[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 49, Volume 4]
[Revised as of October 1, 2004]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 49CFR229.25]

[Page 348]
 
                        TITLE 49--TRANSPORTATION
 
       CHAPTER II--FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF 
                             TRANSPORTATION
 
PART 229_RAILROAD LOCOMOTIVE SAFETY STANDARDS--Table of Contents
 
                     Subpart B_Inspections and Tests
 
Sec. 229.25  Tests: Every periodic inspection.

    Each periodic inspection shall include the following:
    (a) All mechanical gauges used by the engineer to aid in the control 
or braking of the train or locomotive, except load meters used in 
conjunction with an auxiliary brake system, shall be tested by 
comparison with a dead-weight tester or a test gauge designed for this 
purpose.
    (b) All electrical devices and visible insulation shall be 
inspected.
    (c) All cable connections between locomotives and jumpers that are 
designed to carry 600 volts or more shall be thoroughly cleaned, 
inspected, and tested for continuity.
    (d) Each steam generator that is not isolated as prescribed in Sec. 
229.23(b) shall be inspected and tested as follows:
    (1) All automatic controls, alarms and protective devices shall be 
inspected and tested.
    (2) Steam pressure gauges shall be tested by comparison with a dead-
weight tester or a test gauge designed for this purpose. The siphons to 
the steam gauges shall be removed and their connections examined to 
determine that they are open.
    (3) Safety valves shall be set and tested under steam after the 
steam pressure gauge is tested.
    (e) The event recorder, if installed, shall be inspected, 
maintained, and tested in accordance with the instructions of the 
manufacturer, supplier, or owner thereof and in accordance with the 
following criteria:
    (1) A written copy of the instructions in use shall be kept at the 
point where the work is performed.
    (2) The event recorder shall be tested prior to performing any 
maintenance work on it. At a minimum, the event recorder test shall 
include cycling all required recording parameters and determining the 
full range of each parameter by reading out recorded data. A micro-
processor based event recorder, equipped to perform self-tests, has 
passed the pre-maintenance inspection requirement if it has not 
indicated a failure.
    (3) If this test does not reveal that the device is recording all 
the specified data and that all recordings are within the designed 
recording parameters, this fact shall be noted on the data verification 
result required to be maintained by this section and maintenance and 
testing shall be performed as necessary until a subsequent test is 
successful.
    (4) When a successful test is accomplished, a copy of those data 
verification results shall be maintained with the locomotive's 
maintenance records until the next one is filed.
    (5) A railroad's event recorder periodic maintenance shall be 
considered effective if ninety percent (90%) of the recorders inbound in 
any given month for periodic inspection are still fully functional; 
maintenance practices and test intervals shall be adjusted as necessary 
to yield effective periodic maintenance.

[45 FR 21109, Mar. 31, 1980, as amended at 58 FR 36614, July 8, 1993; 60 
FR 27905, May 26, 1995; 66 FR 4192, Jan. 17, 2001]