WAGON

Wagon is a concept derived from the English term wagon . The notion allows to refer to a car or carriage that moves through the rails of a railway . For example: "The air conditioning system of this car has broken and it is very hot" , "The dining car is full of people" , "This tourist train has a locomotive and four cars" .

There are different types of wagons. Passenger cars are those equipped for the transport of people . That's why they have seating, curtained windows and other amenities. It is important to note, however, that not all passenger cars are the same as there are several categories. There are wagons with cabins and beds, to name one case.

Among freight wagons , it is possible to differentiate those that are open from those that have a roof (ie, closed wagons ). The former are often used to transport coal, wood, metals and other materials , while the latter can carry food and other cargo that can be damaged if exposed to the open air.

Cattle are transported in cage wagons ; the gases and fluids in tank cars . The platform wagons , meanwhile, allowed to carry large containers.

If the substance being transported requires refrigeration, it is possible to use a refrigerated car . These are closed wagons that use different systems to keep the temperature at low levels.

The hopper wagon has the particularity of existing in two versions: open or closed. The open hopper is used to transport the following bulk materials: minerals; the ballast used to maintain the railway infrastructure; coal destined for power plants; stone that will be used for construction works. On the other hand, this type of wagon is also used to supply the metallurgical industry with coke and coal. The closed, on the other hand, transports products such as food, cement or salt, which cannot be exposed to inclement weather.

It should be noted, on the other hand, that the wagons must be hauled by a locomotive or another type of vehicle, since they do not have the elements to move autonomously.

The Izaak Walton Hotel , in the Essex community of the North American state of Montana, has made use of a series of abandoned wagons from the time of World War II to turn them into impressive rooms that attract thousands of tourists and lovers of the rail world each year . The first of the carriages belonged to a train that often passed through the area to collect coal for the boilers ; Obviously, on one of the trips, which took place shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, it broke off the rest of the machine and stayed there.

The remodeling that the Walton Hotel carried out on this and the other cars is worthy of recognition, since on the outside they look like new and inside it is difficult to understand that they are parts of such old trains . Far from the appearance and the few amenities that they had in their original version, they are currently luxury rooms, with fully equipped bathroom and kitchen and divisions to accommodate up to six people.

The style of the floors and walls is rustic, with wood finishes that give the feeling of being in an authentic vacation cabin ; In addition, since Montana is covered in snow in winter, there is no shortage of fireplaces. All this, added to the intimacy that comes with the fact that the carriages are not directly connected to each other or to the main hotel building, make the experience very particular and relaxing.