[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 92 (Thursday, May 11, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30474-30475]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-11866]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration


Notice of Safety Advisory 2000-1

AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice of Safety Advisory.

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SUMMARY: FRA is issuing Safety Advisory 2000-1 addressing safety 
concerns involving Model B1 relays, manufactured by General Railway 
Signal (GRS), between the years 1960 and 1985, and their potential to 
stick and remain in the energized position. ALSTOM Signaling, Inc., 
which has acquired GRS, estimates that approximately 2,000,000 relays 
are affected worldwide.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William E. Goodman, Staff Director, 
Signal and Train Control Division, Office of Safety Assurance and 
Compliance, FRA, 1120 Vermont Avenue, NW, RRS-13, Mail Stop 25, 
Washington, DC 20590 (telephone 202-493-6325) or Mark Tessler, Trial 
Attorney, Office of Chief Counsel, 1120 Vermont Avenue, NW , RCC-12, 
Mail

[[Page 30475]]

Stop 10, Washington, DC 20590 (telephone 202-493-6061).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In a Safety Notice issued on August 18, 
1995, GRS stated that it had received reports of ten incidents of a 
residual screw in the armature of a Type B1 relay not releasing from 
the lower core head surface within the specified time. GRS stated that 
this condition could develop in any application using one or more B1 
relays. FRA is concerned about potential malfunctions in such relays 
which are critical to signal systems and their impact on safety if they 
do not operate within specified parameters.
    In its Safety Notice, GRS concluded that:
    1. The condition arises from the transfer of material from the 
cadmium-tin plated core head to the copper-silicon residual screw, 
which can cause the residual screw to adhere to the core head.
    2. Any B1 relay manufactured by GRS between January 1960 and 
December 1985 incorporating residual screw Part No. 20360-012-00 
(Catalog No. P62-255) could develop this condition.
    3. The condition is more likely to occur in B1 Relays normally in 
the energized position used in one or more of the following 
circumstances:
    a. High temperature, i.e. ambient temperatures above 100 degrees 
Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) on a regular basis; and/or
    b. Number of operations of the B1 Relay is less than four (4) times 
per day.
    In order to avoid this condition, GRS recommended that all B1 
Relays manufactured between January 1960 and December 1985 
incorporating screw Part No. 20360-012-00 should be modified by 
replacing the residual screw in accordance with instructions provided 
by GRS.
    FRA has determined that the safety of railroad employees and the 
general public compels the issuance of this Safety Advisory. 
Occurrences of GRS B1 Type relay failures have caused FRA serious 
concern about the safety of certain relays. The relays of concern were 
first identified by General Railway Signal, now ALSTOM Signaling, in a 
Safety Notice issued August 18, 1995. Any B1 relay manufactured by GRS 
between January 1960 and December 1985 incorporating residual screw 
Part No. 20360-012-00 (Catalog No. P62-255) could develop the condition 
of concern. The condition arises from the transfer of material from the 
cadmium-tin plated core head to the copper-silicon residual screw, 
which can cause the residual screw to adhere to the core head, not 
allowing the armature to release from the lower core head surface 
within the specified time. The GRS recommended corrective action was to 
clean the relays, replace the residual screw, and in some cases replace 
the relay cores and bracket.
    In July of 1999, after B1 relay failures were reported on the 
signal system of Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, the 
FRA notified the Association of American Railroads, the American Public 
Transit Association, and the American Short Line and Regional Railroad 
Association, making those associations aware of the potential safety 
issue and asking that they bring the matter to the attention of their 
members.

Recommended Action

    Subsequent to the July 1999 industry notification, additional 
reports of B1 relay failures have been reported to FRA. Due to these 
reports FRA is issuing this Safety Advisory, to again make all users of 
B1 relays aware of the potential problem and its recognized solution. 
While FRA is not at this time requiring immediate inspection and repair 
or replacement of all such relays, FRA strongly recommends that 
railroads accelerate B1 relay inspection and testing programs so that 
all B1 relays have been inspected (and repaired or replaced, if 
necessary) as soon as possible. FRA further recommends that all 
inspection and testing forces be made aware of this problem and 
especially of the likelihood that the condition is more likely to occur 
in B1 relays normally in the energized position and used in high 
temperature on a regular basis, or in which the number of operations of 
the relay is less than four times per day. (See GRS Safety Notice.).
    FRA notes that present railroad safety regulations at title 49 of 
the Code of Federal Regulations require periodic testing of each relay 
affecting the safety of train operations (49 CFR 236.106) and each 
relay affecting the proper functioning of grade crossing warning 
systems (49 CFR 234.263). FRA further notes that 49 CFR 236.11 and 
234.207 require that when any essential component of a signal system or 
highway rail crossing warning system fails to perform its intended 
signaling function or is not in correspondence with known operating 
conditions, the cause shall be determined and the faulty component 
adjusted, repaired, or replaced without undue delay. Therefore, if the 
B1 relay fails to perform as intended, pursuant to Secs. 236.11 and 
234.207, it must be replaced.
    Copies of the Safety Notice issued by GRS, will be made available 
through the Regional Signal & Train Control Specialist or through the 
Signal & Train Control Division at FRA Headquarters, at 202-493-6325.

    Issued in Washington, DC on May 5, 2000.
George Gavalla,
Associate Administrator for Safety.
[FR Doc. 00-11866 Filed 5-10-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P