ABSTRACT
T h e last chapter was intended to make quite clear the distinction between the net freight train load and the gross train load. We mentioned the case of a train load of 50 wagons of grain whereof the gross load was 920 tons and the freight load 600 tons, the tare ratio being 35 per cent. In an empty train the tare weight is the gross load (the freight load would be nil), the gross load being the sum of the wagons without any freight ; the tare ratio in such cases is therefore 100 per cent. Assuming for the moment that the grain train selected for example represents the high-water mark of goods train loading from the point of view of tare ratio, then the tare ratio may vary at any figure within the range of 35 to 100 per cent. It is the operating officer’s business to be on the constant qui vive to keep this tare ratio at the lowest possible level.
