Rolling stock

{{Short description|Railway vehicles, powered and unpowered}}

{{About|railway vehicles|the genre of motorsports|stock car racing}}

{{Train topics}}

The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, freight and passenger cars (or coaches), and non-revenue cars. Passenger vehicles can be un-powered, or self-propelled, single or multiple units.{{cite web |url=http://www.yaxham-light-railway.fsnet.co.uk/Rolling_Stock/rolling_stock.html |title=Yaxham Light Railway rolling stock page |access-date=2007-02-07 |archive-date=2015-09-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150920022854/http://www.yaxham-light-railway.fsnet.co.uk/Rolling_Stock/rolling_stock.html |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50208215?single=1&query_type=word&queryword=rolling-stock&first=1&max_to_show=10 |title=Definition of "rolling stock" from the Oxford English Dictionary accessed 5 February 2007 (subscription service) |access-date=5 February 2007 |archive-date=28 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928023113/https://public.oed.com/help/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/rollingstock?view=uk |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070306033115/http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/rollingstock?view=uk |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 6, 2007 |title=Definition of "rolling stock" from the Concise Oxford Dictionary}}{{cite web |url=http://www.bartleby.com/61/0/R0290000.html |title=Definition from the American Heritage Dictionary |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090222122020/http://www.bartleby.com/61/0/R0290000.html |archive-date=2009-02-22 }}

In North America, Australia and other countries, the term consist ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|ɒ|n|s|ɪ|s|t}} {{respell|KON|sist}}) is used to refer to the rolling stock comprising a train, a list containing specific information for each car of a train, or a group of locomotives.{{cite web |url=http://trn.trains.com/Railroad%20Reference/Railroading%20Glossary.aspx?letter=C |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140822084725/http://trn.trains.com/Railroad%20Reference/Railroading%20Glossary.aspx?letter=T |url-status= dead |archive-date= 22 August 2014 |title=Railroading glossary |author=|date=2014 |website=Trains |publisher=Kalmbach Media |access-date=24 February 2025 }}{{cite conference |url=https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/6937092 |title=The Snowtown to Port Pirie line |first=Des |last=McAuliffe |date=1999 |book-title=Proceedings of the 1999 convention |location=Adelaide |conference=Modelling the Railways of South Australia }}{{rp|1{{nbhyph}}129}}

In the United States, the term rolling stock has been expanded from the older broadly defined "trains" to include wheeled vehicles used by businesses on roadways.{{cite web| url=http://financial-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/rolling+stock| title=Rolling stock| website=The Free Dictionary| access-date=January 27, 2017| publisher=Farlex| archive-date=February 23, 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170223032601/http://financial-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/rolling+stock| url-status=live}}{{cite web| url=http://tax.illinois.gov/taxforms/sales/vehicleusetax/rut-7.pdf| title=RUT-7: Rolling Stock Certification| author=Illinois Department of Revenue| access-date=January 27, 2017| archive-date=July 5, 2018| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180705175941/http://tax.illinois.gov/taxforms/sales/vehicleusetax/rut-7.pdf| url-status=dead}}{{cite web| url=http://www.taxrates.com/blog/2016/01/12/michigans-rolling-stock-exemption/| title=Michigan's Rolling Stock Exemption| website=TaxRates| publisher=Avalara| access-date=January 27, 2017| archive-date=February 2, 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202040216/http://www.taxrates.com/blog/2016/01/12/michigans-rolling-stock-exemption/| url-status=live}}

The word stock in the term is used in a sense of inventory. Rolling stock is considered to be a liquid asset, or close to it, since the value of the vehicle can be readily estimated and then shipped to the buyer without much cost or delay.{{cite web| url=http://fsr.eui.eu/Documents/WorkshopPaper/Transport/2014/140428InfrastructureRollingStockObserver.pdf| pages=8–9| title=Rail infrastructure and rolling stock: investments, asset renewal and regulation| editor1-first=Matthias| editor1-last=Finger| editor2-first=Nadia| editor2-last=Bert| editor3-first=David| editor3-last=Kupfer| publisher=European University Institute, Florence School of Regulation| year=2014| access-date=2017-01-27| archive-date=2017-02-02| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202065435/http://fsr.eui.eu/Documents/WorkshopPaper/Transport/2014/140428InfrastructureRollingStockObserver.pdf| url-status=dead}}{{cite book| chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x-m7BAAAQBAJ&q=%22rolling+stock%22+as+liquid+asset&pg=PA416| via=Google Books| pages=416–417| chapter=36: Application of a Unified Reference Model Across Asset Types: Comparative Cases| title=Engineering Asset Management 2011: Proceedings of the Sixth World Congress on Engineering Asset Management| editor1-first=Jay| editor1-last=Lee| editor2-first=Jun| editor2-last=Ni| editor3-first=Jagnathan| editor3-last=Sarangapani| editor4-first=Joseph| editor4-last=Mathew| publisher=Springer| location=London| issn=2195-4356| isbn=978-1-4471-4993-4| lccn=2013934026| year=2014| first1=Y.| last1=Wijnia| first2=J.| last2=de Croon| first3=J.P.| last3=Liyanage}} The term contrasts with fixed stock (infrastructure), which is a collective term for the track, signals, stations, other buildings, electric wires, etc., necessary to operate a railway.