General Code of Operating Rules: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Railway operating rulebook}}

The '''General Code of Operating Rules''' ('''GCOR''') is a set of operating rules for railroads in the [[United States]]. The GCOR is used by [[Class I railroad]]s west of [[Chicago]], most of the [[Class II railroad]]s, and many [[Short-line railroad]]s.<ref name=":0">{{citationCite web needed|orig-date=December20 Apr 2018 |title=The General Code of Operating Rules (GCOR) |url=https://www.trains.com/grw/beginners/the-general-code-of-operating-rules-gcor/ |access-date=2023-05-17 |website=Garden Railways Magazine |publisher=[[Kalmbach Media]] (which owns "Trains.com") |language=en-US}}</ref>

Some railroads in the northeast United States follow [[NORAC]], while [[Canada]] and [[Mexico]] have their own set of operating rules that govern their railroad operations.{{citation<ref needed|datename=December":0" 2018}}/>

==Overview==

The GCOR rules are intended to enhance [[railroad]] [[safety]]. The rules cover employee responsibilities, signaling equipment, procedures for safe train movement, dealing with accidents and other topics that directly and indirectly affect railroad safety. Some [[railroad]]srailroads modify the GCOR rules to suit their specific operations.

The GCOR is supplemented by System Special Instructions, [[Timetables]], Hazardous Materials Instructions, Air Brake and Train Handling Instructions, and General Orders. These documents are issued by each individual railroad. System Special instructions, [[Timetables]], and General Order can modify or amend the General Code of Operating Rules. GCOR 1.3.2 states that General Orders replace any rule, special instruction, or regulation that conflicts with the general order.<ref>{{cite book|title=General Code of Operating Rules|year=2015}}</ref>

Some railroads will maintain what they call a "living rulebook." As amendments are released via general order or special instruction, they will update the specific page that was affected.<ref name=":0" /> An example of this is the Union Pacific, which maintains a copy of the GCOR with page-by-page amendments.<ref>{{citationCite book |url=https://www.up.com/ert/gcor.pdf |title=UPRR - General Code of Operating Rules needed|date=December20 2018Apr 2023 |publisher=[[Union Pacific]] |edition=Seventh, amended |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230517230549/https://www.up.com/ert/gcor.pdf |archive-date=17 May 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The current version of the GCOR is the Eighth Edition, effective April 1, 2020.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=August 2019 |title=Alaska Railroad hosts national GCOR committee |url=https://insidetrack.akrr.com/web/NEWS/AllAboard/2019_08_AllAboard.pdf {{Bare|journal=All URLAboard PDF|publisher=[[Alaska Railroad]] |pages=3 |access-date=March17 May 20222023}}</ref>

Most railroads are using the Seventh Edition, effective April 1, 2015.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}}

==Categories==

The full set of GCOR rules is divided into 1719 categories.

#General Responsibilities

#Railroad Radio and Communication Rules

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#[[Shunt (railway operations)|Switching]]

#[[Railroad switch|Switches]]

#[[AbsoluteAutomatic Blockblock signaling|Block System Rules]]

#Rules Applicable Only in [[Centralized Traffic Control]] (CTC)

#Rules Applicable in ACS, ATC and ATS Territories

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*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080917161233/http://www.fra.dot.gov/downloads/Research/ord9909.pdf U S Department of Transportation - Compliance with Railroad Operating Rules and Corporate Culture Influences, October 1999]

*[https://web.archive.org/web/20130904121049/http://www.transchool.lee.army.mil/rail-safety/documents/GCOR_6th_ed.pdf General Code of Operating Rules, April 7, 2010]

*[http://fwwr.net/assets/gcor-effective-2015-04-01.pdf General Code of Operating Rules, April 1, 2015] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180619012704/http://fwwr.net/assets/gcor-effective-2015-04-01.pdf |date=2018-06-19 }}

*[https://safety.army.mil/Portals/0/Documents/ON-DUTY/MILITARYOPERATIONSANDTRAINING/RAILPORTANDCARGO/Standard/GCOR_8ed_1APR20.pdf General Code of Operating Rules, April 1, 2020]

[[Category:Railway signaling in the United States]]

[[Category:Railway signaling in Canada]]

[[Category:Railway signaling in Mexico]]