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Sec.

PART 232-RAILROAD POWER BRAKES AND DRAWBARS

232.1 Power brakes; minimum percentage. 232.2 Drawbars; standard height.

232.3 Power brakes and appliances for operating power-brake systems.

RULES FOR INSPECTION, TESTING AND MAINTENANCE OF AIR BRAKE EQUIPMENT

232.10 General rules; locomotives. 232.11 Train air brake system tests.

232.12 Initial terminal road train air brake tests.

232.13 Road train and intermediate terminal train airbrake tests.

232.14 Inbound brake equipment inspection.

232.15 Double heading and helper service. 232.16 Running tests.

232.17 Freight and passenger train car brakes.

232.19 End of train device.

APPENDIX-SPECIFICATIONS

AND REQUIRE

MENTS FOR POWER BRAKES AND APPLI-
ANCES FOR OPERATING POWER-BRAKE SYS-
TEMS FOR FREIGHT SERVICE

AUTHORITY: Secs. 1, 3, 5, and 6, 27 Stat. 523, as amended, secs. 1-3, 32 Stat. 943, as amended, secs. 1, 2, 3, and 6, 36 Stat. 298299, sec. 6 (e) and (f), 80 Stat. 939 (45 U.S.C. 1, 3, 5, 6, 8-12, 15, 16, 49 U.S.C. 1655).

SOURCE: 33 FR 19679, Dec. 25, 1968, unless otherwise noted.

§ 232.1 Power brakes; minimum percentage.

On and after September 1, 1910, on all railroads used in interstate commerce, whenever, as required by the Safety Appliance Act as amended March 2, 1903, any train is operated with power or train brakes, not less than 85 percent of the cars of such train shall have their brakes used and operated by the engineer of the locomotive drawing such train, and all power-brake cars in every such train which are associated together with the 85 percent shall have their brakes so used and operated.

§ 232.2 Drawbars; standard height.

Except on cars specified in the proviso in section 6 of the Safety Appliance Act of March 2, 1893 (sec. 6, 27 Stat. 532, 45 U.S.C. 6) as the same was amended April 1, 1896 (29 Stat. 85; 45 U.S.C. 6) the standard height of drawbars heretofore designated in compliance with law is hereby modified and changed in the manner hereinafter prescribed, to wit: The maximum

height of drawbars for freight cars measured perpendicularly from the level of the tops of rails to the centers of drawbars for standard-gauge railroads in the United States subject to said act shall be 341⁄2 inches, and the minimum height of drawbars for freight cars on such standard-gauge railroads measured in the same manner shall be 311⁄2 inches, and on narrow-gauge railroads in the United States subject to said act the maximum height of drawbars for freight cars measured from the level of the tops of rails to the centers of drawbars shall be 26 inches, and the minimum height of drawbars for freight cars on such narrow-gauge railroads measured in the same manner shall be 23 inches, and on 2-foot-gauge railroads in the United States subject to said act the maximum height of drawbars for freight cars measured from the level of the tops of rails to the centers of drawbars shall be 171⁄2 inches, and the minimum height of drawbars for freight cars on such 2-foot-gauge railroads measured in the same manner shall be 141⁄2 inches.

§ 232.3 Power brakes and appliances for operating power-brake systems.

(a) The specifications and requirement for power brakes and appliances for operating power-brake systems for freight service set forth in the appendix to the report on further hearing, of May 30, 1945, are hereby adopted and prescribed. (See Appendix to this part for order in Docket 13528.)

RULES FOR INSPECTION, TESTING AND MAINTENANCE OF AIR BRAKE EQUIP

MENT

§ 232.10 General rules; locomotives.

(a) Air brake and hand brake equipment on locomotives including tender must be inspected and maintained in accordance with the requirements of the Locomotive Inspection and United States Safety Appliance Acts and related orders and regulations of the Federal Railroad Administrator (FRA).

(b) It must be known that air brake equipment on locomotives is in a safe and suitable condition for service.

(c) Compressor or compressors must be tested for capacity by orifice test as often as conditions require but not less frequently than required by law and orders of the FRA.

(d) Main reservoirs shall be subjected to tests periodically as required by law and orders of the FRA.

(e) Air guages must be tested periodically as required by law and orders of the FRA, and whenever any irregularity is reported. They shall be compared with an accurate deadweight tester, or test gauge. Gauges found inaccurate or defective must be repaired or replaced.

(f)(1) All operating portions of air brake equipment together with dirt collectors and filters must be cleaned, repaired and tested as often as conditions require to maintain them in a safe and suitable condition for service, and not less frequently than required by law and orders of the FRA.

(2) On locomotives so equipped, hand brakes, parts, and connections must be inspected, and necessary repairs made as often as the service requires, with date being suitably stencilled or tagged.

(g) The date of testing or cleaning of air brake equipment and the initials of the shop or station at which the work was done shall be placed on a card displayed under transparent covering in the cab of each locomotive unit.

(h)(1) Minimum brake cylinder piston travel must be sufficient to provide proper brake shoe clearance when brakes are released.

(2) Maximum brake cylinder piston travel when locomotive is standing must not exceed the following:

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(i)(1) Foundation brake rigging, and safety supports, where used, must be maintained in a safe and suitable condition for service. Levers, rods, brake beams, hangars and pins must be of ample strength and must not bind or foul in any way that will affect proper operation of brakes. All pins must be properly applied and secured in place with suitable locking devices. Brake shoes must be properly applied and kept approximately in line with treads of wheels or other braking surfaces.

(2) No part of the foundation brake rigging and safety supports shall be closer to the rails than specified by law and orders of the FRA.

(j)(1) Main reservoir leakage: Leakage from main air reservoir and related piping shall not exceed an average of 3 pounds per minute in a test of three minutes' duration, made after the pressure has been reduced 40 percent below maximum pressure.

(2) Brake pipe leakage: Brake pipe leakage must not exceed 5 pounds per minute after a reduction of 10 pounds has been made from brake pipe air pressure of not less than 70 pounds.

(3) Brake cylinder leakage: With a full service application of brakes, and with communication to the brake cylinders closed, brakes must remain applied not less than five minutes.

(4) The main reservoir system of each unit shall be equipped with at least one safety valve, the capacity of which shall be sufficient to prevent an accumulation of pressure of more than 10 pounds per square inch above the maximum setting of the compressor governor fixed by the chief mechanical officer of the carrier operating the locomotive.

(5) A suitable governor shall be provided that will stop and start the air compressor within 5 pounds above or below the pressures fixed.

(6) Compressor governor when used in connection with the automatic air brake system shall be so adjusted that the compressor will start when the main reservoir pressure is not less than 15 pounds above the maximum

brake-pipe pressure fixed by the rules of the carrier and will not stop the compressor until the reservoir pressure has increased not less than 10 pounds.

communicating

The (k) signal system on locomotives when used in passenger service must be tested and known to be in a safe and suitable condition for service before each trip.

(1) Enginemen when taking charge of locomotives must know that the brakes are in operative condition.

(m) In freezing weather drain cocks on air compressors of steam locomotives must be left open while compressors are shut off.

(n) Air pressure regulating devices must be adjusted for the following pressures:

Locomotives

(1) Minimum brake pipe air pressure: Road Service

Switch Service

(2) Minimum differential between brake pipe and main reservoir air pressures, with brake valve in running position......

(3) Safety valve for straight air brake.

(4) Safety valve for LT, ET, No. 8-EL, No. 14 El, No. 6-DS, No. 6-BL and No. 6-SL equipment...

(5) Safety valve for HSC and No. 24-RL equipment..

(6) Reducing valve for independent or straight air brake

(7) Self-lapping portion for electro-pneumatic brake (minimum full application pressure). (8) Self-lapping portion for independent air brake (full application pressure).

(9) Reducing valve for air signal... (10) Reducing valve for high-speed brake (minimum)...

Cars

(11) Reducing valve for high-speed brake. (12) Safety valve for PS, LN, UC, AML, AMU and AB-1-B air brakes.

(13) Safety valve for HSC air brake... (14) Governor valve for water raising system.... (15) Reducing valve for water raising system

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§ 232.11 Train air brake system tests.

60 20-30

(a) Supervisors are jointly responsible with inspectors, enginemen and trainmen for condition of air brake and air signal equipment on motive power and cars to the extent that it is possible to detect defective equipment by required air tests.

(b) Communicating signal system on passenger equipment trains must be tested and known to be in a suitable condition for service before leaving terminal.

(c) Each train must have the air brakes in effective operating condition, and at no time shall the number and location of operative air brakes be less than permitted by Federal requirements. When piston travel is in excess of 101⁄2 inches, the air brake cannot be considered in effective operating condition.

(d) Condensation must be blown from the pipe from which air is taken before connecting yard line or motive power to train.

[33 FR 19679, Dec. 25, 1968, as amended at 47 FR 36794, Aug. 23, 1982]

§ 232.12 Initial terminal road train airbrake tests.

(a)(1) Each train must be inspected and tested as specified in this section by a qualified person at points

(i) Where the train is originally made up (initial terminal);

(ii) Where train consist is changed, other than by adding or removing a solid block of cars, and the train brake system remains charged; and

(iii) Where the train is received in interchange if the train consist is changed other than by

(A) Removing a solid block of cars from the head end or rear end of the train;

(B) Changing motive power;

(C) Removing or changing the caboose; or

(D) Any combination of the changes listed in (A), (B), and (C) of this subparagraph.

Where a carman is to perform the inspection and test under existing or future collective bargaining agreement, in those circumstances a carman alone will be considered a qualified person.

person goes off duty. The qualified person also shall provide the notification in writing if the train that has been inspected is to be moved in excess of 500 miles without being subjected to another test pursuant to either this section or § 232.13 of this part. (Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under OMB control number 2130-0008.)

(b) Each carrier shall designate additional inspection points not more than 1,000 miles apart where intermediate inspection will be made to determine that

(1) Brake pipe pressure leakage does not exceed five pounds per minute;

(2) Brakes apply on each car in response to a 20-pound service brake pipe pressure reduction; and

(3) Brake rigging is properly secured and does not bind or foul.

(c) Train airbrake system must be charged to required air pressure, angle cocks and cutout cocks must be properly positioned, air hose must be properly coupled and must be in condition for service. An examination must be made for leaks and necessary repairs made to reduce leakage to a minimum. Retaining valves and retaining valve pipes must be inspected and known to be in condition for service. If train is to be operated in electropneumatic brake operation, brake circuit cables must be properly connected.

(d)(1) After the airbrake system on a freight train is charged to within 15 pounds of the setting of the feed valve on the locomotive, but to not less than 60 pounds, as indicated by an accurate gauge at rear end of train, and on a passenger train when charged to not less than 70 pounds, and upon receiving the signal to apply brakes for test, a 15-pound brake pipe service reduction must be made in automatic brake operations, the brake valve lapped, and the number of pounds of brake pipe leakage per minute noted as indicated by brake pipe guage, after which brake pipe reduction must be increased to full service. Inspection of the train brakes must be made to determine that angle cocks are properly positioned, that the brakes are applied on each car, that piston travel is correct, that brake rigging does not bind or foul, and that all parts of the brake

(2) A qualified person participating in the test and inspection or who has knowledge that it was made shall notify the engineer that the initial terminal road train air brake test has been satisfactorily performed. The qualified person shall provide the notification in writing if the road crew will report for duty after the qualified

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