I see private varnish for sale that's "Amtrak Certified", what's the requirements?



superheater@rrmail.com

I may miss on some of the points however I will start the discussion.
PC2 inspection I believe is the trucks. the trucks have to be completely torn down. All parts inspected. Big parts, equalizers, frame magna-fluxed. Wheels trued, rim stamped wheels replaced. All pins, bushings renewed. Pedestal liners inspected/replaced. Roller bearings rebuilt/certified. Side bearing clearance checked/adjusted. Decelostats rebuilt if the car has them. May have left a few things out on the trucks.

HEP Pass through installed. Must be engineered and plans stamped by an EE.

Crash posts on both ends inspected for rust damage and repaired if necessary.
Center frame or sill sand blasted and then checked for damage, cracks etc. metal sheathing under floor must be sound. Floors must be sound.

Brake gear up to date. Couplers and pockets inspected. Must be tightlock but I don;t know which type. Brake hoses in date.

The general condition of the car body work is part of the certification. Must be sound without rust coming through or even rust hidden between panels.

There are quite a few people very knowledgable in this. I have not done this work and only repeat part of what I can remember. Stan Garner knows the procedure very well.

The quick and dirty answer is that the car has been inspected and meets Amtrak's criteria for handling on their trains. There are both "running gear" requirements, as well as Head-end Power (HEP) requirements that have been discussed in another answer to your question. Of course, the car has to meet all of the applicable 49 Code of Federal Regulations Section 200 requirements which apply, including air brake tests. When the car's on an Amtrak train, the FRA can treat it like an Amtrak car and Amtrak can be fined for deficiencies. As I said, this is a quick and dirty answer. If the car is "Amtrak Certified" then I should think Amtrak would handle it under it's existing inspection documentation without requiring a new round of inspections.

> I see private varnish for sale that's
> "Amtrak Certified", what's the
> requirements?

And when you read that, caveat emptor! If I were to purchase a car said to be Amtrak Certified, I would want it in writing from Harold Weisinger, Amtrak's Private Car Compiance Supervisor. There are cars that were previously in compliance, and no longer are for various reasons. And there are also cars that were given one-time-move compliance pending the 40 year truck overhaul and installation of HEP. And there are also some private fleets that operate as a whole train under Amtrak inspection; however, individual cars have deficiencies that do not make them stand-alone Amtrak compliant Private Cars.

The Amtrak compliance has a street value of at least $50,000. If you are to invest in a private railcar based on that, get it in writing from Amtrak!

Steve Zuiderveen


SZuidervee@aol.com