Cushion cars use end-of-car cushioning units that let the coupler travel several inches farther than standard draft gear, soaking up impacts so boxcar or autorack loads arrive undamaged. The extra travel means extra slack, and a train with a block of cushion cars stretches and bunches far more than one made of standard cars. Engineers and yardmasters watch where cushions sit in a train because they change how it handles.
Heard on the job
Fifteen cushions together in the middle of the train, so expect a big run-in when you set the air.
Also heard as
- cushion car
- cushioned car
- EOC car