All of us must have noticed a four, five and six-digit number printed on a train coach. Have you ever asked yourself what this number indicates? In fact, this number provides vital information about the train that a passenger should know.
Let’s understand the hidden meaning of this nomenclature.
The first two digits of the number indicate the year of manufacture. Suppose you see 02052 written on a coach. From this you can know the year when the coach is manufactured. The first two digits 02 indicate this. So, from this, it is clear that the specific coach is manufactured in 2002.
What do the rest three digits mean? From these digits, you can know about the type of coach.
From the above example, the train’s three digits are 052. From this, it can be understood that it is AC II-tier.
Here is how one can know about the type of coach.
If the number minus the first two digits is from 001 to 025, it is AC First Class. Similarly, 026-050, 051-100, 101-150, 151-200, 201-400, 401-600, 601-700 and 701-800 indicate AC First Class cum AC II-tier, AC II-tier, AC III-tier, AC Chair Car, Sleeper 2nd Class, General 2nd Class (Unreserved Class), II Class, Sitting cum Luggage Rake respectively.
If the number is more than 800, it is to be understood that the coach is meant for Pantry, Generator or mail purposes.