I keep running into a "12-hour rule" and "16-hour rule."
Are these one and the same, just occurring at different periods of time in RR history or two different situations?
If two, how does one tell which applies to what situation?

hankmorris@earthlink.net

The 12 hour rule and 16 hour rule to which you refer are both versions of the Hours of Service Act. This was passed subsequent to the Railway Safety Appliance Act of 1893 and placed limits on the number of hours a railroad employee covered by the Act could be made to work consecutively.

Before the Hours of Service Act was passed, railroads could force employees such as enginemen and trainmen to work continually under threat of suspension or dismissal. Bear in mind that this was in the days of blackballing and blacklisting. Thus many railroaders took chances and there were many wrecks and derailments that were attributed to crews that had not been sufficiently rested. In fact there were documented cases of enginemen and trainmen being on duty in excess of forty hours without rest!

The Hours of Service Act, as originally worded allowed railroad employees covered by the act to work no more than sixteen consecutive hours before taking a mandated 8 hour rest period. There were exceptions where the sixteen hours could be broken up as long as a minimum rest period of four hours was provided for between the assignments. The Hours of Service Act also set specific requirements for railroad owned or operated rest facilities. They had to be at least a certain distance from railroad tracks and had to be in a relatively quiet place among the requirements. The Act also provided stiff financial and criminal penalties for the railroads and its individual employees for willful disregard of the Act.

Eventually the maximum number of hours of service allowed was reduced to 12 hours but that was well into the twentieth century. Most of the other provisions of the original Act were retained.

awalker2002@comcast.net

> I keep running into a "12-hour
> rule" and "16-hour rule."
> Are these one and the same, just occurring
> at different periods of time in RR history
> or two different situations?
> If two, how does one tell which applies to
> what situation?

See the link below for the FRA rules concerning hours of service.

In addition to Alan's posting, there is a provision even today that, in "emergency service," a crew can work up to 16 consecutive hours. It's very rare, though.

JAC

> See the link below for the FRA rules
> concerning hours of service.

> In addition to Alan's posting, there is a
> provision even today that, in
> "emergency service," a crew can
> work up to 16 consecutive hours. It's very
> rare, though.

> JAC

It would help if I put in the link, wouldn't it?

JAC

Hours of Service Act