FRA directive on 111 tank cars

On Sept. 30, 2016, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issued a Railworthiness Directive (Directive or RWD) to all owners of Department of Transportation (DOT) specification 111 general purpose tank cars.

FRA issued this directive because certain designs of specification DOT-111 tank cars were built by American Railcar Industries, Inc. (ARI) and ACF Industries, LLC (ACF) using welding practices not in conformance with federal regulations and Association of American Railroads (AAR) welding specifications. The cars are built to the ARI and ACF 300 stub sill design and equipped with a two-piece cast sump and bottom outlet valve (BOV) skid. As a result of the non-conforming welding practices, these cars may have substantial weld defects at the sump and BOV skid groove attachment welds, potentially affecting each tank’s ability to retain its contents during transportation.

FRA is issuing this Railworthiness Directive (Directive) to all owners of ARI or ACF general purpose tank cars in the U.S. manufactured to this design. This Directive requires owners to: (1) identify tank cars in their fleet covered by this Directive; and (2) ensure appropriate inspection and testing of each tank car’s sump and BOV skid groove attachment welds to ensure no flaw exists which could result in the loss of tank integrity.

You can read the directive in full HERE.