[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 49, Volume 4]
[Revised as of October 1, 2003]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 49CFR215.123]

[Page 178-179]
 
                        TITLE 49--TRANSPORTATION
 
       CHAPTER II--FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF 
                             TRANSPORTATION
 
PART 215--RAILROAD FREIGHT CAR SAFETY STANDARDS--Table of Contents
 
                    Subpart B--Freight Car Components
 
Sec. 215.123  Defective couplers.

    A railroad may not place or continue in service a car, if--
    (a) The car is equipped with a coupler shank that is bent out of 
alignment to the extent that the coupler will not couple automatically 
with the adjacent car;
    (b) The car has a coupler that has a crack in the highly stressed 
junction area of the shank and head as shown in the figure below (see 
figure 2).
    (c) The car has a coupler knuckle that is broken or cracked on the 
inside pulling face of the knuckle.
    (d) The car has a knuckle pin or knuckle thrower that is:
    (1) Missing; or
    (2) Inoperative; or
    (e) The car has a coupler retainer pin lock that is--

[[Page 179]]

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    (1) Missing; or
    (2) Broken; or
    (f) The car has a coupler with any of the following conditions:
    (1) The locklift is inoperative;
    (2) The coupler assembly does not have anticreep protection to 
prevent unintentional unlocking of the coupler lock; or
    (3) The coupler lock is--
    (i) Missing;
    (ii) Inoperative;
    (iii) Bent;
    (iv) Cracked; or
    (v) Broken.