(a) The air brake equipment on a locomotive shall be in safe and suitable condition for service.

(b) All locomotives ordered on or after August 1, 2002, or placed in service for the first time on or after April 1, 2004, shall be equipped with a hand or parking brake that is:

(1) Capable of application or activation by hand;

(2) Capable of release by hand; and

(3) Capable of holding the unit on a three (3) percent grade.

(c) On locomotives so equipped, the hand or parking brake as well as its parts and connections shall be inspected, and necessary repairs made, as often as service requires but no less frequently than every 368 days. The date of the last inspection shall be either entered on Form FRA F 6180-49A or suitably stenciled or tagged on the locomotive.

(d) The amount of leakage from the equalizing reservoir on locomotives and related piping shall be zero, unless the system is capable of maintaining the set pressure at any service application with the brakes control valve in the freight position. If such leakage is detected en route, the train may be moved only to the nearest forward location where the equalizing-reservoir leakage can be corrected. On locomotives equipped with electronic brakes, if the system logs or displays a fault related to equalizing reservoir leakage, the train may be moved only to the nearest forward location where the necessary repairs can be made.

(e) Use of the feed or regulating valve to control braking is prohibited.

(f) The passenger position on the locomotive brake control stand shall be used only if the trailing equipment is designed for graduated brake release or if equalizing reservoir leakage occurs en route and its use is necessary to safely control the movement of the train until it reaches the next forward location where the reservoir leakage can be corrected.

(g) When taking charge of a locomotive or locomotive consist, an engineer must know that the brakes are in operative condition.

(h)

(1) After March 1, 2017, each locomotive left unattended outside of a yard, but not on a track directly adjacent to the yard, shall be equipped with an operative exterior locking mechanism.

(2) The railroad shall inspect and, where necessary, repair the locking mechanism during a locomotive's periodic inspection required in §229.23 of this chapter.

(3) In the event that a locking mechanism becomes inoperative during the time interval between periodic inspections, the railroad must repair the locking mechanism within 30 days of finding the inoperative lock.

(4) A railroad may continue the use of a locomotive without an operative locking mechanism; however, if the controlling locomotive of a train meeting the requirements of §232.103(n)(6)(i) does not have an operative locking mechanism for the locomotive, the train must not be left unattended on main track or a siding unless the reverser is removed from the control stand as required in §232.103(n)(8)(ii) or the locomotive otherwise meets one of the exceptions described in §232.103(n)(8)(iii).

[66 FR 4193, Jan. 17, 2001, as amended at 80 FR 47835, Aug. 6, 2015]