A little reflection may go a long way

Railway Age, Feb, 2005

Beginning March 4, 2005, the Federal Railroad Administration is requiring reflective materials to be installed on the sides of locomotives and freight cars to make trains more visible to motorists at highway/rail grade crossings. The Final Rule, Reflectorization of Rail Freight Rolling Stock, published in the Jan. 3, 2005, Federal Register (www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fedreg/a050103c.html), requires railroads to install yellow or white reflective materials on locomotives over a five-year period and on freight cars over a 10-year period. The reflective materials are to be installed on all newly constructed equipment, and on existing equipment during periodic maintenance or repair, unless alternate implementation plans have been developed that meet FRA requirements. The illustration above shows where reflective materials are to be located on one portion of a boxcar.

FRA says that nearly 25% of all highway-rail grade crossing collisions involve motor vehicles running into trains occupying grade crossings. "The large size and dark color of trains in combination with poor lighting or limited visibility may contribute to motorists having difficulty detecting the train in their path," the agency says. "The reflective material will help reduce the number and severity of this type of accident by giving motorists an additional visual warning of the presence of a train."