What is Rule 17?

Rule 17. The headlight will be displayed to the front of every train by night. It must be concealed or extinguished when a train turns out to meet another and has stopped clear of main track.

I guess also applies to F3s.

Forgot part:

Rule 17. The headlight will be displayed to the front of every train by night. It must be concealed or extinguished when a train turns out to meet another and has stopped clear of main track.

It must be dimmed:

(a) While passing through yards where yard engines are employed;

(b) Approaching stations at which stops are to be made or where trains are receiving or discharging passengers;

(c) Approaching train order signals, junctions, terminals, meeting points, or while standing on main track;

(d) On two or more tracks when approaching train in the opposite direction.

When an engine is running backward a white light must be displayed by night on the leading end.

In recent months, BNSF has changed this, the headlights are to now stay on full power at all times. Guess they never heard of a little courtesy, trying to NOT blind your fellow engineer coming the other way.

Slingblade,

I am going to respond to your comments. The headlights are standard

250,000 candlepower/lens lamps used on all current engines. They meet minimum Federal regulations. The air horns are pretty much standard(only a few choices these days). Federal law mandates their use at grade crossings and station platforms, unless there is a 'no blow' crossing. Most local governments want this, but refuse to spend the money for the full 4 quadrant gates or local crossing horn. This 'dimming' lights thing is a railroad regulation - I have watched BNSF crews do a temp 'dim' the headlight for an opposing train on double track - more of a 'hello' type of thing. The headlights on road trains outside of yard limits must be fully illuminated by Federal law, unless meeting another train. Usually 'meeting' another train is holding the mainline or siding for a 'meet' in single track territory. The 'ditch' lights also have to be illuminated when moving more that either 15 or 20 mph. Mandatory use of headlights has been a law for years....

Jim Bernier

Sl>

But a lot less hazardous than being hit by one with a much quieter horn!

If your dumb enough to play ON the railroad tracks.....you know what I'm gonna say. Just pity the poor train crews who have to deal with such incident.

I've only had to deal with it once, but that was plenty. Don't care to have to do it again.

Actually you are not responding to my comments, as my only comment on this entire thread up until this point has been the following:

I was just trying to make a little joking comment to someone else's comments to the original poster.

But anyway, as a conductor for the Norfolk Southern, I can concur that BNSF's Rule 17 is virtually identical to NS's Rule 17, the wording may be slightly different but the meaning is the same.

Here is a later version of rule 17 taken from a 1985 employees rule book of a major southeastern (USA) railroad. Read this and draw your own conclusions as to how it translates into usage on your North American model railway

HEADLIGHTS

1. The headlight must be displayed, burning bright, to the front of every train by day and by night except as provided in Rule 17(a). If the engine is detached, the headlight must be displayed in the direction of movement.

17(a). Headlight must be dimmed under the conditions outlined below, except when closely approaching and moving over public crossings at grade.

(1) Passing through yards where other engines are employed.

(2) Approaching train order signals displayed to indicate orders.

(3) Approaching and passing head end and rear end of trains on adjacent tracks.

1. Yard engines when moving will display headlight in the direction of movement. The headlight may be extinguished on the end coupled to cars that obscure view of the headlight. The headlight will be dimmed approaching and passing other engines and when other engines or trains are passing on adjacent tracks.

.........end of headlight rules.................

Additionally, there were rules dictating that: ?..When a train in dark territory turns out to meet another, the headlight must be extinguished to indicate that the train is in the clear of the main track. Conversely, the headlight MUST NOT be extinguished if the train is not completely in the clear.

All you need to do is read the rule book. it will tell you everything you need to know about operating your model railway in a prototypical fashion. Pick one from your favorite railroad and your favorite era and get yourself a copy. They are not hard to find and get.

............F>

One of the downsides I've discovered, seeing how I must be familiar with the NORAC operating rules, is how they color my approach to model railroading. I frequently find myself catching "rules violations" on an HO layout, simply because I'm accustomed to following them at work.

Sometimes a "little knowledge" can be bad, lol.

Dieter Zakas

I have copies of the NORAC rules and a compendium of the region's signals. Very much different from the consolidated code that much of the rest of North America uses.

Our operating group here in Georgia is composed of people from all over the United States who now reside in the Metropolitan Atlanta Area. We have compiled a model railroad operating rule book that is derived from the consolidated code, but that does not include any of the NORAC information. We hold a rules class once a year in which an entire evening is spent reviewing the rules, taking a rules test, having dinner and socializing. Since we are an operations oriented group, we consider this a fun event. No one has ever "failed" a rules test and there is no penalty for so doing anyway.

I was the first actual "railroad person" to be a part of the group and I was appalled at the way the group operated the trains. They just ran with no rhyme or reason and without any operating guidelines other than " Y'all be careful now". fortunately. there were others in the group who were aware that all was not as is should be, so we began to guide the group into a much more prototypical format. Today we are operating as close to the prototype of the 1945-1955 era as we can. Admittedly, it is truly impossible to operate a North American style model railway in exactly the same manner as a full-size railway operates, but you can go a very long way toward emulating prototype operations if that is what you enjoy doing.

.............F>

You actually CAN, Froggy, simply by being aware of the relevant rules.

For the non-industry folk, which means the majority of modelers, the rules can be puzzling and a bit confusing at first. This is where the aid of one familiar with those rules can be most beneficial, to help guide the "novices" through the maze.

The layout of the Pacific Southern model railroad club

features operating NORAC signals on the new part of the layout. This fits in with the refined emphasis that the layout represents a Northeastern carrier, given the prevailing interests of the present membership. The use of NORAC signals is anachronistic, as that body (the Northeast Operating Rules Advisory Committee) dates from the Conrail era, and the layout is nominally in the transition era.

Dieter Zakas Rule 1710, NJ

Well, yes and no. First, I agree with you that you can operate in a very convincingly prototypical manner. But in every group you have the inevitable wiseacre who wants to try to enforce flagging rules, airbrake rules, marker light and class light rules, lineups and such stuff. This you cannot do unless you:

A. install class and marker lights in all your locomotives and cabooses. (while practical for a few, it is not for the majority) Markers yes, but class lights....fergit it. Most modelers do not even know what they are or what they mean, much less how to use them.

B. Run the same number of trains per day as the prototype you are modeling;~AND~ do it in real time, not fast time.

This means, of course, that in a three hour operating session it is possible that not a single train will run. Sounds like a real large time to me. Drive over to the AB&C railroad for an evening op session and sit in the crew lounge/ready room for the whole evening. Oh sure, I'll be back next time...right.

...............F>

Rule 99, GA.