N.Y. RRD Law § 78 — New York Code / Act RRD / Article 3 / Section 78
Coal jimmies and caboose cars
Status: in_force

§ 78. Coal jimmies and caboose cars. The use of cars known and\ndesignated as "coal jimmies" in any form and the use of any car as a\ncaboose unless it shall have a suitable and safe platform at each end\nthereof, and the usual railing for the protection of persons using such\nplatform, shall be unlawful within the state, except upon any railroad\nwhose main line is less than fifteen miles in length and whose average\ngrade exceeds two hundred feet to the mile. This section shall not be\nconstrued to authorize the interchange of such "coal jimmies" with, and\nthe use thereof upon, railroads of more than fifteen miles in length or\nwhose average grade is less than two hundred feet to the mile.\n  From and after the first day of July, nineteen hundred and twenty-four\nit shall be unlawful for any corporation or individual to man, equip, or\nto use within the state on any railroad a caboose car, or car to serve\nthe purpose of a caboose car, which shall be less than twenty-four feet\nin length exclusive of the platform, or which shall have a center\nconstructive strength less than that of the fifty-ton freight cars built\naccording to master car builders' standards. Such caboose or other\nequivalent car shall be constructed with steel center sills with two\nfour-wheeled trucks; with each platform not less than twenty-four inches\nwide, with proper guard rails, grab irons and steps, which shall be\nequipped with a suitable rod, board or other guard designed to prevent\nslipping from the car step. Each such car shall have a door at each end\nand shall be equipped with four separate sleeping berths not less than\nsix feet and two inches in length. Each such car shall contain a\nproperly furnished toilet room, sink, icebox, water cooler, clothing\nlockers, fire extinguishers, and with either a cupola of sufficient size\nto accommodate at least two men or bay windows. Each such car on every\nfreight train shall be equipped with electric markers of sufficient\ncandle power to be visible for a distance of three thousand feet under\nnormal weather conditions. Flashing type or constant burning markers\nshall be deemed a sufficient compliance with the foregoing requirement.\nThe glass in all windows and doors of each such car shall be\nshatterproof. Whenever any caboose or other car used for like purpose\nnow in use by any such railroad company shall, after this act goes into\neffect, be brought into any shop for general repairs it shall be\nunlawful to again put the same into use within this state, as a caboose\nor other car used for like purpose unless it be equipped as provided in\nthis act. All cabooses built after January first, nineteen hundred\nsixty-five must be of steel construction and equipped with electric\nlights.\n  This section shall not apply to cabooses or other equivalent cars used\nin the switching service or on trains operated wholly within twenty-five\nmiles of yard limits.\n  Any violation of the provisions of this section shall be a\nmisdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars\nnor more than five hundred dollars for each separate offense. This\npenalty is in addition to that provided for in section eighty-one of\nthis chapter.\n