Next time you see a European railcar, look for the 12-digit number — and you’ll read its whole story.

AB - C - DDDDD - E But the official breakdown is:

| Component | Example | Meaning | |-----------|---------|---------| | Alphabetic country code | F | France | | Numeric country code | 87 | Italy | | Vehicle type | 33 | 4-axle covered wagon | | Full UIC number | 33 80 4915 007-2 | German covered wagon, series 4915, serial 007 | | Check digit | 2 | Validates entire number |