[Federal Register: September 15, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 178)]
[Notices]
[Page 55659]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr15se04-83]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
Petition for Waiver of Compliance
In accordance with Part 211 of Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations
(CFR), notice is hereby given that the Federal Railroad Administration
(FRA) received a request for a waiver of compliance with certain
requirements of its safety standards. The individual petition is
described below, including the party seeking relief, the regulatory
provisions involved, the nature of the relief being requested, and the
petitioner's arguments in favor of relief.
Wabtec Corporation
[Waiver Petition Docket Number FRA-2004-18895]
The Wabtec Corporation (Wabtec) seeks a waiver of compliance from
certain provisions of 49 CFR Part 232, Brake System Safety Standards
for Freight and Other Non-Passenger Trains and Equipment. Specifically,
Sec. 232.409(d)--Inspection and Testing of end-of-train devices, which
requires the telemetry equipment to be tested for accuracy and
calibrated if necessary at least every 368 days. It also requires that
the date and location of the last calibration or test as well as the
name of the person performing the calibration or test, be legibly
displayed on a weather-resistant sticker or other marking device
affixed to the outside of both the front and the rear unit.
This waiver will cover all Wabtec TrainLink II Head of Train
(HTD's) and End of Train devices (EOT's) that were produced since March
4, 2002, and all existing TrainLink units that are upgraded with the
new WRE digitally synthesized radio. If the waiver is approved, Wabtec
and associated service centers will attach a sticker on all new and
upgraded units identifying they are equipped with the new WRE digital
radio and are covered by the waiver. Wabtec has concluded that with the
advanced technology, there is no need to annually test and calibrate
units built or upgraded with the new synthesized radio.
Previous generation radio designs used manual tuning coils and
potentiometers that were subject to drift due to vibration and
temperature shifts. These older designs required manual adjustments to
assure that the radio was operating on the proper frequencies. The new
WRE TrainLink II synthesized digital radio provides a continuous, fully
automatic self-calibrating feature, along with advanced diagnostics to
assure accuracy and dependability in radio transmission. As a result,
there is no manual calibration or adjustment in this new radio design.
The transceiver is designed specifically for the harsh railroad
environment and incorporates phase lock loop circuitry, along with
temperature and voltage controlled crystal oscillators to maintain
spectral (signal) purity. This automatic algorithm works by optimizing
the VCO control parameters to achieve minimum phase noise. It
automatically calibrates the power amplifier (PA) and power amplifier
driver (RF) bias current every time the transmitter is powered. This
automatic calibration feature is the heart of maintaining the radio's
performance integrity. Should the radio experience a component failure,
the auto-cal routine will cycle continuously, effectively shut down the
radio, and provide the appropriate ``No Comm'' display in the cab of
the locomotive. Failure in the micro/power supply areas will also
result in an inoperable radio, and the same ``No Comm'' message will be
received in the locomotive cab.
Wabtec also concludes that since the synthesized radio requires no
manual adjustments, and if the waiver is approved no annual testing
will be required, there is no need for the record keeping requirements
(i.e. Sticker with date location, and name of person performing the
test).
Wabtec has been producing the synthesized digital radio for over 2
years. Currently, there are over 25,000 TrainLink II systems in
operation worldwide, including approximately 20,000 on U.S. railroads.
Wabtec states that these units have provided reliable service since
their introduction.
Interested parties are invited to participate in these proceedings
by submitting written views, data, or comments. FRA does not anticipate
scheduling a public hearing in connection with these proceedings since
the facts do not appear to warrant a hearing. If any interested party
desires an opportunity for oral comment, they should notify FRA, in
writing, before the end of the comment period and specify the basis for
their request.
All communications concerning these proceedings should identify the
appropriate docket number (e.g., Waiver Petition Docket Number FRA-
2004-18895) and must be submitted to the Docket Clerk, DOT Docket
Management Facility, Room PL-401 (Plaza Level), 400 7th Street, SW.,
Washington, DC 20590. Communications received within 30 days of the
date of this notice will be considered by FRA before final action is
taken. Comments received after that date will be considered as far as
practicable. All written communications concerning these proceedings
are available for examination during regular business hours (9 a.m.-5
p.m.) at the above facility. All documents in the public docket are
also available for inspection and copying on the Internet at the docket
facility's Web site at http://dms.dot.gov.
Anyone is able to search the electronic form of all comments
received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual
submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf
of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review DOT's
complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on
April 11, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 70; Pages 19477-78). The Statement
may also be found at http://dms.dot.gov.
Issued in Washington, DC on September 7, 2004.
Grady C. Cothen, Jr.,
Acting Associate Administrator for Safety.
[FR Doc. 04-20718 Filed 9-14-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P