[Code of Federal Regulations]

[Title 49, Volume 4]

[Revised as of October 1, 2006]

From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access

[CITE: 49CFR240.123]



[Page 759-760]

 

                        TITLE 49--TRANSPORTATION

 

       CHAPTER II--FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF 

                             TRANSPORTATION

 

PART 240_QUALIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION OF LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEERS--Table 

 

        Subpart B_Component Elements of the Certification Process

 

Sec.  240.123  Criteria for initial and continuing education.



    (a) Each railroad's program shall include criteria and procedures 

for implementing this section.

    (b) A railroad shall provide for the continuing education of 

certified locomotive engineers to ensure that each engineer maintains 

the necessary knowledge, skill and ability concerning personal safety, 

operating rules and practices, mechanical condition of equipment, 

methods of safe train handling (including familiarity with physical 

characteristics as determined by a qualified Designated Supervisor of 

Locomotive Engineers), and relevant Federal safety rules.

    (c) A railroad that elects to train a previously untrained person to 

be a locomotive engineer shall provide initial training which, at a 

minimum:

    (1) Is composed of classroom, skill performance, and familiarization 

with physical characteristics components;

    (2) Includes both knowledge and performance skill testing;

    (3) Is conducted under the supervision of a qualified class 

instructor;

    (4) Is subdivided into segments or periods of appropriate duration 

to effectively cover the following subject matter areas:

    (i) Personal safety,

    (ii) Railroad operating rules,

    (iii) Mechanical condition of equipment,

    (iv) Train handling procedures (including use of locomotive and 

train brake systems),

    (v) Familiarization with physical characteristics including train 

handling, and

    (vi) Compliance with Federal regulations;

    (5) Is conducted so that the performance skill component shall

    (i) Be under the supervision of a qualified instructor engineer 

located in the same control compartment whenever possible;

    (ii) Place the student engineer at the controls of a locomotive for 

a significant portion of the time; and

    (iii) Permit the student to experience whatever variety of types of 

trains are normally operated by the railroad.

    (d) Pursuant to paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section, a person may 

acquire familiarity with the physical characteristics of a territory 

through the following methods if the specific conditions included in the 

description of each method are met. The methods used by a railroad for 

familiarizing its engineers with new territory while starting up a new 

railroad, starting operations over newly acquired rail lines, or 

reopening of a long unused route, shall be described in the railroad's 

locomotive engineer qualification program required under this part and 

submitted according to the procedures described in Appendix B to this 

part.

    (1) If ownership of a railroad is being transferred from one company 

to another, the engineer(s) of the acquiring company may receive 

familiarization training from the selling company prior to the acquiring 

railroad commencing operation; or

    (2) Failing to obtain familiarization training from the previous 

owner, opening a new rail line, or reopening an unused route would 

require that the engineer(s) obtain familiarization through other 

methods. Acceptable methods of obtaining familiarization include using 

hyrail trips or initial lite locomotive trips in compliance with what is 

specified in the railroad's locomotive engineer qualification program 

required under this part and submitted



[[Page 760]]



according to the procedures described in Appendix B to this part.



[56 FR 28254, June 19, 1991, as amended at 64 FR 60992, Nov. 8, 1999]