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. Circular letters may be viewed in their entirety by accessing the fee-based circular letter library from the Transportation Technology Center Inc. (TTCI) at https://www.aar.org/publications/.
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 M-1003 2.3.5.
C-13713
Subject: Informational Circular, Revisions to CRB Data Exchange Error Code Z8
Date Issued: December 1, 2020
Date Effective: January 1, 2021
Group: Manufacturer, Repair Shop
Summary: Circular Letters C-13586 & C-13705, end-of-car cushion units & tank car pressure relief valves will become AAR required components in 2021. CID data for these components will be allowed to pass through the Car Repair Billing (CRB) Data Exchange, & updates to error code Z8 are required to allow new values ‘GQ’ & ‘QM’.
C-13714
Subject: Implementation of Revisions to MSRP Section T INTEROPERABLE FUEL TENDERS FOR LOCOMOTIVES, Specification M-1004, Specification for Fuel Tenders, and Supporting New Standards S-5028, S-5029 and S-5030
Date Issued: December 1, 2020
Date Effective: December 1, 2020
Group: Manufacturer
Summary: The purpose of this circular letter is to notify the industry of revisions to Section T, INTEROPERABLE FUEL TENDERS FOR LOCOMOTIVES, by implementation of the following publications: Specification M-1004, Specification for Fuel Tenders, Standard S-5028, Safety Appliances for Tank Car-Style Fuel Tenders, Standard S-5029, Safety Appliances for Intermodal Car-Style Tenders, Standard S-5030, Safety Appliances for Enclosed Car Body-Style Tenders.
C-13715
Subject: Implementation of Revisions to MSRP Section T INTEROPERABLE FUEL TENDERS FOR LOCOMOTIVES, New Standards S-5031 and S-5032 for Tender Fill Electrical Cables
Date Issued: December 1, 2020
Date Effective: December 1, 2020
Group: Car Owner, Manufacturer
Summary: The purpose of this circular letter is to notify the industry of revisions to Section T, INTEROPERABLE FUEL TENDERS FOR LOCOMOTIVES, by implementation of the following two new Standards: S-5031 Tender-Fill Control Cable (FC-18), S-5032 Tender-Fill Ethernet Cable (FC-8).
C-13716
Subject: Informational Circular, Revisions to Field Manual, Rule 4
Date Issued: December 3, 2020
Date Effective: December 3, 2020
Group: Locomotive
Summary: The Equipment Health Monitoring Committee (EHMC), jointly with the Wheels, Axles, Bearings & Lubrication (WABL) Committee is releasing this circular to solicit comments on the proposed additions to the subject standard within AAR’s Manual of Standards & Recommended Practices (MSRP), Section F – Sensors.
C-13717
Subject: Solicitation of Comments, Revisions to Office Manual, Rule 88.C
Date Issued: December 4, 2020
Date Effective: December 4, 2020
Group: Car Owner, Manufacturer, Repair Shop
Summary: In November 2020 the Arbitration & Rules Committee approved a proposal by the Equipment Engineering Committee to revise Office Manual Rule 88.C.
C-13718
Subject: DRAFT Standard S-9081.V1.0-Positive Train Control (PTC) – Interoperable Train Control (ITC) – Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) Rules Governing the Use of EDI 161, EDI 824 & EDI 418J, is available for review and comment.
Date Issued: December 5, 2020
Date Effective: December 5, 2020
Group: Locomotive
Summary: The PTC Committee of the AAR is publishing DRAFT Standard S-9081.V1.0 – PTC -ITC – EDI Rules Governing the Use of EDI 161, EDI 824 & EDI 418J for review & comment. This document contains the format & establishes some of the data contents of the Train Sheet Transaction Set (EDI 161), Applicable Advise – Train Sheet (EDI 824) & Train Consist Transaction set (EDI 418J) for use within the context of the EDI environment.
C-13719
Subject: Solicitation of Comments: Additions to MSRP Section F, SENSORS | S-920 AAR Component Identification Bar Code Standard: Tank Car Service Equipment
Date Issued: December 10, 2020
Date Effective: December 10, 2020
Group: Manufacturer, Repair Shop
Summary: AAR’s Tank Car Committee (TCC) recently advanced additions to the subject section to support the inclusion of tank car pressure relief valves into the component registry. The AAR Component Tracking Task Force, Equipment Health Monitoring Committee and the TCC have approved these proposed modifications. The attached draft of Standard S-920 has been prepared for this purpose, with the proposed additions highlighted with change bars in the margin.
CPC-1373
Subject: Solicitation of Comments on Proposed Revisions to MSRP Section C-III, M-1002, Chapter 1, Appendix A, and Appendix D (Docket T100.22.1)
Date Issued: December 10, 2020
Date Effective: December 10, 2020
Group: Manufacturer, Repair Shop
Summary: The Tank Car Committee (TCC) is requesting comments on the proposed revisions identified by change bars in the margin within the attached Chapter 1, Appendix A, and Appendix D of AAR MSRP C-III, M-1002.
CPC-1374
Subject: Solicitation of Comments on Proposed Revisions to MSRP Section C-III, Specification for Tank Cars (M-1002), Chapter 1 and Appendix T (Docket T88.1-93)
Date Issued: December 10, 2020
Date Effective: December 10, 2020
Group: Manufacturer, Repair Shop
Summary: The Tank Car Committee (TCC) is requesting comments on the proposed revisions identified by change bars in the margin within the attached Chapter 1 and Appendix T of AAR MSRP C-III, Specifications for Tank Cars (M-1002). The revisions pertain to the following AAR Tank Car Committee Docket:T88.1-93 Evaluation and use of Nondestructive Evaluation Techniques
C-13720
Subject: Informational Circular, Car Repair Facility Labor Rate – Effective 01/01/21
Date Issued: December 16, 2020
Date Effective: January 1, 2021
Group: Repair Shop
Summary: The Car Repair Facility Labor Rate, effective 1/1/21 is $130.66. This represents a decrease of 5.4% ($7.39) from the calculation for 10/1/20. The changes to the rate involved health & welfare rates, payroll taxes, a new overhead study, & the addition of Shortlines & Running Repair Agents (RRA) to the calculation. This quarter’s Labor Rate utilizes Shortline & RRA wage rates, & the overall rate was calculated using the weighted average by classification (Class I, Shortline, & RRA) based on the new overhead study.
C-13721
Subject: Informational Circular, Canadian Car Repair Facility Labor Rate – Effective 1/1/21
Date Issued: December 16, 2020
Date Effective: January 1, 2021
Group: Repair Shop
Summary: The Canadian Car Repair Facility Labor Rate, effective 1/1/21 is $206.64 CAD. This represents an increase of $24.38 CAD from the calculation for 10/1/20. The changes to the rate involved updates to health & welfare rates, payroll taxes, 1/1/21 wage increases, a new overhead study, & the currency conversion factor was updated for the January calculation.
C-13722
Subject: Open Registration for 2021 AAR M-1003 Quality Assurance Basic Auditor & Root Cause Analysis Training Classes
Date Issued: December 16, 2020
Date Effective: December 16, 2020
Group: Informational
Summary: The AAR QAC has scheduled all the 2021 Basic Auditor, Advanced Auditor & Root Cause Analysis Training classes. Registration is now open for the Webinar based training classes. Interested parties are encouraged to enroll promptly as classes tend to fill quickly & acceptance is based on a first-come first-serve basis.
C-13723
Subject: Registration Is Open for the Virtual 2021 AAR Quality Assurance Auditor & Industry Conference
Date Issued: December 16, 2020
Date Effective: December 16, 2020
Group: Informational
Summary: The AAR QAC is pleased to announce that the 33rd Annual AAR QA Auditor & Industry Conference will be held May 11-12, 2021 as an Online Webinar.
C-13724
Subject: DRAFT Standard S-9382.V1.0 – Interoperable Asset Access Service, is available for review and comment. In support of AAR’s MSRP, Section K-IV, Office Architecture and Railroad Electronics Messaging.
Date Issued: December 17, 2020
Date Effective: December 17, 2020
Group: Locomotive
Summary: The Positive Train Control Interoperability Committee of the AAR is publishing DRAFT Standard S-9382.V1.0 – Interoperable Asset Access Service for review & comment.
C-13725
Subject: DRAFT S-9370.V1.0 – Interoperable Event and Status Service is available for review and comment. In support of AAR’s MSRP, Section K-IV, Office Architecture and Railroad Electronics Messaging.
Date Issued: December 17, 2020
Date Effective: December 17, 2020
Group: Locomotive
Summary: The Positive Train Control Interoperability Committee of the AAR is publishing DRAFT Standard S-9370.V1.0 – Interoperable Event & Status Service for review & comment.
C-13726
Subject: IMPLEMENTED. AAR MSRP, Section K-I Railway Electronics Systems Architecture and Concept of Operations, Standard S-9081.V1.0
Date Issued: December, 18 2020
Date Effective: December 18, 2020
Group: Locomotive
Summary: Standard S-9081.V1.0 contains the format & establishes some of the data contents of the Train Sheet Transaction Set (EDI 161), Applicable Advise – Train Sheet (EDI 824) & Train Consist Transaction Set (EDI 418J) for use within the context of the EDI environment.
C-13727
Subject: January 2021 Field and Office Manuals, Summary of Comments and Implementation Details
Date Issued: December 31, 2020
Date Effective: January 1, 2021
Group: Repair Shop
Summary: In October & November 2020, 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 January 1, 2021.