I would like to preface this reply by saying that I am not trying to be combative with anyone. There are two schools of thought on this issue, and I just happen to be in the school that believes standardization of rules and operating practices is a good thing.

Here again, I don’t think that the simplicity of the rules is an issue. It’s not that hard to teach to your lowest common denominator and still get the class through. There are some things that you are going to hit harder in rules class than others. Even with a dumbed down rule book. It’s the nature of the beast. I still fail to see how difficulty in getting “employees” to understand can be used as an excuse for not using standard accepted practice. How hard is it to say (for example) Don’t come in hammered and don’t do or sell drugs? NORAC and GCOR both have rules on that, and I’m sure that EVERYONES rule book addresses substance use/abuse. Point being, that there are certain cardinal rules that everyone has to follow....and they are the same reguardless of what flavor of rule book you are using.

14. Before coupling onto or moving cars, check to see that all persons in, under, or about the cars are in the clear and that all blocks, hoses, and electrical cords are removed. A blue flag, light or sign indicates that workmen are in, under, or around the car, engine or train upon which it is displayed. A car bearing this indication must not be coupled or moved or have the trolley pole or pantograph raised until the flag, light, or sign has been removed by the persons who placed it there.

5.13 Blue Signal Protection of Workmen

This rule outlines the requirements for protecting railroad workmen who are inspecting, testing, repairing, and servicing rolling equipment. In particular, because these tasks require the workmen to work on, under, or between rolling equipment, workmen are exposed to potential injury from moving equipment.

Blue Signal Protection of Workmen

As used in this rule, the following definitions apply:

Workmen. Railroad employees assigned to inspect, test, repair, or service railroad rolling equipment or components, including brake systems. Train and yard crews are excluded, except when they perform the above work on rolling equipment not part of the train or yard movement they are handling or will handle.

"Servicing" does not include supplying cabooses, engines, or passenger cars with items such as ice, drinking water, tools, sanitary supplies, stationery, or flagging equipment.
"Testing" does not include an employee making visual observations while on or alongside a caboose, engine, or passenger car. Also, testing does not include repositioning the activation switch or covering the photo-electric cell of the marker when the rear of the train is on the main track. The employee inspecting the marker must contact the employee controlling the engine to confirm that the train will remain secure against movement until the inspection is complete.
Group of Workmen. Two or more workmen of the same or different crafts who work as a unit under a common authority and communicate with each other while working.

Rolling Equipment. Engines, cars, and one or more engines coupled to one or more cars.

Blue Signal. During the day, a clearly distinguishable blue flag or light, and at night, a blue light. The blue light may be steady or flashing.

The blue signal does not need to be lighted when it is attached to the operating controls of an engine and the inside of the engine cab area is lighted enough to make the blue signal clearly distinguishable.

Effective Locking Device. When used in relation to a manually operated switch or a derail, a lock that can be locked or unlocked only by the craft or group of workmen applying the lock.

Car Shop Repair Area. One or more tracks within an area where rolling equipment testing, servicing, repairing, inspecting, or rebuilding is controlled exclusively by mechanical department personnel.

Engine Servicing Area. One or more tracks within an area where engine testing, servicing, repairing, inspecting, or rebuilding is controlled exclusively by mechanical department personnel.

Switch Providing Direct Access. A switch that if used by rolling equipment could permit the rolling equipment to couple to the equipment being protected.

A. What a Blue Signal Signifies

A blue signal signifies that workmen are on, under, or between rolling equipment and requires that:

Rolling equipment must not be coupled to or moved, except as provided in "Movement in Engine Servicing Area" and 'Movement in Car Shop Repair Area" of this rule.
Rolling equipment must not pass a blue signal on a track protected by the signal.
Other rolling equipment must not be placed on the same track so as to block or reduce the view of the blue signal.
a. However, rolling equipment may be placed on the same track when it is placed on designated engine servicing area tracks or car shop repair area tracks, or when a derail divides a track into separate working areas.
Rolling equipment must not enter a track when a blue signal is displayed at the entrance to the track.
Blue signals or remote control blue signals must be displayed for each craft or group of workmen who will work on, under, or between rolling equipment.

Protection Removed. Blue signals may be removed only by the craft or group who placed them. Remote control display may be discontinued when directed by the craft or group that requested the protection. When blue signal protection has been removed from one entrance of a double-ended track or from either end of rolling equipment on a main track, that track is no longer under blue signal protection.

B. How to Provide Protection

When workmen are on, under, or between rolling equipment and exposed to potential injury, protection must be provided as follows:

On a Main Track. A blue signal must be displayed at each end of the rolling equipment.

On Other than a Main Track. One of these three methods of protection or a combination of these methods must be provided:

Each manually operated switch that provides direct access must be lined against movement onto the track and secured by an effective locking device. A blue signal must be placed at or near each such switch. In addition, any facing point crossover switch must be lined against movement and secured by an effective locking device.

2. A derail capable of restricting access to the track where work will occur must be locked in derailing position with an effective locking device and:

a. Positioned at least 150 feet from the rolling equipment to be protected.

or
b. Positioned at least 50 feet from the end of rolling equipment on a designated engine servicing track or car shop repair track where speed is limited to not more than 5 MPH.
A blue signal must be displayed at each derail.

3. Where remote control switches provide direct access, the employee in charge of the workmen must tell the switch operator what work will be done. The switch operator must then:

a. Inform the employee in charge of the workmen that the switches have been lined against movement onto the track and devices controlling the switches have been secured.
b. Not remove the locking devices unless the employee in charge of the workmen says it is safe to do so.
c. Maintain for 15 days a written record of each notification that includes:
Name and craft of the employee in charge of the workmen requesting protection
Identification of track involved.
Date and time the employee in charge of workmen is notified that protection was provided
Date, time, name, and craft of the employee in charge of workmen who authorized removal of the protection

C. Blue Signal Readily Visible to Engineer

In addition to providing protection as required in 'On a Main Track" and "On Other than a Main Track," when workmen are on, under, or between an engine or rolling equipment coupled to an engine:

A blue signal must be attached to the controlling engine.
A blue signal must be visible to the engineer or employee controlling the engine.
The engine must not be moved.

D. Protection for Workmen Inspecting Markers

Blue signal protection must be provided for workmen when they are:

Replacing, repositioning, or repairing a marker, and the rear of the train is on any track.

or
Inspecting a marker by repositioning the activation switch or covering the photo-electric cell, and the rear of the train is on other than a main track.
E. Protection for Emergency Repair Work

If a blue signal is not available for employees performing emergency repairs on, under, or between an engine or rolling equipment coupled to an engine, the employee controlling the engine must be notified and appropriate measures taken to provide protection for the employees.

F. Movement in Engine Servicing Area An engine must not enter a designated engine servicing area until the blue signal protection is removed from the entrance. The engine must stop short of coupling to another engine.

An engine must not leave a designated engine servicing area unless the blue signal is removed from the engine and the track in the direction of movement.

Blue signal protection removed to let engines enter or leave the engine servicing area must be restored immediately after the engine enters or clears the area.

An engine protected by blue signals may be moved on a designated engine servicing area track when:

An authorized employee operates the engine under the direction of the employee in charge of workmen.
The blue signal has been removed from the controlling engine to be repositioned.
Workmen have been warned of the movement.
G. Movement in Car Shop Repair Area When rolling equipment on car shop repair tracks is protected by blue signals, a car mover may reposition the equipment if:

Workmen have been warned of the movement.
An authorized employee operates the car mover under the direction of the employee in charge of workmen.
7.8 Coupling or Moving Cars on Tracks Where Cars are Being Loaded or Unloaded

Before coupling to or moving cars on tracks where cars are being loaded or unloaded, crew members must be sure that all of the following have been removed or cleared:

Persons in, on, or about cars
Platforms
Boards
Tank car couplings and connections
Conveyors
Loading or unloading spouts and similar appliances or connections
Vehicles
Other obstructions
Properly close or secure plug-type and swinging doors on cars.

In addition:

Be careful to avoid damage to freight of partly loaded cars.

Do not handle cars that are improperly or unevenly loaded if load could shift or fall from the car, or if the car could derail or overturn.
Return any car placed for loading or unloading to the location it was found if it has not been released for movement.
Do not pull empty cars from an unloading facility until any major accumulation of debris is removed.

As I said when I first posed the question above, we use NORAC, and are quite happy with the results. You really needn't teach every rule.

I am discontent with your use of the term "dumbed down". You have it backwards. A shorter, more concise rulebook presumes that a person can think, and can consider the obvious effects of their actions. Whereas a "dumbed down" rulebook has to spin out every possibility in chapter and verse, and of course every boring chapter and verse must be memorized and tested.

Consider the two rules. How you would teach each of these alternate rules in a class? You have 20 minutes of class time. Which rule is more inclusive and why? Which would you rather a volunteer memorize?



--- *** OR *** ---


sorry for the wall of text but I hope I've made my point.

This is contrary to what others upthread are saying.

They're claiming that if it's IN the book YOU USE, they HAVE to LEARN it and BE TESTED on it. Others seem to be saying you can ignore entire "not applicable" sections. Does the Gospel According To Saint NORAC /GCOR explicitly say "if this section is not applicable you are free to ignore it"?

This is not like buying a car repair manual and being able to rip out the pages that don't apply to you (let's see, I don't need the section on automatic transmissions, I don't have air conditioning, and I have the inline four, not the V-6, so....). I also don't get to say "I'll never parallel park in rural Pennsyltuckey so I don't need to learn that stuff."

I'm sorry to say this, but.....this is one time when I will come right out and say that you really don't know what your talking about (in this case).

Remember that if you put it in print and say that it is your rule book, you are expected to adhere to ALL of the rules! What I mean by this is that you can not then pick and choose which ones you want to follow. Remember the lawyers and ambulance chasers. If something happens the question will be why didn't you follow all of the rules in your "book". Do not put it in your book if you are not going to use it!

I've seen an issue on an operating freight railroad where they adopted "Norac" as their rule book. When the FRA man visited he asked where the dispatcher was. Problem was, they didn't operate on dispatcher rules, but it is in the NORAC book, so it became expected of them.

If I was charged with creating a rulebook for a tourist railroad, I would probably start with NORAC, find the rules that apply to our operation and throw out the rest. Then think if there are any special operational aspects of our railroad that need to be codified and add those rules. K.I.S.S. !!!

I think we're getting out into the fringes of sensibility here.......if you don't have cab signals, don't have any rules in your book that deal with them. No problem?

Machiavelli encouraged a Wise Prince to never decree any law that was not necessary, was unenforceable, or that the prince did not have the motivation or ability to enforce. Surely we can still see the wisdom in that approach?

This is where our needs differ from Class I's. We want a simple small rulebook. Because you want people to carry it. And read it. You want language that draws people in and makes them think about the rule, not make their eyes glaze over!