This abbreviation will usually appear on wagons and coaches owned by the railway concerned as well. There may be more than one language in this category, but some minor variations are not mentioned. The main currency unit is named. Where timetables are available from the appropriate railway offices in London, this is noted. The normal gauge used by the state railway concerned is given, and brief details of lines not conforming to the general gauge are noted.
Current collection is assumed to be from overhead wires unless otherwise stated.
Brief notes on any non standard arrangements are given. Details of cross-border arrangements, where appropriate, are given in the Border Crossings file. In Britain trains usually keep to the left hand track of a double line of railway, and it is this arrangement that is meant by the rule of the road. In some countries where there is very little double track any rule is of less significance since in almost all the countries surveyed there is no fixed rule about which track is used at passing loops on a single line route. This list is as complete as possible for those railways operating a regular passenger service, but for some countries information is not readily available.