waWay freights, manifest freights, transfers, turns and other kinds of trains

[taholmes160]

Part of my project as I design the operation system for the San Luis and Rio Grande is that I want to get things more or less prototypical.  In various reading, I'm coming across various "types" of trains, and could use some clarity

not sure what they are called, the fast trains that run between major terminals such as what we see on the Virtual Railfan LaPlata cams (they are on the BNSF Transcon Line)

I know what unit trains are -- full trains of a type thinks like coal, sand, grain, oil etc

Way freight - Not sure on this one - Google defines it as a train that stops at way stations

Peddler Freight - also not sure

Manifest freight -- One site defined it as a train that has the manifest in the caboose??? my understanding was a train that had freight (Car Load or LCL) for different industries along a specific route

Turn - train that goes to a designated point and comes back either picking up something at that point (like an interchange turn) or????

Transfer - Moves freight between a couple of points within a specified division (Not sure)

I could really use some help

I have trains that make mine runs, taking empty cars to the mine, bringing back loads, I have trains that go pick up and drop off cars at interchanges, I have pass through trains.  I have trains that make runs over various sections of the railroad dropping off and picking up along the way, and I really need to get names on them

thanks
TIM

[Curtis Kyger]

Tim,

To be prototypically accurate would be to use the terminology used by your specific prototype railroad.  Each railroad used different terms.  Just like a car may have been called a caboose on one railroad, on the CB&Q it was a waycar.  So too each railroad called trains by different names (sometime almost like a regional dialect).
A Local would run out and switch various customers between two major crew change points.  On the Milwaukee these were referred to as Patrols.  Sometimes they're referred to as Peddlers on other roads.
A Turn would head out from a terminal to some far away place, like a town or industry, and then turn back to terminate at the same place it originated.
Industry Jobs would go out and switch one major industry (and maybe a few smaller ones thrown in too) and return to the terminal.
A Manifest hauls any car that appears on the train manifest: tank cars, covered hoppers, gondolas, box cars, etc.  A Unit Train hauls one type of freight (usually in one type of car) and typically goes from point A to point Z only stopping in route to change crews and refuel but without going into any classification yards.  Some trains are referred to by their Timetable Train Numbers or in some cases the trains have names, like the Ford Fast Freight.

[Curtis Kyger]

Transfers move trains from one terminal to another, usually within the same metropolitan area.  Interchanges run trains from one railroad to another, usually within the same metropolitan area.