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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 North America. The GCOR is used by nearly every [[Class I railroad]] west of the [[Mississippi River]], most of the [[Class II railroad]]s, and many [[Short-line railroad]]s.

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">{{Cite web |orig-date=20 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.<ref name=":0" />

==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|railroads]] 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>{{Cite book |url=https://www.up.com/ert/gcor.pdf |title=UPRR - General Code of Operating Rules |date=20 Apr 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>

Most railroads are using the Sixth Edition, Effective April 7, 2010.

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 |journal=All Aboard |publisher=[[Alaska Railroad]] |pages=3 |access-date=17 May 2023}}</ref>

==Adopted by==

<div style="-moz-column-count:3">

*Acadiana Railway company

*Adrian & Blissfield Rail Road Company

*Alabama & Golf Coast Railway

*Alabama Southern Railroad

*[[Alabama & Tennessee River Railway|Alabama & Tennessee River Railway, LLC.]]

*Alabama Warrior Railroad

*Alaska Railroad Corporation

*Albany & Eastern Railroad Company

*Aliquippa & Ohio River Railroad

*[[Alliance Terminal Railroad|Alliance Terminal Railway, LLC]]

*Altamont Commuter Express Rail Authority

*Alton & Southern Railway

*[[Amtrak]]--Chicago Terminal

*[[Amtrak]]--Michigan Line

*[[Amtrak]]--NOUPT

*AN Railway

*Apache Railway Company

*A&R Terminal Railroad Company

*Arizona & California Railroad

*Arizona and California Railway Company

*Arizona Central Railroad

*Arizona Eastern Railway Company

*Arkansas Louisiana & Mississippi Railroad

*Arkansas Midland Railroad Company Inc.

*Arkansas & Missouri Railroad Comppany

*Arkansas Southern Railroad

*Ashtabula, Carson & Jefferson Railroad

*AT&L Railroad Company

*Atlantic & Western Railway

*Austin Western Railroad

*Baton Rouge Southern Railroad

*Bauxite & Northern Railway

*Bay Line Railroad

*Belt Railway Company of Chicago

*BHP Nevada Railway Company

*Blackwell Northern Gateway Railroad

*[[BNSF Railway]]

*Boise Valley Railroad

*Buckingham Branch Railroad

*Buffalo & Pittsburg Railroad

*California Northern Railroad

*California Western Railroad

*Camas Prairie RailNet, Inc.

*[[Canadian Pacific]]

*Caney Fork & Western Railroad

*Canon City and Royal Gorge Railroad

*Carolina Piedmont Railroad

*Carrizo Gorge Railway

*Cascade and Columbia River Railroad

*Cedar Rapids & Iowa City Railway Company

*Central California Traction Company

*Central Illinois Railroad

*Central Kansas Railway

*Central Midland Railway

*Central Montana Rail

*Central Oregon & Pacific Railroad, Inc.

*Central Railroad of Indiana

*Central Railroad of Indianapolis

*Charlotte Southern Railroad Company

*Chattahoochee Bay Railroad

*Chattahoochee Industrial Railroad

*Chattooga & Chicamauga Railway

*Chesapeake & Albemarle Railroad Company, Inc.

*Chicago, Ft. Wayne & Eastern Railroad

*[[Chicago Rail Link]]

</div>

==Categories==

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

#General Responsibilities

#Railroad Radio and Communication Rules

#''Section Reserved''

#[[Standard time|Standard Time]]

#[[Public transport timetables|Timetables]]

#[[Railway signal|Signals]] and Their Use

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

#[[Railroad switch|Switches]]

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

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

#Rules Applicable in ACS, ATC and ATS TerritoryTerritories

#Rules Applicable onlyOnly in [[Automatic train stop|Automatic Train Stop]] (ATS) Territory

#Rules Applicable onlyOnly in [[Cab signalling|Automatic Cab Signal]] System (ACS) Territory

#Rules Applicable onlyOnly withinWithin [[Track warrant|Track Warrant Control]] (TWC) Limits

#Track Bulletin Rules

#Rules Applicable onlyOnly in [[Direct traffic control|Direct Traffic Control]] (DTC) TerritoryLimits

#Rules Applicable Only in [[Automatic Train Control]] (ATC) Territory

#Rules Applicable Only in [[Positive Train Control]] (PTC) Territory

#''Section Reserved''

==See Alsoalso==

*[[NORAC|Northeast Operating Rules Advisory Committee]]

*[[Canadian PacificRail Operating Rules]]

==References==

{{Reflist}}

==External links==

*[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.utu1904transchool.comlee.army.mil/filesrail-safety/Downloaddocuments/GCOR%202005GCOR_6th_ed.pdf General Code of Operating Rules, 5th Edition, Effective April 37, 20052010]

*[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]]

[[Category:Railway safety]]

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