What is a Maintenance of Way (MOW) car?
These are “non-revenue” cars (so-called because they are not used to service paying customers) used by the railroad for upkeep on the track, roadbed, and surrounding infrastructure. These are typically older or damaged cars no longer suitable for high-speed work. They include things such as cranes, ballast cars (converted hoppers used to spread gravel between the ties), tie cars, rail cars, etc. Since they are usually fabricated by the shop crew out of whatever is available they come in a wider range of styles than ordinary cars.
