The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, freight and passenger cars (or coaches), and non-revenue cars. Passenger vehicles can be un-powered, or self-propelled, singleormultiple units.[1][2][3][4]
In North America, Australia and other countries, the term consist (/ˈkɒnsɪst/ KON-sist) is used to refer to the rolling stock in a train.[5]: 1‑129
In the United States, the term rolling stock has been expanded from the older broadly defined "trains" to include wheeled vehicles used by businesses on roadways.[6][7][8]
The word stock in the term is used in a sense of inventory. Rolling stock is considered to be a liquid asset, or close to it, since the value of the vehicle can be readily estimated and then shipped to the buyer without much cost or delay.[9][10] The term contrasts with fixed stock (infrastructure), which is a collective term for the track, signals, stations, other buildings, electric wires, etc., necessary to operate a railway.
Media related to rail vehicles at Wikimedia Commons
The dictionary definition of rolling stock at Wiktionary
