Goods, load securing and telescopic loaders in the preparation

If you choose the freight train specialty in the train preparation qualification, you learn a skill that the passenger train specialty does not require to the same degree: to load, unload and secure cargo on cars. Here the core is the same as elsewhere in the trade — thoroughness and systematicity — but the object of work is the cargo instead of the passengers.

A large part of the handling of goods on and around cargo vehicles is done with machines, including telescopic loaders. The machine has an extendable arm that makes it possible to lift and place load both high and far into the vehicle, which is practical when cargo vehicles need to be filled or emptied without having to drive right up with an ordinary vehicle. Operating such equipment safely requires training in the machine's weight limits, range and the blind spots the driver has from the cabin.

• 01Know the machine's lifting capacity at different arm extensions
• 02Keep an eye on blind spots and colleagues' position during lifting
• 03Distribute the load evenly — uneven distribution can affect the train's handling.
• 04Stop and ask if the load's weight or placement is in doubt

Goods that are not properly secured on a railway wagon can shift when the train accelerates, brakes or goes through curves — forces that on a long freight train can be significant. Load securing on railway wagons follows international loading regulations that stipulate how much a load may shift during normal operation and which securing methods — such as lashing, bracing or friction mats — should be used depending on the load's weight, shape and position on the wagon.

Each goods wagon has a maximum load and a maximum axle load, which is determined by the wagon's technical data and the infrastructure it runs on. Complying with this limit is just as important as securing the cargo itself: overloaded cargo — or cargo that is unevenly distributed so some axles are more loaded than others — can damage both the wagon itself and the track it runs on. Therefore, it is a fixed part of preparation to check that the total load stays within the wagon's permitted limits before it is finally secured for transport.

Goods vary enormously — from containers and pallets to loose bulk goods and heavy industrial items — and each type makes its own demands on how it is handled and secured. You therefore do not learn one fixed recipe, but a systematic way of assessing loads: how heavy is it, where is its centre of gravity, and what securing method suits this particular load on this particular vehicle.

Before goods are loaded on a vehicle, their weight must be known and recorded — not guessed. It's the prerequisite for both distributing the load correctly on the vehicle and controlling that the total load stays within the vehicle's allowable limits. A habit of estimating weight 'by eye' has no place in the trade, no matter how experienced you are.

Although cargo securing and machine operation is extra expertise the passenger train specialty does not require in the same way freight train preparation rests on exactly the same foundation as the rest of the trade: coupling brake inspection and systematic inspection before clearance. The cargo is just one more thing that must be in order before you can say the train is ready.

“A freight car with a perfect brake test and poorly secured cargo is still a train that should not run.”