[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: 49CFR232.305]

[Page 465-466]
 
                        TITLE 49--TRANSPORTATION
 
       CHAPTER II--FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF 
                             TRANSPORTATION
 
PART 232--BRAKE SYSTEM SAFETY STANDARDS for FREIGHT and OTHER NON-PASSENGER TRAINS and EQUIPMENT; END-of-TRAIN DEVICES--Table of Contents
 
        Subpart D--Periodic Maintenance and Testing Requirements
 
Sec. 232.305  Single car air brake tests.

    (a) Single car air brake tests shall be performed by a qualified 
person in accordance with either Section 3.0, ``Tests-Standard Freight 
Brake Equipment,'' and Section 4.0, ``Special Tests,'' of the 
Association of American Railroads Standard S-486-01, ``Code of Air Brake 
System Tests for Freight Equipment,'' contained in the AAR Manual of 
Standards and Recommended Practices, Section E (January 1, 2001); an 
alternative procedure approved by FRA pursuant to Sec. 232.17; or a 
modified procedure approved in accordance with the provisions contained 
in Sec. 232.307. The incorporation by reference of these two sections of 
this AAR standard was approved by the Director of the Federal Register 
in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. You may obtain a 
copy of the incorporated document from the Association of American

[[Page 466]]

Railroads, 50 F Street, NW., Washington, DC 20001. You may inspect a 
copy of the document at the Federal Railroad Administration, Docket 
Clerk, 1120 Vermont Avenue, NW., Suite 7000, Washington, DC or at the 
Office of the Federal Register, 800 North Capitol Street, NW., Suite 
700, Washington, DC.
    (b) Except as provided in Sec. 232.303(e), a railroad shall perform 
a single car air brake test on a car when:
    (1) A car has its brakes cut-out or inoperative when removed from a 
train or when placed on a shop or repair track, as defined in 
Sec. 232.303(a);
    (2) A car is on a shop or repair track, as defined in 
Sec. 232.303(a), for any reason and has not received a single car air 
brake test within the previous 12-month period;
    (3) A car is found with missing or incomplete single car air brake 
test information;
    (4) One or more of the following conventional air brake equipment 
items is removed, repaired, or replaced:
    (i) Brake reservoir;
    (ii) Control valve mounting gasket;
    (iii) Pipe bracket stud;
    (iv) Service portion;
    (v) Emergency portion; or
    (vi) Pipe bracket.
    (5) A car is found with one or more of the following wheel defects:
    (i) Built-up tread, unless known to be caused by hand brake left 
applied;
    (ii) Slid flat wheel, unless known to be caused by hand brake left 
applied; or
    (iii) Thermal cracks.
    (c) Except as provided in paragraph (d) of this section, each car 
shall receive a single car air brake test no less than every 5 years.
    (d) Each car shall receive a single car air brake test no less than 
8 years from the date the car was built or rebuilt.
    (e) A single car air brake test shall be performed on each new or 
rebuilt car prior to placing or using the car in revenue service.
    (f) For purposes of paragraphs (b)(2), (b)(3), and (c) of this 
section, if a single car test or repair track air brake test is 
conducted on a car prior to January 1, 2001, pursuant to the then 
existing AAR standards, it shall be considered the last single car air 
brake test for that car, if necessary.

[66 FR 39688, Aug. 1, 2001]