[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 178 (Wednesday, September 15, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Page 55659]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-20718]


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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 with certain 
requirements of its safety standards. The individual petition is 
described below, including the party seeking relief, the regulatory 
provisions involved, the nature of the relief being requested, and the 
petitioner's arguments in favor of relief.

Wabtec Corporation

[Waiver Petition Docket Number FRA-2004-18895]

    The Wabtec Corporation (Wabtec) seeks a waiver of compliance from 
certain provisions of 49 CFR Part 232, Brake System Safety Standards 
for Freight and Other Non-Passenger Trains and Equipment. Specifically, 
Sec.  232.409(d)--Inspection and Testing of end-of-train devices, which 
requires the telemetry equipment to be tested for accuracy and 
calibrated if necessary at least every 368 days. It also requires that 
the date and location of the last calibration or test as well as the 
name of the person performing the calibration or test, be legibly 
displayed on a weather-resistant sticker or other marking device 
affixed to the outside of both the front and the rear unit.
    This waiver will cover all Wabtec TrainLink II Head of Train 
(HTD's) and End of Train devices (EOT's) that were produced since March 
4, 2002, and all existing TrainLink units that are upgraded with the 
new WRE digitally synthesized radio. If the waiver is approved, Wabtec 
and associated service centers will attach a sticker on all new and 
upgraded units identifying they are equipped with the new WRE digital 
radio and are covered by the waiver. Wabtec has concluded that with the 
advanced technology, there is no need to annually test and calibrate 
units built or upgraded with the new synthesized radio.
    Previous generation radio designs used manual tuning coils and 
potentiometers that were subject to drift due to vibration and 
temperature shifts. These older designs required manual adjustments to 
assure that the radio was operating on the proper frequencies. The new 
WRE TrainLink II synthesized digital radio provides a continuous, fully 
automatic self-calibrating feature, along with advanced diagnostics to 
assure accuracy and dependability in radio transmission. As a result, 
there is no manual calibration or adjustment in this new radio design. 
The transceiver is designed specifically for the harsh railroad 
environment and incorporates phase lock loop circuitry, along with 
temperature and voltage controlled crystal oscillators to maintain 
spectral (signal) purity. This automatic algorithm works by optimizing 
the VCO control parameters to achieve minimum phase noise. It 
automatically calibrates the power amplifier (PA) and power amplifier 
driver (RF) bias current every time the transmitter is powered. This 
automatic calibration feature is the heart of maintaining the radio's 
performance integrity. Should the radio experience a component failure, 
the auto-cal routine will cycle continuously, effectively shut down the 
radio, and provide the appropriate ``No Comm'' display in the cab of 
the locomotive. Failure in the micro/power supply areas will also 
result in an inoperable radio, and the same ``No Comm'' message will be 
received in the locomotive cab.
    Wabtec also concludes that since the synthesized radio requires no 
manual adjustments, and if the waiver is approved no annual testing 
will be required, there is no need for the record keeping requirements 
(i.e. Sticker with date location, and name of person performing the 
test).
    Wabtec has been producing the synthesized digital radio for over 2 
years. Currently, there are over 25,000 TrainLink II systems in 
operation worldwide, including approximately 20,000 on U.S. railroads. 
Wabtec states that these units have provided reliable service since 
their introduction.
    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 FRA-
2004-18895) 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 30 days of the 
date of this notice will be considered by FRA before final action is 
taken. Comments received after that 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 documents in the public docket are 
also available for inspection and copying on the Internet at the docket 
facility's Web site at http://dms.dot.gov.
    Anyone is able to search the electronic form of all comments 
received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual 
submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf 
of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review DOT's 
complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on 
April 11, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 70; Pages 19477-78). The Statement 
may also be found at http://dms.dot.gov.

    Issued in Washington, DC on September 7, 2004.
Grady C. Cothen, Jr.,
Acting Associate Administrator for Safety.
[FR Doc. 04-20718 Filed 9-14-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P