Recently I heard that the Reading & Northern had to cancel a series of fall excursions. Evidently this was prompted by an FRA inspection of their steel fleet of 1920's era ex-DLW m.u. coaches, in which defective wheel tread and other mechanical deficienies were discovered. Has the FRA become much more strict in regard to the mechanical inspection of antique passenger rolling stock recently? I understand a new body of regulatory rules was to follow after the new CFR 49 Part 230 steam regs were issued. If this is the case, it is a good thing in the interests of protecting public safety, but could potentially sideline many marginal tourist lines running decrepit, aging coaches. Can anyone shed light on this? Thanks! <br>

Is a full-text version of these guidelines available on the web?<p>Thanks,<br>Tom<br>

The newest version of FRA's passenger equipment safety regs do have some exemptions in them for certain classes of antique or tourist railroad equipment. Those exemptions are primarily to certain things like glazing requirements and emergency escape windows and such, and it spells out just what kinds of equipment are exempted.<p>There has not been and never will be any exemption for things such as wheels, brakes, safety applicances (grab irons and ladders), couplers, etc. After all, if these things are not in compliance, the equipment should not be in use at all and passengers, the public and the employees should not be exposed to such risks.<p>I am not aware of any increased FRA emphasis on inspecting tourist and museum and scenic railroads. Often, those small operations are way down on FRA's priority list, but they will be inspected eventually, and if the inspector finds wheels or brakes or whatever, he will pull the car out of service until it's fixed. Which he should. There is a case to be made that the owner should never let it get into that condition in the first place.<p>As the the concern about the financial ability of some operations to keep their equipment in compliance, the old rule of thumb that "if you can't afford to maintain it you have no business operating it" is just common sense. <br>

Here is the quote from the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 49 Transportation:<p>Sec. 238.3 Applicability.<p> (a) Except as provided in paragraph (c) of this section, this part <br>applies to all:<br> (1) Railroads that operate intercity or commuter passenger train <br>service on standard gage track which is part of the general railroad <br>system of transportation; and<br> (2) Railroads that provide commuter or other short-haul rail <br>passenger train service in a metropolitan or suburban area as described <br>by 49 U.S.C. 20102(1), including public authorities operating passenger <br>train service.<br> (b) Railroads that permit to be used or hauled on their lines <br>passenger equipment subject to this part, in violation of a power brake <br>provision of this part or a safety appliance provision of this part, are <br>subject to the power brake and safety appliance provisions of this part <br>with respect to such operations.<br> (c) This part does not apply to:<br> (1) Rapid transit operations in an urban area that are not connected <br>to the general railroad system of transportation;<br> (2) A railroad that operates only on track inside an installation <br>that is not part of the general railroad system of transportation;<br> (3) Tourist, scenic, historic, or excursion operations, whether on <br>or off the general railroad system of transportation; or<br> (4) Circus trains.<p>Note that this kind of operation is not under the newest and latest passenger car regulation, however , all of the other existing regulations apply, as Steam REalist states. Thes include the Safety Appliance Act and the Power Brake Act.<p>For anyone to state that the trips did not run because of new regulations is either misinformed or trying to deflect responsibility for not running the trips.<p><br>



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