About AAR Circular Letters
Circular letter summaries are produced monthly by Greenbrier’s Regulatory Management team, a division of Greenbrier Management Services Group.
AAR circular letters provide information of general applicability to the railroad industry, including proposed and final rules, revisions, standards and recommended practices, and calls for comments. These summaries provide the main points of circular letters issued in the prior month, as well as important implementation deadlines.
For access to the complete circular letter, please go to my.aar.org/circulars. Circular letters are a fee-based service provided by the AAR’s Transportation Technology Center Incorporated (TTCI). You may subscribe online at publications@aar.com or call 719.584.0538.
Implementation Circulars
C-13332
INPLEMENTED. AAR Manual of Standards and Recommended Practices (MSRP), Section K-VI Railway Data Management and Communication, Interoperable Train Control (ITC) Onboard Track Database Field Survey and Validation, Recommended Practice RP-9511.V2.0
Issued: May 15, 2019
Effective: May 15, 2019
This document provides guidelines for the methods by which field survey and field validation are to be performed regarding the GPS location for critical features in the I-ETMS positive train control system. RP-9511.V2.0 was revised and implemented in May 2019 and is attached to the circular. It will be incorporated in the next issue of the MSRP, Section K-VI Railway Data Management and Communications. In the interim, please insert the circular in your copy of the MSRP Section K-VI and be governed accordingly.
C-13342
Automated Single Car Test Device (ASCTD) Upgrade Now Available for I S Technology Solutions Brake Pro™ Devices, AAR Requirement for Compliance with S-4027-2018
Issued: May 22, 2019
Effective: August 1, 2019
I S Technology Solutions has completed their Brake Pro™ ASCTD software upgrade to meet the requirements of S-4027-2018 and it is now available to download on their devices. All test devices must meet S-4027-2018 by August 1, 2019, as extended in C-13305. The updated Brake Pro™ software version, ASCTD.18.I03.01, is now available in the Google Play Store. Details about how to update over WiFi are included in the circular.
Call for Comment
C-13321
Solicitation of Comments, Revisions to Field Manual, Rule 41
Issued: May 2, 2019
Effective: 30 days for comment
At the April 2019 meeting of the Arbitration and Rules Committee a proposal by WABL to revise Field Manual Rule 41 to combine 41.E.4 and 4.E.5, was reviewed and approved. The entire text of the revision is included in the circular.
C-13322
Solicitation for Comments, Revisions to Field Manual, Rules 80 and 88
Issued: May 2, 2019
Effective: 30 days for comment
At the April 2019 meeting of the Arbitration and Rules Committee a proposal by the Equipment Engineering Committee to revise Field Manual Rules 80 and 88, was reviewed and approved. The entire text of the revision is included in the circular.
C-13324
Solicitation of Comments, Revisions to Field Manual, Rule 50
Issued: May 6, 2019
Effective: 30 days for comment
At the April 2019 meeting of the Arbitration and Rules Committee a proposal by the Equipment Engineering Committee to revise Field Manual Rule 50, was reviewed and approved. The entire text of the revision is attached to the circular.
C-13325
Solicitation of Comments, Revisions to Field Manual, Rule 83
Issued: May 6, 2019
Effective: 30 days for comment
At the April 2019 meeting of the Arbitration and Rules Committee a proposal by the Equipment Engineering Committee to revise Field Manual Rule 83, was reviewed and approved. The entire text of the revision is included in the circular.
C-13326
Solicitation of Comments for Revisions to MSRP Section C, CAR CONSTRUCTION FUNDAMENTALS AND DETAILS, Standards S-226 and S-227 regarding design approval of running boards, end platforms, and brake steps
Issued: May 9, 2019
Effective: 30 days for comment
Both S-226 and S-227 have been revised, drafts are attached to the circular.
C-13327
Solicitation of Comments, Revisions to Field Manual, Rules 3, and Appendix A, and New EHMS Alert for LORF-AHS
Issued: May 9, 2019
Effective: 30 days for comment
At the April 2019 meeting of the Arbitration and Rules Committee a proposal by the Brake Systems Committee to revise Field Manual Rules 3, and Appendix A for Line of Road Failure‐Air Hose Separation (LORF‐AHS), was reviewed and approved. These revisions will include a new EHMS Alert. The entire text of the revision is included in the circular.
C-13333
DRAFT Standard S-9378.V1.0 – Interoperable Train Control Ticket Management (ITCTM) Interface Control Document (ICD), is available for review and comment. In support of AAR’s MSRP, Section K-IV, Office Architecture and Railroad Electronics Messaging
Issued: May 15, 2019
Effective: 30 days for comment
This document contains the SOAP over HTTPS messages exchanged between railroads’ ticketing systems. The requirements for ITCTM are contained within Manual of Standards and Recommended Practices (MSRP) Section K-I, Standard S-9058, “Interoperable Train Control Ticket Management (ITCTM) Requirements and Use Cases,”, with the use cases and data flow. The links to the draft document and the comment form are included in the circular.
C-13334
DRAFT Standard S-9058.V1.0 – Interoperable Train Control Ticket Management (ITCTM) Requirements and Use Cases, is available for review and comment. In support of AAR’s MSRP, Section K-I, Railway Electronics Systems Architecture and Concepts of Operations
Issued: May 15, 2019
Effective: 30 days for comment
This requirements document pertains to the Interoperable Train Control Ticket Management (ITCTM) system which allows railroads to exchange shared assets. Instructions and links to the draft document and comment form are included in the circular.
C-13335
DRAFT Standard S-9074.V1.0 – Federated Network Requirements, is available for review and comment. In support of AAR’s MSRP, Section K-I, Railway Electronics Systems Architecture and Concepts of Operations
Issued: May 15, 2019
Effective: 30 days for comment
This document describes the minimum set of requirements for connecting to the ITC Federated Network and limitations of acceptable traffic between federated ITCM instances. Instructions and links to the draft document and comment form are included in the circular.
C-13336
DRAFT Standard S-9065.V1.0 – Concept of Ops for the Interoperable Empl In Charge Port Remote Terminal (Interoperable EIC PRT) Project, is available for review and comment. In support of AAR’s MSRP, Section K-I, Rwy Elec Sys Architecture and Concept of Ops
Issued: May 15, 2019
Effective: 30 days for comment
The purpose of this concept of operations is to describe the operation of the Roadway Worker segment, which is called the interoperable Employee in Charge Portable Remote Terminal (EIC PRT) system in this document. It describes the EIC PRT interaction with the Back Office and Onboard PTC segments for the generation of digital EIC instructions corresponding to those issued by voice to train crews and the onboard enforcement of those instructions as trains travel through the EIC’s working limits. Instructions and links to the draft document and comment form are included in the circular.
C-13337
DRAFT Standard S-9066.V1.0 – Locomotive Onboard System Requirements for the Enforcement of EIC Instructions, is available for review and comment. In support of AAR’s MSRP, Section K-I, Railway Electronics Systems Architecture and Concepts of Operations
Issued: May 15, 2019
Effective: 30 days for comment
The Interoperable Train Control (ITC) Positive Train Control (PTC) system implemented so far is composed of four segments. A fifth segment, the Roadway Worker segment, is now added to increase the protection afforded to maintenance-of-way (MoW) personnel by providing the Onboard segment with enforceable Employee In Charge (EIC) instructions equivalent to those issued by voice to the train crew. The purpose of this standard is to present the Build 1 interoperable Onboard requirements for obtaining, displaying, and enforcing electronic EIC instructions to trains for their travel through an EIC’s working limits. Instructions and links to the draft document and comment form are included in the circular.
C-13338
DRAFT Standard S-9067.V1.0 – Roadway Worker Segment – System Requirements, is available for review and comment. In support of AAR’s MSRP, Section K-I, Railway Electronics Systems Architecture and Concepts of Operations
Issued: May 15, 2019
Effective: 30 days for comment
The main objective of this document is to define requirements for the Roadway Worker segment’s application with sufficient detail to allow for the creation of interoperable EIC instructions acceptable to the Onboard segment and the Office segment, regardless of manufacturer of specific implementation of any of the three segments. Instructions and links to the draft document and comment form are included in the circular.
C-13340
DRAFT Standard S-9381 – PTC Back Office Server to Employee In Charge Portable Remote Terminal (EIC) Interface Control Document, is available for review and comments. In support of AAR’s MSRP, Section K-IV, Office Architecture and RR Electronics Messaging
Issued: May 15, 2019
Effective: 30 days for comment
This document defines the message interface between the EIC terminal and the BNSF PTC Server system as used with the PTC. Instructions and links to the draft document and comment form are included in the circular.
C-13341
DRAFT Standard S-9380 – PTC Office Locomotive Segment Interface Control Document (ICD) Addendum for EIC, is available for review and comments. In Support of AAR’s MSRP, Section K-IV, Office Architecture and Railroad Electronics Messaging
Issued: May 15, 2019
Effective: 30 days for comment
This document contains messages passed between the Positive Train Control (PTC) Office Segment and the Locomotive Segment that support operation with electronic EIC functionality. Instructions and links to the draft document and comment form are included in the circular.
C-13343
Solicitation for Comments for Proposed Revisions to AAR MSRP Section J, Specification for Quality Assurance M-1003
Issued: May 28, 2019
Effective: 30 days for comment
The AAR Quality Assurance Committee is proposing revisions to MSRP Section J, Specification for Quality Assurance M-1003. A PDF file of the draft is attached to the circular.
The planned release date for this revision is August 2019. AAR Accredited Quality Assurance Auditors will begin utilizing the revision upon release. However, auditors will not document a nonconformance finding under the new requirements until February 2020, allotting six months for M-1003 certified facility’s Quality Assurance Programs to be revised accordingly.
C-13363
Solicitation for Comments, Revisions to Component Registry for Purchased Core Wheel Sets
Issued: May 29, 2019
Effective: 30 days for comment
C‐13234 was issued on November 13, 2018 and all Rule 44 and Rule 48 changes were included in the January 2019 release of the Field Manual. Based on industry feedback additional changes are being made to the Component Registry. The entire text of the revision is included in the circular. These changes will also be included in the MSRP S‐920 release later this year.
Notice Circulars
C-13320
Informational Circular, Changes to Office Manual Appendix H – Listing of Running Repair Agents
Issued: May 1, 2019
Effective: May 1, 2019
The intent of this circular letter is to remind subscribers of upcoming changes to Appendix H of the AAR Office Manual as previously communicated in C-13249. Currently, Appendix H provides a printed listing of Running Repair Agent and sponsoring railroad details. This listing is now available in a real-time, downloadable CSV format within Railinc’s FindUs.Rail application. Users also have access to a historical version that displays previously expired sponsorship details. With the July 1, 2019 release of the Office Manual, the printed list of Running Repair Agents will be removed from Appendix H.
Effective immediately, please use the following link to access the listing of Running Repair Agents: https://www.railinc.com/findusrail
C-13323
Informational Circular, Revisions to CRB Procedures Manual, Error Code Z5
Issued: May 3, 2019
Effective: May 3, 2019
At the March 2019 meeting of the Car Repair Billing Committee, a proposal to escalate error code Z5 from an informational edit to mandatory reject was reviewed and approved. Error code Z5 will be implemented as a mandatory reject immediately after the July 2019 Data Exchange run. The entirety of error code Z5 is identified in the circular.
It is recommended that this information be shared with all Car Repair Billing and IT personnel in your company that work with or are responsible for car repair invoices submitted to and/or received from Railinc’s Data Exchange.
C-13328
Save the Date – Announcing the 2020 AAR’s 32nd Quality Assurance Auditor and Industry Conference
Issued: May 10, 2019
Effective: Week of January 27, 2020
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) Quality Assurance Committee (QAC) has announced that the annual AAR Quality Assurance Auditor and Industry Conference will be held the week of January 27, 2020 in Fort Worth, Texas. The itinerary for open and closed sessions as well as tentative open-session topics are detailed in the circular. Additional information regarding registration is forthcoming.
C-13329
Open Registration for AAR M-1003 Basic Auditor, Advanced Auditor & Root Cause Analysis Training Classes for 2019
Issued: May 10, 2019
Effective: Various Dates
The full schedule and class descriptions are detailed in the circular.
C-13330
Informational Circular, Revisions to Field Manual, Rule 1
Issued: May 11, 2019
Effective: May 11, 2019
At the April 2019 meeting of the Arbitration and Rules Committee a proposal to revise Field Manual Rule 1.5.a Required Gages, was reviewed and approved. The entire text of the revision is included in the circular.
C-13331
Informational Circular, Reflectorization Training Materials
Issued: May 14, 2019
Effective: July 1, 2019
New rules for inspecting retroreflective sheeting on freight cars (and locomotives) were incorporated in Rule 66 – Reflective Sheeting on January 1, 2019. Use of a comparator panel is called for at the time of Single Car Air Brake Test (SCABT), and the inspection procedures are included in Rule 66 under General Information. Inspections became effective on January 1, 2019, and compliance is required by July 1, 2019.
The file (attached to the circular) provides some information on the history, the approach, and examples for inspecting freight cars with a comparator panel. This material may be used in a company’s training program.
C-13345
Informational Circular, Revisions to Field Manual, Rule 5.B
Issued: May 28, 2019
Effective: May 28, 2019
At the April 2019 meeting of the Arbitration and Rules Committee a proposal by the Brake Systems Committee to revise Field Manual Rule 5, was reviewed and approved. The entire text of the addition is included in the circular.
C-13347
Informational Circular, Revisions to Field Manual, Rule 5.E and 5.F
Issued: May 28, 2019
Effective: May 28, 2019
At the April 2019 meeting of the Arbitration and Rules Committee a proposal by the Car Repair Billing Committee to revise Field Manual Rule 5 for clarification on billing flexible hoses for retainer and reservoir piping, was reviewed and approved. The entire text of the revision is included in the circular.
C-13348
Informational Circular, Revisions to Field Manual, Rule 5.F and Office Manual Rule, 112.A.3
Issued: May 28, 2019
Effective: May 28, 2019
At the April 2019 meeting of the Arbitration and Rules Committee a proposal by the Car Repair Billing Committee to revise Field Manual Rule 5 and Office Manual Rule 112 for metallic and non‐metallic Air Hose Support Job Codes, was reviewed and approved. The entire text of the revision is included in the circular.
C-13350
Informational Circular, Revisions to Field Manual, Rules 5.F and 12.F
Issued: May 28, 2019
Effective: May 28, 2019
At the April 2019 meeting of the Arbitration and Rules Committee a proposal by the Car Repair Billing Committee to revise Field Manual Rules 5 and 12, to add WMC 07 (Obsolete material) to specific Job Codes, was reviewed and approved. The entire text of the revision is included in the circular.
C-13352
Informational Circular, Revisions to Field Manual, Rule 13.B
Issued: May 28, 2019
Effective: May 28, 2019
At the April 2019 meeting of the Arbitration and Rules Committee a proposal by the Brake Systems Committee to revise Field Manual Rule 13, was reviewed and approved. The entire text of the revision is included in the circular.
C-13354
Informational Circular, Revisions to Field Manual, Rules 47, 48 and 83
Issued: May 28, 2019
Effective: May 28, 2019
At the April 2019 meeting of the Arbitration and Rules Committee a proposal by the CSTC Committee to revise Field Manual Rules 47 and 48 was reviewed and approved. The entire text of the revision is included in the circular.
C-13356
Informational Circular, Revisions to Field Manual, Rule 53, Running Boards
Issued: May 28, 2019
Effective: May 28, 2019
At the April 2019 meeting of the Arbitration and Rules Committee a proposal as advanced by the Equipment Engineering Committee to revise Rule 53.B.1.a, was reviewed and approved. The entire text of the revision is included in the circular.
C-13358
Informational Circular, Revisions to Field Manual, Rule 84
Issued: May 28, 2019
Effective: May 28, 2019
At the April 2019 meeting of the Arbitration and Rules Committee a proposal to revise Field Manual Rule 84 to remove reference to Perishable Protective Tariff, was reviewed and approved. The entire text of the revision is included in the circular.
C-13360
Informational Circular, Revisions to Field and Office Manuals, Rule 3
Issued: May 28, 2019
Effective: May 28, 2019
At the April 2019 meeting of the Arbitration and Rules Committee a proposal by the Brake Systems Committee to revise Field and Office Manuals Rule 3, was reviewed and approved. The entire text of the revision is included in the circular.
C-13361
Informational Circular, Revisions to Office Manual, Rule 122.C
Issued: May 28, 2019
Effective: May 28, 2019
At the April 2019 meeting of the Arbitration and Rules Committee a proposal to revise Office Manual Rule 122.C, was reviewed and approved. The entire text of the revision is included in the circular.
C-13362
Informational Circular, Revisions to Field and Office Manuals, Rule 125
Issued: May 28, 2019
Effective: May 28, 2019
At the April 2019 meeting of the Arbitration and Rules Committee a proposal to revise Field and Office Manuals Rule 125 to remove all references to an expiration date or end date and add additional items to the required information list, was reviewed and approved. The entire text of the revision is included in the circular.
Upcoming Events
Petrochemical Downstream Exhibition & Conference 2019
June 11-12, 2019
Houston, TX
The Greenbrier Companies is excited to be exhibiting at this event hosted by Downstream. Stop by our booth at H59, we look forward to seeing you!
Registration and program details can be found at: https://www.petchem-update.com/downstream/
Greenbrier’s Regulatory Services Group
Peace of mind for your business.
The Regulatory Management Group, led by James Rader, provides regulatory, engineering, process consulting and advocacy support to the railcar repair industry and the petrochemical rail shipper community.
- ASNT Level III Subscription Services
- DOT Compliance Assessments (Corporate and Plant)
- DOT Hazardous Materials Training (Corporate and Plant)
- Expert Witness Services in Rail-Related Litigation
- Federal Government Claims Mitigation (e.g. FRA and PHMSA)
- Nondestructive Testing Programs
- Quality Assurance Program Development
- Regulatory Counsel and Policy Advocacy
- Railcar Repair Management (Design Review, Drawings, Engineering and AAR Approval Administration)
- Tank Car Reliability and Maintenance Programs (49 CFR Subpart F of Part 180)
- Tank Car Maintenance Data Collection and Reliability Performance Analysis
- Welding Program Development
For inquiries about these summaries or any of our services, please reach out to: regulatoryservices@gbrx.com
About Greenbrier Management Services (GMS)
Greenbrier Management Services (GMS) is North America’s most comprehensive railcar management solutions provider. GMS manages nearly 400,000 railcars and has invested over 20 years in developing technology, processes, and people to provide the best railcar management products and services in the industry. GMS is powered by proprietary software and the best subject matter experts in the railcar business.
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Combined, these two vitally important capabilities are able to deliver world-class solutions to every type of customer, from Class I railroads, lessors and industrial shippers to financial investors. GMS brings broad expertise to cover nearly any railcar management need that customers may have and its integrated solutions and reporting can be customized for any customer function or management need.