A hood is a rigid cover to protect a load on a flatcar, gondola or a coil car.[1] Gondola hoods developed from loose tarpaulin covers that were deemed unsatisfactory in damp climates;[2] but tarpaulins are still used as hoods in some cases.[3] For some gondola loads, hoods made of fiberglass were sufficient.[4] The hoods on coil cars were originally permanently attached to the cars when they were developed in the mid-20th century.[5]
Hoods could also be mounted on wheels enabling them to slide out of the way toward one end of the car for loading.[6]