Talk:UIC identification marking for tractive stock

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Did I get the disambiguation right? Others may have better info!

I live in the USA and am most familiar with Whyte notation for steam (eg 4-6-2 for Pacific). I'm used to AAR notations like A1A-A1A for diesel-electric locomotives. There are 2 articles for UIC systems of notation - one for locomotives (which is a more versatile and complex version of the AAR notation) and this article which describes a newer system that I've seldom seen before. The newer system, at least largely, is used for multiple-unit equipment, such as subway trains.

So I've edited the Wikipedia:Hatnote. However, the hatnote probably isn't right yet. The newer system provides lots of info, but it does not contain any direct indication of axle arrangements, bogies (we call them "trucks"), etc. So both the older and newer UIC systems will be of interest to railfans, at least. The problem is how to explain the distinction in some comprehensible way. Oaklandguy (talk) 01:55, 11 September 2016 (UTC)[reply]

They're for totally different purposes. The UIC classification of locomotive axle arrangements is, as you say, like the Whyte and AAR notations. This article is about the individual identification numbers that are painted on the sides of locomotives. It's nothing to do with axle configurations. Hope that helps. --Bermicourt (talk) 07:43, 11 September 2016 (UTC)[reply]