75 FR 116 pg. 34526 - Petition for Waiver of Compliance
Type: NOTICEVolume: 75Number: 116Page: 34526
Docket number: [Waiver Petition Docket Number FRA-2009-0015]
FR document: [FR Doc. 2010-14479 Filed 6-16-10; 8:45 am]
Agency: Transportation Department
Sub Agency: Federal Railroad Administration
Official PDF Version: PDF Version
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
Petition for Waiver of Compliance
In accordance with part 211 of Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), notice ishereby given that the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) received a request for a waiver ofcompliance with certain requirements of its safety standards. The individual petition is describedbelow, including the party seeking relief, the regulatory provisions involved, the nature of therelief being requested, and the petitioner's arguments in favor of relief.
Ritron, Incorporated
[Waiver Petition Docket Number FRA-2009-0015]
Ritron, Incorporated (Ritron) seeks a waiver of compliance from certain provisions of 49CFR part 232, Brake System Safety Standards for Freight and Other Non-Passenger Trains andEquipment. Specifically, Section 232.409(d)-Inspection and testing of end-of-train devices,which requires the telemetry equipment to be tested for accuracy and calibrated, if necessary atleast every 368 days. It also requires that the date and location of the last calibration or test, aswell as the name of the person performing the calibration or test, be legibly displayed on aweather-resistant sticker or other marking device affixed to the outside of both the front and therear unit.
This petition concerns Ritron models DTX-445 and DTX-454 radio transceiver modules.While the DTX-445 is a new product, it is similar in mechanical and electrical design to themodel DTX-442, and its field reliability statistical performance should be representative of theperformance of the DTX-445. The DTX-454 is an established product, having been inproduction for 7 years. These modules are used in a large number of U.S. railroad head-of-train(HOT) and end-of-train (EOT) devices manufactured and sold by various companies. The RitronDTX transceiver module line has been in production from 4 to 8 years, depending upon thespecific module. These transceivers use a master reference oscillator to determine the frequencystability of the transmitted signal. The actual transmitted signal is phase-locked to this masteroscillator by the phase-locked loop (PLL). Circuitry within the PLL determines when the systemis in "lock" and will prevent or inhibit transmission if the transmitted signal is not on frequency.The master oscillator, itself, is specified to a much higher accuracy than that required by Federalregulations. This oscillator is used in all of Ritron's extensive radio offerings and, to date, hasnever had a failure due to being out of tolerance.
In addition, the modulation circuitry used in the DTX radios is based upon very stablelimiting operational amplifiers followed by passive filters and potentiometers. This has provento be extremely reliable and has not produced any failures related to out-of-band emissions. Thepower control circuitry is different in the various versions of the DTX family, but is based eitheron a closed loop final amplifier current sensing design or an open loop lookup table. Both haveshown to work well in the field and are believed to have caused little, if any, service issues.
Interested parties are invited to participate in these proceedings by submitting writtenviews, data, or comments. FRA does not anticipate scheduling a public hearing in connectionwith these proceedings since the facts do not appear to warrant a hearing. If any interested partydesires an opportunity for oral comment, they should notify FRA, in writing, before the end ofthe comment period and specify the basis for their request.
All communications concerning these proceedings should identify the appropriate docketnumber ( e.g., Waiver Petition Docket Number FRA-2009-0015) and may be submitted by any ofthe following methods:
• Web site: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
• Fax: 202-493-2251.
• Mail: Docket Operations Facility, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., W12-140, Washington, DC 20590.
• Hand Delivery: 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal Holidays.
Communications received within 30 days of the date of this notice will be considered byFRA before final action is taken. Comments received after that date will be considered as far aspracticable. All written communications concerning these proceedings are available forexamination during regular business hours (9 a.m.-5 p.m.) at the above facility. Alldocuments in the public docket are also available for inspection and copying on the Internet atthe docket facility's Web site at http://www.regulations.gov.
Anyone is able to search the electronic form of any written communications andcomments received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual submitting thecomment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf of an association, business, laborunion, etc. ). You may review DOT's complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on April 11, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 70; Pages 19477-78).
Issued in Washington, DC, on June 10, 2010.
Robert C. Lauby,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Regulatory and Legislative Operations.
[FR Doc. 2010-14479 Filed 6-16-10; 8:45 am]
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