What system is now used for keeping up with railroad cars? I don't see "bar codes" on the cars anymore.

What system is now used for keeping up with railroad cars? I don’t see “bar codes” on the cars anymore.

Best answer:

Railroad cars, and locomotives, in North America have attached to their frames what are called AEI (Automatic Equipment Identification) tags, which are basically radio-frequency ID tags embedded in epoxy. At regular spacing along the tracks, there are AEI scanners which tie into the railroads’ computer systems and provide an active update of the cars’ location.

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3 Comments for What system is now used for keeping up with railroad cars? I don't see "bar codes" on the cars anymore.

  • 1. Glenco2  |  May 14th, 2008 at 3:52 am

    I believe there is a box attached to the side of the car that can be read electronically as the car passes.

  • 2. Ridgerunner  |  May 14th, 2008 at 4:24 am

    Kb9 either work for a Railroad or is a fanatic, He is right.

  • 3. railfan2006  |  May 14th, 2008 at 4:58 am

    kb9 is right on the money! I saw this on a documentary about freight trains. Everything’s gone high tech nowadays. These trains/cars are tracked from a central location/dispatch center.

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