Back to Basics 2: Types of Cars/A Brief Overview of Train Symbols

In the 2nd installment of the "Back to Basics" series, I take a look at some of the different types of rail cars you'll typically see and then we look at how those types can translate to train symbols in some cases!
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[@JJbytheRails]

Great video.

[@northeasternilrailfan6421]

Thanks for watching!

[@OkieOtaku]

Your forgetting a couple car types.... First, a correction. The flatcar is actually similar to a flatbed trailer, and not usually referring to the intermodal car used for semi trailers (they can be used for a single intermodal containers though, so not just for trailers). Vehicles, tanks, tractors, misc equipment, etc can be seen on these.
Second, there's the car type used for lumber. I don't know what they call them, but you'll see a spine down the center of them (10:34 features of them).
As for intermodals, there's 3 types of containers, box, tanker, and flatbed. Theres 4 sizes of box containers, 20 foot (which you forgot to mention), 40', 40' HC, and 53'. HC=high cube. They're a few inches taller than the standard heigh of a 20 and 40 foot, and I've only seen this on the 40' and 53'. All 53' are High Cubes, and yes, are known as domestics for a good reason too. North America is pretty much the only place that uses 53' trailers, though I do know they are often loaded in China where they are usually manufactured, and sent stateside loaded to offset shipping costs to the purchasing freight/trucking company. When I worked for Schneider Intermodal, it wasn't uncommon to see a unit that had been loaded in China for delivery here when they bought new containers. Basically makes delivery of the container free for them, and they make some money off it at the same time. As for intermodal tank sizes, I've only ever seen 2 sizes, 20 and 40. Flatbed intermodal is rare to see. In my 2 years doing intermodal acros about a dozen differant markets, and 5 years in the trucking industry in general, pretty sure I can still count on 1 hand the number of time's I've seen them. It's like finding a shiny Pokemon 😂
Interestingly though, refer intermodals more often than not seem to not be legal for use in California...... At least that's what the stickers always say, lol. Never knew why, probably something to do with the deisel powered generators they use?

[@northeasternilrailfan6421]

You're right, some car types were omitted because if I went through every single type there is we'd be here for hours. The aim of this series is not to be a comprehensive list but an overview from the hobbyist perspective, and that last part is the important part. I don't work for the railroad, or even for a shipper, so my knowledge is limited to what I can find out and observe from the outside. This is why I referred broadly to the cars used for piggy back service as flat cars, because the railroads do: TOFC is from what I've seen still the standard term for that service. This is also why I didn't go through every possible container type.
And yes, I will admit I forgot to put the lumber cars in, which are called centerbeams.
Thanks for watching!