Document ID: FRA-2009-0031-0265
Agency: fra
Document Type: Notice
Title: Safety Advisory: 2023-04; High-Impact Wheels Causing Damage to Rails and Track Structures
Posted Date: 2023-09-12T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 175 (Tuesday, September 12, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62623-62624]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-19677]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

Safety Advisory 2023-04; High-Impact Wheels Causing Damage to 
Rails and Track Structures

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

ACTION: Notice of safety advisory.

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SUMMARY: This Safety Advisory recommends railroads utilize Wheel Impact 
Load Detectors (WILD) to properly identify and replace high-impact 
railcar wheels that could cause significant damage to rails and 
supporting track structures. FRA's preliminary investigation of a 
recent train derailment in Gothenburg, Nebraska, indicates that high-
impact wheels damaged the rail the train was operating over and caused 
the derailment. Current industry practices for using WILDs to identify 
and replace high-impact wheels could help prevent such incidents in the 
future.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Charles P. King, Director, Office 
of Railroad Infrastructure and Mechanical Equipment, at telephone: 202-
329-5031 or email: [email protected].
    Disclaimer: This Safety Advisory is considered guidance pursuant to 
DOT Order 2100.6A (June 7, 2021). Except when referencing laws, 
regulations, policies, or orders, the information in this Safety 
Advisory does not have the force and effect of law and is not meant to 
bind the public in any way. This document does not revise or replace 
any previously issued guidance.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    In 2015, FRA issued Safety Advisory 2015-01 recommending, among 
other things, the use of WILDs to improve safety,\1\ recognizing the 
potential value of these wayside detection systems, if they are 
appropriately installed, maintained, and utilized. FRA recommended 
railroads continue to install and maintain WILDs along certain routes 
and monitor their measurements to determine when to replace wheels. In 
that Safety Advisory, FRA also recommended that railroads lower the 
impact threshold for action to replace the wheels on any car in a high-
hazard flammable train.
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    \1\ https://railroads.dot.gov/elibrary/mechanical-inspections-and-wheel-impact-load-detector-standards-trains-transporting-large.
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    WILDs supplement, and do not substitute, the existing wheel

[[Page 62624]]

regulations \2\ that focus on preventing broken wheels and other wheel 
failures. WILD measurements are intended to focus more on the 
interaction between the wheels and the rail and prevent broken rails 
and other rail failures. WILDs are designed to measure the impact of a 
railcar's wheels on the rail and alert the operating railroad and car 
owner when wheels have a high impact. WILDs measure this impact on the 
rail in KIPs (1,000 pounds-force). High-impact wheels (generally 
considered to be more than 90 KIPs) are typically caused by a flat spot 
or other wheel defect. If not addressed, high-impact wheels can damage 
rail and track structures and cause a derailment.
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    \2\ See, e.g., 49 CFR 215.103, 229.73, 229.75.
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    On February 21, 2023, 30 freight cars carrying coal derailed in a 
train in Gothenburg, Nebraska. FRA's preliminary investigation 
indicates the derailment was likely caused by high-impact wheels 
breaking a track joint bar. Records from FRA's investigation show one 
of the freight cars had a WILD measurement of 130.6 KIPs when it 
operated over the track joint bar that was found broken. Records also 
show this freight car continued to operate for several months prior to 
the derailment after its high-impact wheels were identified by WILDs. 
WILD measurements showed high-impact wheels in November and December 
2022, and again in January 2023. During its investigation, FRA also 
identified eight other freight cars in the derailed train with high-
impact wheels.

Recommendations

    In light of the Gothenburg, Nebraska, accident, FRA recommends 
railroads and contractors continue to use WILDs to help identify and 
replace high-impact wheels according to railroad current industry 
practices. Specifically, wheels with a WILD measurement greater than 80 
KIPs should be replaced when in a repair shop, and wheels with a WILD 
measurement greater than 90 KIPs should be replaced when found in any 
other location in service. In addition, railroads should review 
procedures for identifying dynamic ratios to help predict high-impact 
wheels when cars are loaded. A dynamic ratio is the ratio of a WILD 
measurement of a loaded railcar compared to when it is empty. The peak 
impact is the highest WILD measurement recorded. The impact measurement 
varies during operation due to the changing operating environment, 
including changes in speed. Wheels should be replaced when an empty 
railcar with a dynamic ratio of 5 or higher has a preceding peak impact 
greater than 100 KIPs. Replacement at such time will reduce or 
eliminate further damage to the freight car's wheels, rails, and track 
structures. In addition, FRA recommends railroads and contractors 
review this Safety Advisory with employees to increase their awareness 
of the possible consequences of allowing freight cars with high-impact 
wheels to continue to operate.

Conclusion

    FRA encourages all railroad industry members to take actions 
consistent with the recommendations of this Safety Advisory. FRA may 
modify this Safety Advisory, issue additional safety advisories, or 
take other appropriate action necessary to ensure the highest level of 
safety on the Nation's railroads, including pursuing other corrective 
measures under its rail safety authority.

    Issued in Washington, DC.
Amitabha Bose,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2023-19677 Filed 9-11-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P