PREFIXES OF MRS TRAINS

A scum train leaded by a mixed of GM and GE locomotives arriving to Horto Florestal yard in 2006. Photo from Gutierrez Lhamas


We are accustomed to hear prefixes of trains, but most of the time we didn't get to understand them. Each railroad has its prefix code and now we will study the prefixes used by MRS.

We will begin for the load type that the train is transporting, that in the prefix, it is designated by the first letter:

A - Sugar
B - Train Expressed (with schedules of departure and arrival defined, as well as their routes)
Example: BPU
C - several Loads (type general load, but with less preference regarding the same ones).
Examples: CCC, COC, CEC, CFC
E - Special Administrativo/Extra (Trains with personnel of it manages, extra trains)
Examples: EPE, ERE, ECP
F - Metallurgical Products
Examples: FCC, FZC
H - Paper
J - Cereals and Fruits
Examples: JDN
K - General Load
Examples: KPE, KRE, KSE, KKP, KCP, KCR, KEP, KER
L - Calcareous, limestone
N - Iron ore
Examples: NGA, NFZ, NZE, NUT, NEO, NFO, NO, NOO, NCE, NCF, NCC, NCZ, NEY, NVE, NLE, NAS
O - Fertilizers
P - Petroleum and derivates
Q - Coal / coque
Examples: QLV, QLZ, QRZ, QZL
R - Route Expressed
T - Ores no Ferrous
Examples: TOD, TDO (Bauxite for Aluminum)
W - Locomotives alone, ballast, fleet of rails
Examples: WOO, WCE, WZC, WCC, WEE, WEF, WFE, WLE, WOC, WEC
X - chemical Products / dangerous loads (diesel oil)
Examples: XEF, XFE, XPU, XUP

In second and third letters of the prefix, we found the ORIGIN and DESTINY of the train, respectively
A - Agua Claras terminal (current TOD - Olhos D'Água terminal)
C - Passage between Carandaí and km 482 (Including Lafaiete Bandeira)
D- Pari - Jundiaí
E- km 482 even Barreiro
F - Steel Railway
G - Guaíba
H - Barão de Mauá station
I - Perequê / Sand dunes
J - Japeri / Marine
K - Paranapiacaba / Manoel Feio
L - Saí/ Barra do Piraí
M - Rio Grande da Serra/ Brás
N - Santos
O - Aristides Lobo / Ilídio
P - Floriano / Manoel Feio
Q - Marítima station
R - Arará station
S - Porto de Sepetiba
T - Roosevelt / Itaim
U - Conceiçãozinha / Barnabé
V - Pulverização / Pombal
W - Ramirez Ramos Alves area
X - Dom Pedro II station
Y - Piaçaguera / Raiz da Serra
Z - Açominas branch

Now, we are going to the numbers:

Let us use the prefix NGA 0115

N - Ore
G - Island of Guaíba
A - TOD
01 - 1st empty train formed at the Island of Guaíba towards the shipment
15 - train formed on the 08th day*

* To form the prefix of the train, we needed two factors: if this circulating in the growing sense of the number of kilometers travelled, the prefix will be ODD (day x 2 - 1); in case it is decreasing, the prefix will have equal end (day x 2), be them emptiness or loaded, but it can have variations.

We will analyze one more prefix:

NFG 0530
N - Ore
F - Steel Railway (in that case, loaded train that left of the Rail Terminal of the Andaime, TFA, in Ibirité, Steel Railway, P1-03)
G - Island of Guaíba
05 - 5th train of ore of the 15 loaded in TFA
30 - day of the train (day x 2)

Now you can already decipher a prefix of train of MRS when it is visiting their lines. Gratitudes to the friend Michael Silva, for his help with this article.