When you ship products by rail, you may own your own rail cars, you may use rail equipment provided by the railroad itself, or you may participate in a rail car pool, where several shippers share the same equipment. Oftentimes, that choice depends on the type of product you ship and others it depends on whether a company prefers to invest in rail equipment or lease it out. Whichever way you approach equipment, keeping rail cars clean is critical.
Rail car cleanliness is important for both privately owned and leased equipment because it minimizes safety concerns and helps keep the product safe, too. And when railroads own the equipment, making sure rail cars are clean helps increase equipment availability and avoid shipping delays – not to mention the added expense customers can incur when railroads must pull equipment to clean it. It’s also just the right thing to do for the next shipper in line. After all, you want to receive clean, safe equipment and so do they. So how do you do it? Here are cleaning and inspection checklists for boxcars, coil cars, covered hoppers, open top hoppers, flat cars, gondolas, refrigerated boxcars and tank cars.
Cleaning and Inspection Checklists by Rail Car Type
Before releasing a rail car, take the following steps to clean and inspect it. If you notice damage, defects or safety issues on railroad-owned equipment, report them to the railroad, immediately.
Boxcar Cleaning Checklist
- Clean and remove all debris and spillage
- Close and secure all doors (note: Use of any mechanical device on doors for opening and closing is prohibited)
- Remove USDA placards that have expired
Boxcar Inspection Checklist
Clean off any residue that may build up on the outside of a rail car.
Inspect for damage or defects, including the following:
Doors
- Top track damage
- Bottom track damage
- Door hanger damage or missing door hanger
- Loose, unsecured or missing door stop or hold open devices
- Loose, non-operational or missing door appliances, operating rods, etc.
- Bulging door
Interior
- Broken or soft boards
- Holes in floors/sidewalls/roofs
- Remove and dispose of any nails, boards, wood, cardboard, paper and banding on the floor and/or attached to floors and sidewalls
- Clean any spilled product as well as dirt or oil left by customer vehicles loading or unloading product
- Remove any trash or garbage left in the rail car
Coil Car Cleaning and Inspection Checklist
- Clean and remove all debris
- Inspect and report any damage or defects
- Replace and secure load dividers (crossbars) with pins
Covered Hopper Cleaning Checklist
- Ensure you’ve emptied all product from every compartment
- Clean the exterior roof of loose or compacted debris or spillage
- Clean the track of any excess spillage or residue
- Inspect and report any damage or defects
- Close and lock outlet gates
- Close and secure outlet caps
- Close and lock hatches
Covered Hopper Inspection Checklist
Malfunctioning gates on hoppers can cause product to build up on track. When this occurs, remove all debris and residue from the rail car and track.
Inspect for damage or defects, including the following:
Gates
- Non-operational gate
- Non-operational or malfunctioning gate locks
- Non-operational or malfunctioning gate slides/tracks
- Non-operational or malfunctioning capstans
- Missing slides or other gate parts
- Gate leakage or bad gate seal
- Cracked, broken or damaged stops
Roof
- Significant dents or roof cracks
- Missing hatch cover(s)
- Leakage or bad hatch gaskets
- Hatch cover(s) that won’t close
- Hatch cover(s) that won’t lock
- Damaged or malfunctioning batten bars
- Broken walkways
Open Top Hoppers Cleaning and Inspection List
- Ensure you’ve emptied all product from every compartment
- Loosen and remove any hardened residue
- Clean the track of any excess spillage or residue
- Inspect and report any damage or defects
- Close and lock outlet gates
- Close and secure outlet caps
Flat Car Cleaning and Inspection List
- Clean and remove all debris including shipper dunnage
- Inspect and report any damage or defects, including missing parts and broken or soft boards
- Reset all cables on their respective spinals, and secure
Gondolas Cleaning and Inspection List
- Ensure you’ve unloaded all product
- Loosen any compacted residue
- Sweep away any remaining residue
- Clean the track of any excess spillage or residue
- Inspect and report any damage or defects
Refrigerated Boxcar Cleaning and Inspection List
- Clean and remove all debris and spillage
- Inspect and report any damage or defects
- Close and secure all doors (note: Use of any mechanical device on doors for opening and closing is prohibited)
- Remove and dispose of any nails, boards, wood, cardboard, paper and banding on the floor and/or attached to floors and sidewalls
- Clean any spilled product as well as dirt or oil left by customer vehicles loading or unloading product
- Remove any trash or garbage left in the rail car
Tank Car Cleaning and Inspection List
Inspect tank cars for damage to avoid spillage. If product leaks from a tank car, it should be cleaned from the track, wheels and safety appliances.
- Ensure you’ve unloaded all product
- Clean the track, rail car wheels and safety appliances of any excess spillage or residue
- Inspect and report any damage or defects
- Clean any spilled product as well as dirt or oil left by customer vehicles loading or unloading product
Learn More
To learn more about rail car types, how to ensure shipment quality or which products you can ship by rail, get in touch.
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