This was told too me at one of our bussiness meeting at the railroad club,,this past Thursday.One of our members who volneeters at the MNG as a fireman,,on weekends,,that the railroad boiler inspector had shown up too, inspect #3#4#7#8,,,I guess he did not like what he saw,,I do believe that all paperwork was in order,,but the sad part is the MNG will run Steam until end of season,,then each engine must confirm too recent boiler reg's Part 230 CFP 49.

cprh1b@concast.net

I know that it is interesting to know what and who may be having difficulty, but I don't think it does any good to any one to report cryptic things like "the boiler inspecter didn't like what he saw." If one doesn't have specific details, and only has third hand scuttlebutt, there can be nothing of a helpful nature occur from a disclosure.

Obviously, if there were anything REALLY wrong with the boilers discussed, the FRA man has a magic thing called a red tag which takes an engine out of service right then until remedied. I cn think of a lot of stuff and inspector won't like that aren't neccesarily indicative that the equipment is unsafe and unsuitable for service.

Instituting the new rules (which are being interpreted and re-interpreted continually) has been a real challenge, as in many cases the inspectors aren't as familiar with acceptable practice as the operators.

It is not a good idea to raise the alarm on someone else if the details aren't known.

What is ther MNG?

Tom

Maine Narrow-Gauge Museum, Portland. And for what it's worth, I agree with HRM O'Biph, with the additional note that I would not call implementing Part 230 anywhere "sad." Those rules were written by our industry for the long-term good of our industry--implementing them pays dividends for everyone down the road.

eledbetter@rypn.org

Maine Narrow Gauge is 2 feet between the rails. How can this narrowest of the narrow gauge be considered part of the national railroad network?

Isn't Part 230 for railroads that connect with the other national railroads?

Ted Miles

ted_miles@nps.gov

> Isn't Part 230 for railroads that connect
> with the other national railroads?

Applicability is a tricky thing. In writing the new 49CFR Part 230 the FRA cast a broader net than the traditional insular/non-insular distinction. Here is the complete applicability section if you care to parse it line by line:

"Sec. 230.2 Applicability.

(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, this part
applies to all railroads that operate steam locomotives.

(b) This part does not apply to:

(1) A railroad with track gage of less than 24 inches;

(2) A railroad that operates exclusively freight trains and does so
only on track inside an installation that is not part of the general
system of transportation;

(3) Rapid transit operations in an urban area that are not
connected to the general system of transportation; or

(4) A railroad that operates passenger trains and does so only on
track inside an installation that is insular, i.e., its operations are
limited to a separate enclave in such a way that there is no reasonable
expectation that the safety of the public--except a business guest, a
licensee of the railroad or an affiliated entity, or a trespasser--
would be affected by the operation. An operation will not be considered
insular if one or more of the following exists on its line:

(i) A public highway-rail crossing that is in use;

(ii) An at-grade rail crossing that is in use;

(iii) A bridge over a public road or waters used for commercial
navigation; or

(iv) A common corridor with another railroad, i.e., its operations
are conducted within 30 feet of those of any other railroad.

(c) See appendix A of part 209 for a current statement of the FRA's
policy on its exercise of jurisdiction."

If you want to read Appendix A of Part 209 (it's quite a mouthful) you can find it towards the end of this document:

http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin ... &TYPE=TEXT

I beleive the FRA could assert jurisdiction over the MNG Museum on the basis of grade crossings, and perhaps some other qualifiers as well...

eledbetter@rypn.org

Erik,

Thanks for that explanation.

I think you have the answer: grade crossings.

There are several of them on the line.

And since the museum will have to put the rails back when they leave, the line is built with all the hardware of a standard gauge line, including the ties. Rather funny looking I think, but who would thought that all four of the ex Edaville engines would ever run together again!

Ted Miles

ted_miles@nps.gov

Grade crossings is one thing that made us non-insular on the Fort Collins Municipal Railway. We have 17 of them.
Roger Mitchell
Master Mechanic
Fort Collins Municipal Railway

n0mcr@netzero.net

> Grade crossings is one thing that made us
> non-insular on the Fort Collins Municipal
> Railway. We have 17 of them.
> Roger Mitchell
> Master Mechanic
> Fort Collins Municipal Railway

FRA has never had jurisdiction over trolley/streetcar operations anyway.

...not part of the general railway system is an interesting classification that keeps us from filing for a file cabinet full of waivers for historical (not steam) equipment. We are still on the hook for safety appliances, engineer and "employee" training programs, on track safety program, crossings etc. Equipment such as GE13031, AA715, LSE167 does NOT need a Blue Card to operate ... those familiar with blue cards will understand the implications of this classification.


lamontdc@adelphia.net