The Schnabel car’s unique design allows it to carry extremely heavy or oversized loads, such as generators and transformers for power stations, by making the load an element of the car. The two tapered lifting arms that hold the load resemble a bird’s beak, which gave the car its name—Schnabel is from the German for "carrying-beak-wagon" (Tragschnabelwagen). Schnabel is a funny name for a seriously powerful freight car.

Features include: 16 sets of 125-ton roller-bearing trucks, prototypically correct 36" metal wheels, RP25 wheel contours, 8 span bolsters, detailed transformer load, molded hydraulic lines and pumps, 27.5 inches long.