coal car

American  

noun

1. a railroad car designed to carry coal.

2. a car for hauling coal in or from a mine.

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Etymology

Origin of coal car

An Americanism dating back to 1855–60

Example Sentences

If a railroad sandwiches a group of empty railcars between two sets of heavy coal cars, those lighter cars are more likely to be squeezed and pop off the tracks when going downhill.

From Seattle Times

Atop of coal cars, they arrived at a displaced persons camp.

From Salon

They do not think of such vehicles as 27.4 percent coal cars — that being the percentage of U.S. electricity generated by coal-fired power plants.

From Washington Post

A jumbled mess of more than a dozen coal cars and disconnected wheelsets blocked vehicular traffic near the tracks after the derailment.

From Washington Times

When the coal cars were full and stopped beneath the bridge, some of the braver boys would even leap into them, plunging waist-deep into the loose coal.

From Literature