Locomotive Engineer Certification (49 CFR Part 240)
What Part 240 governs
This domain tests the federal certification requirements for locomotive engineers under 49 CFR Part 240. The exam focuses on who must be certified, how a railroad certifies an engineer, what the certificate must contain, how long it lasts, when it can be revoked, and what records the railroad must keep. Certification is issued by the railroad under an FRA-approved program, not by FRA itself.
Core rules
- Each railroad must maintain a certification program and certify a person before that person operates a locomotive.
- Minimum eligibility includes being at least 21 years old, meeting physical qualifications (including vision and hearing), passing a written knowledge test on railroad rules and territory, demonstrating operating skills, and completing required training.
- The certificate must identify the engineer, the railroad, the effective and expiration dates, and the type of certification. The engineer must carry or display the certificate while on duty.
- Certification is valid for 36 months. Recertification requires current physical qualification, knowledge testing, and performance evaluation.
- A railroad must revoke or suspend certification for serious rule violations, drug or alcohol violations, falsification, or loss of physical qualification. The engineer is entitled to notice, a hearing, and appeal.
Worked example
A candidate is 20 years old, scores 100% on the rules exam, and has 20/20 vision. Can the railroad certify him? No. Part 240 requires the engineer to be at least 21. The perfect test score and normal vision do not cure the age defect. The railroad must wait until he reaches 21 and then complete the certification process.
Traps that cost marks
- Treating “qualified” and “certified” as synonyms. A person may be trained but still not certified.
- Assuming FRA issues the certificate. The railroad does, under its approved program.
- Forgetting that an expired certificate bars operation; a certificate is not permanent.
- Missing that a physical disqualification can require revocation even when there is no rules violation.
Operating Practices (49 CFR Part 218)
What Part 218 governs
This domain tests railroad operating practices under 49 CFR Part 218, especially blue signal protection and the prohibition against tampering with safety devices. The exam asks how workmen are protected when they are on, under, or between rolling equipment, who may remove a blue signal, and what conduct is prohibited around safety appliances. It also tests the requirement that railroads maintain operating rules and that employees follow them.
Blue signal protection
- When workmen are on, under, or between rolling equipment, blue signal protection must be provided. A blue signal is a blue flag or blue light displayed to warn that equipment must not be moved.
- The blue signal must be displayed at each end of the equipment or at the controlling location required by the railroad’s procedure, and it must be visible to crew members who might move the equipment.
- The person who applied the blue signal must remove it. Another person may remove it only under the railroad’s authorized procedure. A radio call, hand signal, or verbal “okay” does not substitute for removing the blue signal.
Tampering and operating rules
Part 218 Subpart C prohibits tampering with safety devices such as alerters, automatic train control or train stop systems, event recorders, and other safety appliances. Tampering includes disabling, bypassing, or interfering with a device. Railroads must have operating rules, and employees must comply with them; violations can lead to certification action under Part 240.
Worked example
A carman is under a car in a yard, and a blue signal is displayed. The engineer wants to move the locomotive to spot another car. The carman says by radio, “Go ahead, I’m almost done.” The engineer moves the locomotive. This is a violation. The blue signal must be removed by the person who applied it, or under the authorized procedure, before movement. The verbal permission does not override the blue signal.
Traps that cost marks
- Removing the blue signal yourself because the workman is not visible.
- Treating radio permission as equivalent to blue signal removal.
- Assuming blue signal protection applies only on main track; it also protects work in yards and on sidings.
- Disabling an alerter to avoid a penalty; that is tampering with a safety device.