Jim Cappy 125 Michael McClellan YEARS YOUNG! Kelly Smith Eric Humphrey

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1 Savannah was the setting for this year s very successful 125th Damage Prevention & Freight Claim Committee (DP&FC) Annual Conference built on the theme Bridging to the Future. Chairman Jim Cappy, Norfolk Southern, welcomed an enthusiastic audience and kicked off the proceedings by introducing Michael McClellan, Vice President-Industrial Products for NS. Mr McClellan provided an excellent presentation discussing NS vision for the future of the railroad industry. Panel presentations and breakout sessions rounded out the two-day conference. Discussion topics included: Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA); Damage Prevention 101; Boxcar Load Securement Fitting All Shapes in Square Boxes; the Future of Packaging; Ride Quality; Open Top Opportunities/Design Product for Rail Travel; and several automotive topics. At the conclusion of the event, the officers were installed. Kelly Smith, AVP Damage Prevention & Freight Claims, Kansas City Southern Railway Company, was elected to serve as Chairman and Eric Humphrey, AVP Shipment Quality, Union Pacific Railroad will serve as Vice Chairman. Mr. Smith announced that the 2018 DP&FC Conference will be held July 10-11, 2018 at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, TN. Shown right: Tom Feltault, Director DPLS, presents outgoing Chair Jim Cappy, NS, with a Certificate of Appreciation in thanks for all his hard work on behalf of the committee 125 YEARS YOUNG!

2 Special thanks and appreciation is extended to all sponsoring companies for their contributions toward a very successful 2017 DP&FC Conference. We couldn t do it without you! 2018 DP&FC Conference As Partners, We Embrace the Future Coming off a very successful 2017 event, the Conference Planning Committee is already hard at work formulating what should prove to be a very educational conference agenda for For 2018, our speaker panels will emphasize the future, where we see our industry and our partner industries in 5 years, 10 years and more. Panels are being assembled to address intermodal and open top loading challenges; success stories; an all-new automotive track, and much more. In addition, the planning Committee recommended faceto-face DP&FC Committee Technical Advisory Groups (TAGs) before and after the conference to enable our supplier partners to more actively participate in these problem solving forums. Gaylord Opryland Hotel Nashville, TN A special room rate of $189 is available at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. This rate may be extended up to three days before or after the conference dates, based on availability. Reservations may be made online at: Look for our official conference announcement and online registration address early next year. Page 2

3 Recent Committee Decisions At its most recent meeting, the Damage Prevention and Freight Claim Committee agreed to: Rescind General Information Series No. 767, Horizontal Air Bags in boxcar loads of 50-in. diameter roll paper, and initiate field shipment testing of 50-in. wide horizontal airbags in 50- in. diameter roll paper loads. Adopt a 30-day implementation window for all new closed car loading standards. Revise the performance measure for Level 5 air bags during the leak test. After 19 days, pneumatic dunnage must lose no more than 2.0 psig, and the gauge pressure standard deviation of the 10 samples must not be greater than Approve a request by the Quality Lead Team for the Prevention of Damage to Paper (QLT) to permit the use of two different types of approved doorway protection within the same load. Approve a request to permit the use of two buckles on the loading side doorway when applying nonmetallic strap doorway protection in a belt type application. Grant a request for approval without testing two loading methods for roll paper in boxcars; for 42-in. and 48-in. diameter rolls. Recent DPLS Publications General Information Series (GIS) Publications: 763 Roll Paperboard in Boxcars with Doorway Stacks on Risers and Rubber Mats (6/17). 764 Non-metallic Strap Substitution for Steel Strap as Doorway Protection in Boxcars (6/17). 765 Wood Bins Braced by Disposable Inflatable Dunnage Bags and Shock-Gard Lengthwise Void Fillers (7/17) in. Diameter Roll Paper in 60-ft. Cushioned Boxcars with Double Plug Doors (8/17). 767 Horizontal Air Bags in Boxcar Loads of 50-in. Diameter Roll Paper (8/17). Rescinded 768 Three Gearboxes Mounted on Sleds in 20-ft. Long ISO Containers (9/17) in. Diameter Roll Paper Loaded in 60-ft. Cushioned Boxcars Using Rubber Mats and Airbags (9/17) in. Diameter Roll Paper Loaded in 50-ft. Cushioned Boxcars Using Horizontal Airbags (9/17) in. Diameter Roll Paper Loaded in 50-ft. Cushioned Boxcars Using Sidewall Fillers and Horizontal Airbags (10/17) in. Diameter Roll Paper in 50-ft. Standard Draft Gear Boxcars with Sliding Doors (10/17). Page 3

4 Recent Testing Editor s Note: All DP&LS testing is considered proprietary unless it has been initiated by the Damage Prevention & Freight Claim Committee (DP&FC). RECENTLY COMPLETED FIELD SHIPMENT TESTS (FL) FL 05-13S: 45-in. Diameter Newsprint Rolls Loaded in 60-ft. Boxcars Using Horizontal Airbags Quality Lead Team for the Prevention of Damage to Paper (QLT) This field test program is a continuation to the results documented in report FL It was conducted to evaluate the performance of horizontal airbags and rubber mats used to secure loads of 45-in. diameter roll printing paper loaded in a modified pattern in 60-ft. long, double plug door boxcars. A total of 25 matching origin and destination reports were returned. The loading method performed as intended. See GIS 766. FL 07-17: 81-in. Diameter Roll Paperboard in 50-ft. Boxcars Secured with Type 1A, Grade 5 Nonmetallic Straps in an H Pattern WestRock This is a continuation of field shipment testing reported in FL to evaluate methods of securing 81-in. diameter rolls of paperboard loaded in 50-ft. long boxcars having 10-ft. wide sliding doors. The purpose of this test was to evaluate a method of preventing roll contact with the doors using four Type 1A, Grade 5, nonmetallic straps secured with ladder type buckles in an H configuration in the doorway. This loading and securement method initially did not perform as intended. When the rubber mats were removed from the doorway area, the following 16 destination reports indicated little movement, no door contact, and no damage. The loading and securement method utilized for the final 16 test shipments performed as intended. See GIS in. Diameter Rolls Secured with H Straps FL 13-17: 54-in. Diameter Pulpboard Loaded per Intermodal Loading Guide (ILG) Method E-19 The purpose of this field test was to evaluate method E-19 from the ILG as applied to 54-in. diameter rolls in six, seven, eight, or nine spot patterns. The loading and securement method performed as intended. Committee decision is pending. Page 4

5 RECENTLY INITIATED FIELD SHIPMENT TESTS FL 11-17: 58-in. Diameter Pulpboard (ILG Method E-19) Using Dog Bone Spacers, WestRock FL 12-17: 45-in. Diameter Paper Rolls in 50-ft. Boxcars Using Horizontal Airbags, Unitizing Straps and Rubber Mats FL 14-17: 21-spot, 54-in. Diameter Paper Rolls in 50-ft. Boxcars Using Friction Mats and Rigid Lengthwise Fillers, WestRock FL 15-17: 26-spot, 54-in. Diameter Paper Rolls in 60-ft. Boxcars Using Friction Mats and Rigid Lengthwise Fillers, WestRock FL 16-17: Proprietary FL 17-17: 46-to 57-in. Diameter Roll Paper Loaded per ILG Method E-21, UPM RECENT PNEUMATIC DUNNAGE VERIFICATIONS Company Name Product Performance Profile for Pneumatic Dunnage (PPPPD): Level of Verification General Description Date of Verification AB Airbags TUFFY Series Level 2 Polyethylene/Polypropylene 5/10/17 AB Airbags TUFFY Series Level 3 Polyethylene/Polypropylene 5/10/17 AB Airbags TUFFY Series Level 4 Polyethylene/Polypropylene 5/31/17 Atmet Group Level 1 Polyethylene/Polypropylene - AtmetOne 5/31/17 Atmet Group Level 1 Paper/Polypropylene - AtmetOne+ 3/7/17 Atmet Group Level 2 Polyethylene/Polypropylene - AtmetTwo 4/5/17 Bulk-Pack, Inc. Level 1 Polyethylene/Polypropylene with T-Valve 09/19/17 Atlas/CargoTuff Level 1 Polyethylene/Polypropylene 8/29/17 Cordstrap Cargo Secure Heavy Phoebese Industrial (Shanghai) Co., Ltd Phoebese Industrial (Shanghai) Co., Ltd Level 2 Polyethylene/Polypropylene Edge Valve 09/19/17 Level 2 Polyethylene/Polypropylene 5/10/17 Level 3 Polyethylene/Polypropylene 5/10/17 Phoebese Industrial (Shanghai) Co., Ltd Level 4 Polyethylene/Polypropylene 5/31/17 Shippers Products Level 4 Paper with Fast Fill Valve 4/19/17 Shippers Products Level 4 Paper TX Valve 5/31/17 For a complete listing of AAR Pneumatic Dunnage Verifications, visit: Page 5

6 Open Top Loading Rules (OTLR) Committee Update The OTLR Committee continues to work though the open top loading rules manuals; refining rules and figures, and creating and approving new loading methods for open top cars. The member railroads make a significant contribution to cover the cost of this work and to make the manuals available to their shippers at no cost. This promotes the safe movement of trains carrying commodities in open top cars, trailers, and containers by maintaining a set of standards specifying uniform and economical methods of loading and securement for the entire scope of eligible products. Overall, this reduces costs to railroads and shippers alike. Changes to the manuals are distributed via the AAR Circular Letter System, a paid subscription service. The changes to these manuals is frequent and non-subscribers may not be aware of changes that have been made. This presents an issue for both the shipper and the carrier. The OTLR Committee has elevated this issue to the Technical Services Working committee (TSWC). The TSWC voted to approve funding for an online library of the manuals that will be updated weekly and free to the public. The work on this library will begin within the next several months. RECENT STRAP CERTIFICATIONS Company Name Expiration Date (MM/YY) Maillis Strapping Systems USA 08/ FROMM Packaging Systems, Canada Inc. 08/ Bekap Metal Ins. San. Ve Tic. A.S. 09/ Cargo Equipment Corporation 08/ and 20.2 SpanSet, Inc. 10/ and 20.2 High Q Pack Industries Co., Ltd. 05/ USA Strapping 05/ Cordstrap USA Inc. 05/ and 19.3 Tapex American Corporation 06/ Strapack 06/ Caristrap International Inc. 07/ Teufelberger Ges.m.b.H 08/ Maillis Strapping Systems USA 07/ Polychem Corporation 07/ Garibaldi S.A. 07/ USA Strapping 07/ and 19.3 Hiroyuki Industries (M) SDN BHD 08/ Plast-O-Fine Industries 08/ Allstrap Strapping Systems 10/ Cargo Equipment Corporation 08/ SpanSet, Inc. 10/ OTLR Table Page 6

7 Quality Lead Team (QLT) for the Prevention of Damage to Paper Update The AAR QLT met October 24, 2017 to discuss the recommendations put forth by the Paper and Forest Industry Transportation Committee (PFITC) members in response to QLT rail members request to present arguments to support two issues for which full team concurrence has not been achieved: riser use and roll families. In addition, the PFITC QLT Team offered an additional 11 items for consideration by the full QLT. The team agreed that their primary focus should be on roll families and risers, with a long-range goal to revise best practices in Fall The QLT continues to work on establishing new AAR-approved loading patterns for 50- and 60- ft. long double door boxcars. Coiled Metal TAG Update The DP&FC Committee approved a motion to initiate a technical advisory group (TAG) to investigate failures in floor-anchored loads. The tag is developing a method to determine the ratio of coil diameter and its width to determine at what point an additional strap over or around the top of the coil to necessary prevent tipping shifting. The objective is to modify Closed Car Loading Guide (CCLG), Part 9, Section 8, Floor Anchored Systems, to reduce load shifts associated with this method and protect both railcars and customers lading. The CCLG Part 9 methods do not address the coil diameter/width ratio and weigh, nor the number of coils loaded based on diameter and weight. Also, the TAG created a survey to determine specific information (e.g., weight, height and diameter of the metal coils) from shippers to investigate and solve the problem. TAG members held of teleconference meetings with a major coil shipper to discuss the status of loading plan proposals to reinforce the current means of securing the coils. Currently, two loading proposals have completed 25 field shipments. They are in review and soon will be sent to TAG for review and to the DP&FC for their consideration. Shifting coils like this were being reported Recent testing has successfully eliminated coil shifting Page 7

8 Special Equipped Freight Car Committee (SEFCC) Committee Update APPENDIX B CHANGES EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2018 Current General Rule 4 that will be removed: Switching charges will only be allowed as a maintenance pool expense when the railroad operating the pool is billed by another railroad for a switching charge, or if the pool operator is a switching line receiving a switching charge only. General Rule 4 that will be added: Appendix B, Rule 1 M & R Pool Locations must be certified by an M & R Pool Certification Inspection performed by AAR Inspectors or their agents. New M & R Pool Locations will be considered certified until they receive their first M & R Pool Certification Inspection. If the location is found to have deficiencies per Form SE-3, it will be considered to be conditionally certified. Conditionally certified M & R Pool Locations will have 60 days from inspection date to provide documentation of corrective actions to the Committee Manager for the SEFCC. If documentation is not provided within 60 days, Pool Location will be decertified. Pool billing will not be allowed for the entire month in which the location was decertified and will not be allowed until the first day of the following month following re-inspection and certification. AAR and/or their agents will re-inspect within 30 days of request. General Rule 13 will change to the following: For racks that cannot be repaired at the Pool Site or Mobile Repair Facility, it is the responsibility of the Pool Operator to request disposition through DDCT. Appendix B, Rule 4, C.2.g will be deleted: Carrier shall not render any bills against another carrier when the total of such bill aggregates less than $200.00, except for charges accumulated and billed on an annual basis. Greenbrier Multi-Max End Doors EW5315 Greenbrier has requested industry assistance in replacing end door hinges on certain multilevel cars. AAR is issuing this Early Warning (EW) in order to expedite this effort. This EW is in addition to existing Maintenance Advisory MA-0167, which covers the same series of cars and calls for replacement of hinges when found cracked or broken, or when the opportunity readily presents itself. This EW is more aggressive in that all cars listed must have all hinges replaced regardless of the condition or convenience. Cars listed in this EW have been removed from MA In accordance with AAR Interchange Rule 125, this EW is assigned Severity Code: 06, AAR-defined: Stop empty car; replace all 16 end door hinges; return car to service; report Activity Code MH. At multilevel unloading facility destination, inspect for cracked or broken end door hinges: - If any cracked or broken hinges are found, door shall not be opened until hinges are replaced. Replace all hinges; return car to service; report Activity Code MH. - If no hinges are found cracked or broken, car may be unloaded before repairs are made. Subsequent to unloading: Replace all hinges; return car to service; report Activity Code MH; or Page 8

9 Contact the rack owner, send car to a repair shop, and report activity code ME. For any car listed in this advisory, and for which the facility in possession of the car does not have the capability to replace hinges, contact the autorack owner, send the car to a repair shop, and report activity code ME. If car must be home shopped for repair, contact autorack owner for disposition. Apply decal per Interchange Rule 80. Equipment This EW will eventually apply to most of the 1,275 autoracks included in MA-0167, other than those repaired under the maintenance advisory (MA). Five percent of the total (i.e., 65 cars) will initially be removed from the MA and added to this EW. As the end door hinges are replaced and once no more than 30 cars remain on this EW 65 more cars will be added. This will be continued until all end door hinges are replaced. The following table includes the car initials and numbers included in this Advisory. For doors/racks that must be sent for repair, disposition must be requested through the Damaged and Defective Car Tracking system, based on the rack contact column below. Rack Car No. Car Mark Contact From To No. Cars Rack Mark CSXT CTTX C BNSF CTTX BNSF KCS CTTX KCS BNSF CTTX UCRY CN TTGX GTW BNSF TTGX BNSF KCS TTGX KCS CSX TTGX B FEC TTGX G CP SOO SOO Inspection of Hinges Each corner of the car has four hinges supporting the end doors as shown in the larger photo below. The hinge base that is mounted to the car contains a bent bracket constructed with 5/16 material. This section of the hinge is susceptible to cracks or breaks. Refer to the two smaller photos at right, both of which show a broken hinge base. All end door hinges must be inspected for cracks or breaks when at multilevel unloading facilities (before opening the doors for unloading). Page 9

10 Repair Procedures Summary: Doors shall be closed or remain closed during the replacement of hinges. Hinges shall be replaced in this order on any given corner of the car: broken hinges first, cracked hinges second, non-cracked hinges last. All repairs shall include replacement of all 16 hinges on the rack with GMO part number A OEM repair kits will be supplied by Greenbrier. Contact Mr. Roger Burgess at Greenbrier at or by phone at Reporting Use the following activity codes according to action taken: MH ME Car repaired and returned to service Car moving to repair shop Page 10

11 Quality Review Update As 2017 draws to a close, our Damage Prevention team has continued to see low industry averages for the transportation section for both Origin and Destination quality reviews. In both audits, we have the same low scoring question of the section: Are couplers in proper position? Origin currently has an industry average of 77.97%, while Destination is currently averaging 84.79%. During quality reviews, a frequently asked question is how to measure junction spacing and deck height differences for multiple types of multilevels. The following photos will illustrate the reference points for determining the correct coupler distance and deck height measurement for Radial, Rave, Auto Flex, National Steel Car, and Multi-Max Page 11

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13 Current QR Program and 3rd Quarter Averages Multilevel Pool Executive Committee (MPEC) and MPEC sub-committee update Despite the recent hurricanes that hit Texas, the Gulf Coast and Florida, order fulfillment for empty bilevels and tri-levels at North American assembly plants has remained above the 90% goal. Looking at the new build bi-level orders from 2013 through 2018, including the number of de-racked bi-levels and retired bi-levels, the net rack additions equal 10,419 additional bi-levels in the national reload fleet since Using the same timeframe and parameters, the net rack additions of tri-levels are 2,519 since Please note: with the continued lower fuel costs, the sales of light trucks, SUVs, and crossovers are up and the sales of more fuel efficient smaller cars are down. There is more demand for bi-level autoracks; and tri-level autoracks are in surplus with a number of tri-levels being stored. Page 13

14 The Reload Steering Committee (RSC) is one of the sub-committees under MPEC. The RSC has been working hard to identify problem areas and adjust the pooling rules to facilitate the flow of empty and loaded multi-levels across the network. In addition, during network stress such as the hurricane that hit Houston, the RSC has worked to suspend certain requirements allowing the individual railroads and the OEMs to work together to keep the multilevels flowing and to ultimately respond better to the customer. The Transit Improvement Process Team (TIPT) focuses more on the day to day communications and interactions between the individual Class 1 railroads, large belt line railroads, and the OEMs. The Mexico United States Automotive Railroad (MUAR) task force has been focusing on the reduction and elimination of theft and vandalism claims within Mexico. This effort includes several facets that are being advanced simultaneously. The last MPEC sub-committee is the Vehicle and Equipment Quality taskforce (VEQ). The VEQ has both railroad and OEM voting members and works closely with the SEFCC on vehicle securement systems as an example. In addition, the VEQ works on issues that can adversely affect the damage-free loading, securement, transport, and unloading of vehicles. Automotive Training Update The complete TTCI automotive handling web-based training for destination vehicle handling will be available by the end of January Destination Vehicle Handling will include training on the following topics: Proper placement of multilevels End doors decks and bridge plate procedures Proper vehicle unloading procedures Proper vehicle baying procedures Facility procedures Within two months of the rollout of the destination vehicle handling training, the origin vehicle handling training will be released and available. Additional topics covered include: Vehicle Pre-loading bay Procedures Proper vehicle loading procedures Proper securement of vehicles on bi-level and tri-level multilevels Proper vehicle post-loading inspections Additional content to be developed in 2018 includes basic multi-level pre-tripping procedures. Please look on TTCI s website at: for the excerpt from the Proper Placement of Multi-Levels training module. Do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns. On behalf of TTCI s Damage Prevention & Loading Services, we wish you a happy holiday and a safe new year! Page 14