What is Rule 17 lighting and how can I get a book of these rules?
Sections 5.9.1 through 5.9.7 regard the use of exterior lights on locomotives from the GCOR (General Code of Operating Rules) book …
http://www.blet75.org/2013-06-01_gcor_updated.pdf
“Rule 17” is actually a dated term that is no longer used in the manual. Here’s an example of an earlier version of rule 17, from the Santa Fe’s 1927 Rules and Regulations, Operating Department:
"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, or is standing to meet a train at the end of double track or junctions. It must be dimmed while standing in stations where yard engines are employed.
“17(A). When an engine is running backward a white light must be displayed by night on the rear of the tender.”
Mark.
It’s not dated if it fits the era one is modelling. In my basement, the 1968 Uniform Code of Operating Rules is in effect. When I go to work it’s the current General Code of Operating Rules.
Often you can find old rule books at train shows, along with old time tables, etc. Sometimes you will come across them in antique stores. (I know of one that has a 1950 UCOR, a 1945 Consolidated Code, a 1964 CGW rule book, and a CB&Q, don’t know the date, rule book. The owner is a retired RI-IRRC-IAIS engineer so he has more railroad stuff than most stores.)
There are also dealers in such items on the internet and sites such as e-bay.
Jeff
Each railroad has its own rule book with its own numbers. In the last 50 years or so railroads had gotten together and agreed on common rule books. Being dyslexic, I cannot remember all of the different letters used to distinguish the different rule books.
Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad were part of a northeast consortium when developing the NORAC rule book, but neither railroad adopted it.
LIRR trains run under the LIRR rule book west to Herald tower and then must follow the NORAC book into Penn Station.
Amtrak operates under NORAC, but when trains are running on Metro-North tracks must follow the Metro-North rule book.
NYCT has its own rule book. For that matter, so does the Route of the Broadway LION.
ROAR
There are a couple really big times in rules.
The first was the 1880’s when the first “standard” rule books were issued. They were written by committees of railroad officials who agreed on a general format of the rules.
Then next was in the 1910-1915 era when the rules changed significantly. The rules were renumbered.
The last wast in the mid 1980’s when the railroads went to “modern” rule books and the vast majority of railroads retired train orders and went to track warrant type systems. All the rules were renumbered and reorganized.
Between about 1918 and 1985 the majority of the railroads in N America ran on similar (but not exactly the same) rule books. The concepts were the same but there were details different. The more modern the rule book in any era, the more it deviates from the “standard”. A UP and ATSF rule book from 1925 would be more similar than a UP and ATSF rule book from 1975.
Signal rules are probably the most varied part of the rules.
If you search for “UCOR” (Uniform Code of Operating rules, midwestern roads or a different set of Canadian rules, pre 1985), “CCOR” (Consolidated Code of Operating Rules, upper midwest west roads, pre-1985), “GCOR” (General Code of Operating Rules, mostly road west of the Mississippi post-1985), “NORAC” (Northeast Operating Rules Advisory Committee, post-1985) you may find online resources. You can also find rule books on E-Bay (search for railroad rule books or railroad rulebooks). Many of them are reasonably priced. I have rulebooks from 1876 to the 1990’s I purchased from E-Bay. Some rules haven’t changed much in 100 years, other rules have been added and some have been omitted.
Add CROR (Canadian Rail Operating Rules) for post 1980s rules north of the border. The current CROR rules are available on line on Transport Canada’s web site.
Know which railroad you’re looking at and the time frame.