[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 14 (Friday, January 21, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3529-3530]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-1498]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration


Petition for Waiver of Compliance

    In accordance with part 211 of Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations 
(CFR), notice is hereby given that the Federal Railroad Administration 
(FRA) received a request for a waiver of compliance from certain 
requirements of its safety standards. The individual petition is 
described below including, the party seeking relief, the regulatory 
provision involved, the nature of the relief being requested, and the 
petitioner's arguments in favor of relief.

RailRunner, Manufacturer of ``IRV'' Intermodal Rail 
Vehicle

(Waiver Petition Docket Number FRA-1999-6416)

    RailRunner is seeking a permanent waiver of compliance with the 
Railroad Safety Appliance Standards, 49 CFR 231.1(a)(3)(I); 
Sec. 231.1(a)(3)(ii) which specifies the operation and location of the 
hand brake shaft; Sec. 231.1 (b) through (j) which specifies the 
location, dimension and manner of application of brake steps, sill 
steps, end ladder clearance, roof handholds, side handholds, horizontal 
handholds and vertical handholds; and Railroad Freight Car Safety 
Standards, 49 CFR part 215, Appendix A (I) (4) which restrict the use 
of an ``I'' section compression or tension member on truck side frame, 
for RailRunner Intermediate Rail Vehicle equipment.
    The RailRunner car-less intermodal system consists of modified 
semi-trailers, or container chassis, interconnected by special purpose 
rail bogies. Trailers are fitted with receivers at each end to allow 
mating with the bogies. The trailers are also fitted with air lines to 
provide air for brakes and air springs.
    The bogie is a fabricated radial truck with air springs. The air 
springs are used to lift the trailers to proper height above the rail, 
and they also act as the secondary suspension. Shear pads provide 
lateral and longitudinal suspension stiffness. The bogie uses 
conventional 33-inch wheel sets and truck mounted brakes. Each bogie is 
fitted with an ABDX control valve and a lever-type hand brake.
    The trailers rest on the upper frame of the bogie, which carries 
the vertical load. In-train longitudinal forces are transmitted through 
a continuous drawbar between the trailers. The drawbar is connected to 
each trailer through a 3-inch diameter pin.
    The front and rear of the train are fitted with a transition bogie. 
This bogie has an identical lower frame and suspension arrangement to 
the intermediate bogie. The upper frame is basically a conventional 
railcar center sill and draft sill. The draft sill holds a top and 
bottom shelf coupler with an M-901E draft gear. The sill also supports 
a crossover platform. The transition bogie allows the RailRunner train 
to be coupled to a locomotive or other standard railcars.
    A RailRunner bogie has two lower frames, one over each axle and one 
upper frame. The lower frames are linked at the center of the bogie to 
allow frames and axles to align radial in a curve. The upper frame 
serves two

[[Page 3530]]

functions. Its primary function is to distribute the weight of two 
trailer ends to the lower frame via the suspension system. The second 
function of the upper frame is to lift the trailer to operating height. 
This is accomplished in two steps. First, the upper frame is shaped 
like a ramp. When a trailer is backed up the ramp it is raised high 
enough for the rubber tires to clear the ground. This removes the 
friction between the rubber tires and the ground, allowing the air 
springs, which raises the trailer further.
    There is a parallel arrangement for air springs and coil springs. 
When the bogie is in the lowered position, with the air bags deflated, 
the coil springs fit inside the upper frame. When the bogie is in the 
``run'' position, with air bags inflated, a plate is rotated into 
position covering the coil springs hole in the upper frame. At this 
point, if the air springs inadvertently deflated, the upper frame rests 
on the coil springs.
    The 6X11 roller bearings are rated for a total bogie weight-on-rail 
of 110,000 pounds (70-ton railcar).
    The petitioner states that the RailRunner System passed all Chapter 
XI tests at the Transportation Technology Center Inc., (TTCI).
    Interested parties are invited to participate in these proceedings 
by submitting written views, data, or comments. FRA does not anticipate 
scheduling a public hearing in connection with these proceedings since 
the facts do not appear to warrant a hearing. If any interested party 
desires an opportunity for oral comment, they should notify FRA, in 
writing, before the end of the comment period and specify the basis for 
their request.
    All communications concerning these proceedings should identify the 
appropriate docket number (e.g., Waiver Petition Docket Number 1999-
6416) and must be submitted to the Docket Clerk, DOT Docket Management 
Facility, Room PL-401 (Plaza Level), 400 7th Street, SW, Washington, DC 
20590. Communications received within 45 days of the date will be 
considered as far as practicable. All written communications concerning 
these proceedings are available for examination during regular business 
hours (9 a.m.-5 p.m.) at the above facility. All document in the public 
docket are also available for inspection and copying on the Internet at 
the docket facility's web site http://dms.dot.gov.
    Issued in Washington, D.C. on January 18, 2000.

Grady C. Cothen, Jr.,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety Standards and Program 
Development.
[FR Doc. 00-1498 Filed 1-20-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P