Hood (rail transport)

A hood is a rigid cover to protect a load on a flatcar, gondola or a coil car.^[1] Gondola hoods developed from loose tarpaulin covers that were deemed unsatisfactory in damp climates;^[2] but tarpaulins are still used as hoods in some cases.^[3] For some gondola loads, hoods made of fiberglass were sufficient.^[4] The hoods on coil cars were originally permanently attached to the cars when they were developed in the mid-20th century.^[5]

Hoods could also be mounted on wheels enabling them to slide out of the way toward one end of the car for loading.^[6]