Freight train

High school (ages 12+)
Transportation

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/freight-train

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the primary mode of transport?Long-distance hauling of bulk commodities and manufactured goods
2. What is the technological evolution?Steam → Diesel-electric → Electric; development of specialized wagons and coupling systems
3. What is a freight train and what does it carry?Freight trains are trains that carry goods instead of people. They move things like cars, coal, grain, and many other products across the country.
4. How do freight trains move so many cars?Most freight trains use diesel‑electric locomotives. A diesel engine powers a generator that sends electricity to motors on the wheels, giving the train strong pull and good control.

Intermodalism: Shipping goods using multiple modes of transportation without handling the cargo itself.
Rolling Resistance: The force resisting motion when a body rolls on a surface, significantly lower for steel wheels on rails.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Gases released into the atmosphere that trap heat, contributing to climate change.