Western Railroad Discussion > Freight car maintenance

How is a freight car maintenance determined, meaning is the car's maintenance of its working parts something a railroad determines since all freight cars are subjected to the same average weather conditions throughout a given year or is the maintenance information something the railroads look to the manufacturer of the freight car or is a requirement from the ARR and/or the NTSB?

During a given maintenance, at what point is it that determines if a wheel(s) needs to "turned" aside from the wheel(s) having a flat spot?

And of the air brake system on a freight car, how is the components addressed in a maintenance that looks at any possible corrosion of the various air brake inner components since steel does rust and corrode over time?

The car manufacturers probably make recommendations. I am sure AAR has publications on the manner. There may be some FRA requirements but not NTSB. NTSB just investigates accidents and makes recommendations.

AAR Rules just about cover it all. AAR Imterchange Rules specify what can, should or has to be replaced based on age, wear or whatever, AAR also specifies what is to be charged for whatever repair, AAR has a "job code" for just about everything, and if simething isn't covered by a specific job code, there are "generic" job codes like an hourly labor rate and charges for things like welding (by the inch).  AAR has a whole Department which oversees all this " Mechanical Diovision" which includes field inspectors..

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In todays world of railroading, something almost has to break or fall off for it to get fixed.  Not sure how many yards actually walk the cars in the yard looking for defects.
If it ain't broke it can wait to get fixed.

lapklub Wrote:
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> Not sure how many yards actually walk the cars in
> the yard looking for defects.

The car department at BNSF's Cherokee yard here in Tulsa does that.  I hear them reporting in to their lead person with a certain number of repairs after they've completed their inspections. 

Bill G.
Tulsa, OK

           Don't know if the opinion of "if it ain't broke already don't fix it" is an opinion or from experience but that attitude certainly always costs much more money and headaches. Railroads are surely still inspecting but obviously in the much larger yards than before. Liability drives inspections.