash}} Both centre and side discharge
  • X {{ndash}} High sided
  • Y {{ndash}} Low (medium) side walls
  • L {{ndash}} Low sided
  • H {{ndash}} Heavy load
Coupling

|

  • C {{ndash}} Center buffer
  • R {{ndash}} Screw
  • T {{ndash}} Transition
  • N {{ndash}} Air-braked
  • M {{ndash}} Military

; Wagon type code

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|+ Open Wagon

style="background:lightskyblue;" | Code

!10

!11

!12

!13

!14

!15

!16

!17

!18

!19

!20

!21

!22

!24

style="background:lightskyblue;" | Type

|BOXN{{cite web|url=http://www.braithwaiteindia.com/openwagon.html|title=Bogie Open Type -BOXN primarily for transporting iron ore|publisher=Brathwaite India|access-date=1 December 2023}}

|BOXNHA

|BOXNHS

|BOXNCR

|BOXNLW

|BOXNB

|BOXNF

|BOXNG

|BOY

|BOST{{cite web|url=http://www.titagarh.biz/opentopwagon2.html|title=Bogie Open Type -BOST primarily for transporting iron ore|publisher=Titagarh wagons|access-date=1 December 2023}}

|BOXNAL

|BOSTHS

|BOXNHL

|BOXNS

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|+ Covered Wagon

style="background:lightskyblue;" | Code

!30

!31

!32

style="background:lightskyblue;" | Type

|BCNA{{cite web|url=http://www.braithwaiteindia.com/closedwagon.html|title=Bogie Covered Type -BCNA primarily for transporting food grains or cement|publisher=Brathwaite India|access-date=1 December 2023}}

|BCNAHS

|BCCNR{{cite web|url=http://www.traintrackers.com/wagons_html/BCCNR.html|title=Single-deck automobile carrier wagon|publisher=Traintrackers|access-date=1 December 2023}}

class="wikitable"style="text-align:center;"style="font-size: 100%"

|+ Tank Wagon

style="background:lightskyblue;" | Code

!40

!41

!42

!43

!44

!45

!46

!47

style="background:lightskyblue;" | Type

|BTPN{{cite web|url=http://www.braithwaiteindia.com/fuelwagon.html|title=Petrol/Fuel Tank Wagon|publisher=Brathwaite India|access-date=1 December 2023}}

|BTPNHS

|BTPGLN{{cite web|url=http://www.braithwaiteindia.com/lpgwagon.html|title=LPG Tank Wagon|publisher=Brathwaite India|access-date=1 December 2023}}

|BTALN

|BTCS{{cite web|url=http://www.braithwaiteindia.com/sodawagon.html|title=Caustic Soda Tank Wagon|publisher=Brathwaite India|access-date=1 December 2023}}

|BTPH

|BTAP{{cite web|url=http://www.touaxtexmaco.com/content/btap-alumina-wagon|title=Bogie Alumina Tank Wagon(BTAP)|publisher=Touaxtexmco|access-date=1 December 2023}}

|BTFLN{{cite web|url=http://www.touaxtexmaco.com/content/btfln-pol-wagon-light-weight|title=New generation Bogie Frameless Tank (BTFLN) wagons|publisher=Touaxtexmco|access-date=1 December 2023}}

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|+ Flat Wagon

style="background:lightskyblue;" | Code

!53

!54

!55

!56

!57

!58

!59

!60

!61

!62

!63

!64

!65

!66

!67

!68

!69

style="background:lightskyblue;" | Type

|BLCSA

|BLCSB

|BRNA{{cite web|url=http://www.titagarh.biz/flatwagon2.html|title=BRNA Flat wagons for transporting rails etc.|publisher=Titagarh wagons|access-date=1 December 2023}}

|BRNAHS

|BFNS{{cite web|url=http://www.titagarh.biz/flatwagon1.html|title=BFNS Flat Wagon used for carrying coil|publisher=Titagarh wagons|access-date=1 December 2023}}

|BOMN{{cite web|url=http://www.bemlindia.com/documents/Products/Defence/Eqpt%20Spec/BOMN%20Wagon.pdf|title=Bogie Open Military Wagon|publisher=BEML India|access-date=1 December 2023}}

|BRSTH

|BFAT

|BLCA{{cite web|url=http://www.titagarh.biz/containerwagon1.html|title=BLC-A Container Flat Wagon|publisher=Titagarh wagons|access-date=1 December 2023}}

|BLCB{{cite web|url=http://www.titagarh.biz/containerwagon2.html|title=BLC-B Container Flat Wagon|publisher=Titagarh wagons|access-date=1 December 2023}}

|BLLA{{cite web|url=http://www.touaxtexmaco.com/sites/touax/files/BLLA%20%26%20B.pdf|title=Bogie Low Platform Longer Container Flat Wagon|publisher=Touaxtexmco|access-date=1 December 2023}}

|BLLB

|BRS

|BFU

|BRHNEHS

|BCL

|BCLA

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|+ Hopper Wagon

style="background:lightskyblue;" | Code

!70

!71

!72

!73

!74

!75

style="background:lightskyblue;" | Type

|BOBYN{{cite web|url=http://www.titagarh.biz/hopperwagon2.html|title=BOBYN Hopper Wagon primarily for carrying and discharging ballast|publisher=Titagarh wagons|access-date=1 December 2023}}

|BOBYNHS

|BOBRN{{cite web|url=http://www.titagarh.biz/hopperwagon1.html|title=BOBRN Hopper Wagon primarily for transporting coal|publisher=Titagarh wagons|access-date=1 December 2023}}

|BOBRNHS

|BOBRAL

|BOBSN

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|+ Well Wagon

style="background:lightskyblue;" | Code

!80

!81

!82

!83

style="background:lightskyblue;" | Type

|BWTB

|MBWT

|DBKM

|MBWZ

class="wikitable"style="text-align:center;"style="font-size: 100%"

|+ Brake Van

style="background:lightskyblue;" | Code

!85

!86

!87

style="background:lightskyblue;" | Type

|BVZC

|BVZI{{cite web|url=http://www.jessop.co.in/wagons/bvzi.php|title=Indian goods brake van with eight wheels (BVZI)|publisher=Jessop|access-date=1 December 2023}}

|BVCM

Wagon ownership

These third and fourth digits indicate the wagon ownership. This might correspond to specific railway zone or other entities.

{{col-begin}}

{{col-3}}

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! Code

! Zone

! {{tooltip|Abbr.|Abbreviation}}

01

| Central Railway

| style="text-align:center;" | CR

02

| Eastern Railway

| style="text-align:center;" | ER

03

| Northern Railway

| style="text-align:center;" | NR

04

| North East Railway

| style="text-align:center;" | NER

05

| Northeast Frontier

| style="text-align:center;" | NFR

06

| Southern

| style="text-align:center;" | SR

07

| South East

| style="text-align:center;" | SER

08

| Western

| style="text-align:center;" | WR

{{col-3}}

class="sortable wikitable"style="text-align:left;"style="font-size: 100%"

! Code

! Zone

! {{tooltip|Abbr.|Abbreviation}}

09

| South Central

| style="text-align:center;" | SCR

10

| East Central

| style="text-align:center;" | ECR

11

| North Western

| style="text-align:center;" | NWR

12

| East Coast

| style="text-align:center;" | ECoR

13

| North Central

| style="text-align:center;" | NCR

14

| South East Central

| style="text-align:center;" | SECR

15

| South Western

| style="text-align:center;" | SWR

16

| West Central

| style="text-align:center;" | WCR

{{col-3}}

class="sortable wikitable"style="text-align:left;"style="font-size: 100%"

! No.

! Zone

! {{tooltip|Abbr.|Abbreviation}}

24

|Ministry of Defence

|MoD

25

|Container Corporation of India

|CONCOR

26

|Private

|Others

{{col-end}}

Year of manufacture

These fifth and sixth digits indicate the last two digits of the year of manufacture. For example, a wagon manufactured in 2016 will have a code of 16.

Individual Wagon number

Seventh to tenth digits indicate a unique four-digit individual wagon number. This is a running serial number from 0001 to 9999 with numbers from 0001 to 0999 indicating wagons used by departments of Indian Railways and numbers 1000 to 9999 are for other traffic.

Check digit

The last digit is a check digit, which is calculated using a six-step algorithm as indicated below.{{cite web|url=http://indianrailwayemployee.com/content/wagon-numbering-system|title=Example for the calculation of finding the check digit|publisher=Indian Railways|access-date=1 December 2023}} Let the first ten digits be represented by C1 to C10 with C1 being the first digit, C2 the second digit and so on.


Step 1 : Starting from the left, add all the characters in the even position.

S1 = C2 + C4 + C6 + C8 + C10


Step 2 : Multiply the sum by 3 to get S1 x 3


Step 3 : Starting from the left, add all the Characters in the odd position.

S2 = C1 + C3 + C5 + C7 + C9


Step 4 : Add the sum of step 2 to the sum of step 3 to get S4 = S1 x 3 + S2


Step 5 : Round this total up to the next multiple of 10.


Step 6 : The check digit is the number required to the added to round up to the next

multiple of 10. If the total is already a multiple of 10, the check digit will be zero.

For example, if the first ten digits are given by 3110169521


Step 1 : S1 = C2 + C4 + C6 + C8 + C10 = 1 + 0 + 6 + 5 + 1 = 13


Step 2 : S1 × 3 = 39


Step 3 : S2 = C1+ C3 + C5 + C7 + C9 = 3 + 1 + 1 + 9 + 2 = 16


Step 4 : S4= S1 × 3 + S2 = 39 + 16 = 55


Step 5 : Next 10th multiple of 55 = 60


Step 6 : Check digit = 60 - 55 = 5


Hence the eleventh digit is assigned as 5 for this particular wagon.

References

{{reflist|2}}

{{Indian Railways}}

Category:Railway coaches of India

Category:Rail transport operations