Flatcar

nounStandard termRailroad

A freight car with a flat, open deck and no sides or roof.

A versatile piece of freight equipment consisting of a heavy underframe and a flat wooden or steel deck. Flatcars are used to haul oversized loads, machinery, pipe, lumber, and intermodal containers that cannot fit into enclosed cars or gondolas.

Heard on the job

Tie down those steel plates on the flatcar before the inspector gets here.

Also heard as

  • Flat wagon