I am searching for info regarding the lawsuit (s) regarding working toilets on locomotives. I did a search on this forum before I posted however, nothing came up. Any help is appreciated.
That dispute may not have made it as far as actual litigation (lawsuit) between the union(s) [typically] and 1 or more railroads, which would have been filed in a U.S. District Court.
Instead, it might have been addressed and resolved by either the FRA locomotive equipment regulations; and/ or, the collective bargaining process between the unions and the railroads, and/ or an arbitration grievance between them. Neither of those latter 2 procedures would have resulted in much of a ‘public record’. Perhaps back issues of the union newsletters would have the info - or better yet, a working railroader, of which we have several very good and helpful ones here.
- Paul North.
Just to expand a little on Paul’s note, FRA non-steam locomotive rules (49 CFR Part 229) were amended in 2002 to include requirements for locomotive potties, see 49 CFR 229.137-139. It’s possible that FRA’s preamble to the final rule discusses prior litigation, if there was any. It’s published in the Federal Register as part of the final rule document, and is available through the Government Printing Office website. My copy of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) shws that the “locopotty” final rule was publshed in the April 4, 2002 Federal Register, 67 Fed. Reg. 16050.
Thanks much for those citations, Falcon48. [tup]
I do recall much acrimony about this subject between Norfolk Southern (then almost alone among the Class I railroads) and its employees - esp. the engineers and conductors - in the period just before the ConRail acquisition and break-up, i.e., 1996 - 1999. So that may be a time frame and ‘point of departure’ for further research into the subject.
- Paul North.
Thanks Falcon48 and Paul. I was working on the SP when it was bought out by UP and remember the NS units coming through with a 5 gallon bucket and a bag for a toilet. It was sickening as well as demeaning for everyone, but particularly for women train crew members.
I could have sworn it took a lawsuit to force NS to install working toilets on it’s locomotives but I could be wrong.
No lawsuit I ever heard of… just the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. They require a “real” toilet. NS’s desire for a non-segregated fleet caused them to put real toilets in all the road locomotives.