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A Schnabel car or Schnabel wagon is a specialized type of Rail transport Goods wagon. It is designed to carry heavy and oversized loads in such a way that the load makes up part of the car. The load is suspended between the two ends of the cars by lifting arms; the lifting arms are connected to an assembly of that distribute the weight of the load and the lifting arm over many wheels.
When a Schnabel car is empty, the two lifting arms are connected to one another and the car can usually operate at normal freight train speeds. Some Schnabel cars include hydraulic equipment that will either lift or horizontally shift the load while in transit (at very low speeds) to clear obstructions along the car's route. As of 2012, there were 31 Schnabel cars operating in Europe, 30 in North America, 25 in Asia, and one in Australia.
[[File:Type of heavy capacity wagon.png|thumb|left|Types of heavy capacity railroad cars:
A: Depressed-center flatcar
B: Schnabel car (self-supporting load)
C: Well hole car.
In this figure, black indicates parts of the car and gray is the cargo.]]
The second largest Schnabel car in service, owned by ABB, bears the CEBX 800 registration, and is used in North America. Built by Krupp AG, it has 36 axles (18 for each half). Each half has 9 linked together by a complex system of . Its tare weight (empty mass) is . When empty, this wagon is long. It can carry a load of long and .Tom Daspit, CEBX 800 read (Retrieved 2010-01-22).
In World War II, the German Wehrmacht used Schnabel cars for transporting the Karl-Gerät heavy-calibre (54 cm and 60 cm calibre) siege mortars. These were self-propelled with a continuous-track suspension chassis of substantial length to maneuver into a firing position over a short range, but depended on a pair of purpose-designed Schnabel cars for long-range transport by rail. The same system was also used at the same time for the rail transport of the French FCM 2C super-heavy armoured fighting vehicle.
In the United States, the first Schnabel car, WECX 200, was built for Westinghouse Nuclear by manufacturer Greenville Steel Car in the 1960s.
A 1972 patent application granted in 1974 described a Schnabel car claimed to be simplified and easier to use.
, there are few Schnabel cars in the world because it is a niche mode of transport and because moving huge loads at low speeds affects other railway operations. Heavy-haul and oversize transport companies prefer moving large loads on a hydraulic modular trailer, which works faster and cheaper than the railroad. Heavy loads from Schnabel cars can be shifted to a hydraulic modular trailer along with the arms and bolster, keeping the load intact.
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