This notification provides a brief summary of each AAR Circular Letter issued during the prior month. TrinityRail monitors these Circular Letters as they relate to or may impact TrinityRail’s fleet, its customers, its shop network and its manufacturing operations. Please click on the hyperlinks below to access the full circular. The circular number is hyperlinked to the TrinityRail QA Portal. Members of the portal will be able to open the Circular Letters and any attachments. Non-members will need to access the Circulars via their AAR Circular Subscriptions.
These Circular Letter – Quick Notes are intended to improve accessibility to the users and are not proof of revision to the AAR, MSRP’s, Office or Field Manuals per AAR MSRP-J M-1003 2.3.5.
C-13910
Subject: Informational Circular, Revisions to Office Manual, Rule 94
Date Issued: December 6, 2021
Date Effective: January 1, 2022
Group: Locomotive
Summary: At the December 2021 meeting of the Arbitration & Rules Committee, a proposal, as advanced by the Equipment Health Monitoring Committee, to revise Office Manual Rule 94, was reviewed & approved.
C-13911
Subject: Notice of Implementation to Edit the Figures 154-A & 154-B: Steel Tubing on Bulkhead Flatcars – Section 2 of the Open Top Loading Rules Manual (OTLR)
Date Issued: December 10, 2021
Date Effective: December 10, 2021
Group: Shipper
Summary: The OTLR Committee had requested comments from the industry via circular C-13893 to edit the Figures 154-A & 154-B: Steel Tubing on Bulkhead Flatcars – Section 2 of the OTLR Manual.
C-13912
Subject: Implementation of Revisions to MSRP Section N, Specification M-970, Condition-Based Certification of Multi-Level Auto Rack Cars
Date Issued: December 10, 2021
Date Effective: December 10, 2021
Group: Manufacturer, Repair Shop
Summary: The Specially Equipped Freight Car Committee is implementing revisions to Specification M-970, Section 2.2.6. This revision will require all autoracks at certification to be equipped with low-profile securement systems that have been approved since 1/1/10. Comments were solicited on 11/09/21 with C-13888 providing details of the change. No comments were received & changes to MSRP Section N, Specification M-970 are now implemented & effective immediately.
C-13913
Subject: Solicitation of Comment: Revisions to MSRP Section C, Car Construction Fundamentals & Details, Standard S-2045 Remote Monitoring Equipment, Installation.
Date Issued: December 13, 2021
Date Effective: December 13, 2021
Group: Car Owner, Locomotive
Summary: The purpose of this circular letter is to solicit comments for revisions proposed to Section C, Car Construction Fundamentals & Details, Standard S-2045 Remote Monitoring Equipment, Installation. The standard in being modified to better meet industry needs & to establish clear & limited requirements for Remote Monitoring Equipment.
C-13914
Subject: Informational Circular, Car Repair Facility Labor Rate
Date Issued: December 15, 2021
Date Effective: January 1, 2022
Group: Car Owner, Repair Shop
Summary: The Car Repair Facility Labor Rate, effective 1/1/22 is $149.27. This represents an increase of $17.54 (13.3%) from the calculation for 10/1/21. Many changes took place this quarter, including updated health & welfare rates & payroll taxes, a new overhead study, additional wage increases effective in the first quarter, & a completely new composition of Shortline & Running Repair Agent participants.
C-13915
Subject: Informational Circular, Canadian Car Repair Facility Labor Rate
Date Issued: December 15, 2021
Date Effective: January 1, 2022
Group: Car Owner, Repair Shop
Summary: The Canadian Car Repair Facility Labor Rate, effective 1/1/22 is $228.29. This represents an increase of $22.23 CAD (10.8%) from the calculation for 10/1/21. The currency conversion factor used to calculate the Health & Welfare portions of the 10/1/21 Canadian Labor Rate was 1.2560. The currency conversion factor used to calculate the Health & Welfare portions of the 1/1/22 Canadian Labor Rate is 1.2540.
CPC-1386
Subject: Amendment to CPC-1376 Regarding Hydrostatic Leak Testing
Date Issued: December 17, 2021
Date Effective: The date of republication of the M-1002 specification.
Group: Manufacturer, Repair Shop
Summary: On 3/19/21 AAR published CPC-1376 implementing final action on revisions to Chapter 1 & App. T of MSRP, Section C, Part III, Specifications for Tank Cars. On 5/4/21 a single editorial was made & published under CPC-1379. The sole purpose of this CPC is to notify the industry that on 12/7/21, during the AAR Tank TCC teleconference, the committee agreed to delay the 1/1/22 requirement for each facility that performs hydrostatic leak testing to incorporate HLT into their NDT program because the committee has not completed their review of the hydrostatic test procedures in App. D. The TCC has agreed to delay the date of 1/1/22 to the date of republication of the M-1002 specification. Here shown below is the single amendment made to CPC-1376: Each facility that performs hydrostatic leak testing must incorporate HLT into their NDT program no later than 1/1/22 the date of republication of M-1002 specification.
C-13916
Subject: IMPLEMENTED, AAR MSRP, Section K-IV Office Architecture and Railroad Electronics Messaging, Standard S-9353.V1.1
Date Issued: December 20, 2021
Date Effective: December 20 2021
Group: Locomotive
Summary: Standard S-9353.V1.1 contains definitions of data elements used in messages exchanged between applications. Producer application developers are expected to check this data dictionary when constructing new messages. Consumer application developers can use this data dictionary to interpret the contents of messages. This document also contains a description of the categories into which data elements are placed, the attributes of data elements, the types of data elements, and how these data elements are used. This revision includes updates to Appendix A and Appendix B as external content.
C-13917
Subject: IMPLEMENTED, AAR MSRP, Section K-IV Office Architecture and Railroad Electronics Messaging, Standard S-9361.V3.1
Date Issued: December 20, 2021
Date Effective: December 20, 2021
Group: Locomotive
Summary: S-9361.V3.1 contains messages passed between the Positive Train Control Office Segment and the Locomotive Segment, and messages passed between the Wayside Status Relay Service and the Locomotive Segment.
C-13918
Subject: IMPLEMENTED, AAR MSRP, Section K-II Locomotive Electronics and Train Consist System Architecture, Specification M-9155.V2.5
Date Issued: December 20, 2021
Date Effective: December 20, 2021
Group: Locomotive
Summary: Specification M-9155.V2.5 describes functional requirements in sufficient detail and accuracy to support technical proposals to develop an LCCM standalone device or to develop the LCCM function as part of the OEM locomotive control system. This document contains the narrative describing how an Energy Management application may interact with an LCCM as the Controlling Application, but does not contain Energy Management application requirements.
C-13919
Subject: January 2022 Field & Office Manuals, Summary of Comments & Implementation Details
Date Issued: December 21 2021
Date Effective: January 1, 2022
Group: Car Owner, Locomotive, Manufacturer, Repair Shop
Summary: In November 2021, several Circular Letters soliciting comments to the proposed rule changes were issued. In addition, several letters were issued that advised of approved changes that would become effective on 01/01/22. Shown in the hyperlink is a recap of those letters seeking industry comment, an indication of comments received (if any), consideration & implementation details.
C-13920
Subject: Solicitation of Comments for Revisions to MSRP Section C, Car Construction Fundementals & Details: Proposed new Standard “S-2057 Draft Arrangements, 24 5/8-in. Pocket” & retirement of existing standards S-239, S-243, & S-245
Date Issued: December 21, 2021
Date Effective: December 21, 2021
Group: Manufacturer
Summary: The purpose of this circular letter is to solicit comments for revisions proposed to Section C, Car Construction Fundemantals & Details. Attached is proposed new Standard S-2057 Draft Arrangements, 24 5/8-in. Pocket. The Equipment Engineering Committee’s intent is to consolidate the following 24 5/8-in. pocket standards into one. These three existing standards would be retired upon implementation of S-2057.
C-13921
Subject: Solicitation of Comments for Revisions to MSRP Section T, Specification, M-1004 Specification for Fuel Tenders
Date Issued: December 31, 2021
Date Effective: December 31, 2022
Group: Informational
Summary: The purpose of this circular letter is to seek industry comments to a revised M-1004 Specification for Fuel Tenders. Updates to M-1004 include additions or revisions to the following sections:•1.3, •1.4.4, •1.8, •1.9, •5.7.2.1.4, •6.4, •84.2.3.2, •11.9.1.1.2, •11.9.1.1.3, •11.9.1.1.4, •11.9.1.1.5, •11.10.1.1.2, •11.10.1.1.3, •11.10.1.1.4, •11.10.1.1.5, •11.11.1.1.2, •11.11.1.1.3, •11.11.1.1.4, •11.11.1.1.5, •Appendix H