Virginia Law

Railroad equipment shall be installed or maintained by the operator as follows:

1. Public and permanent railroad crossing shall be posted with warning signs or signals or shall be guarded when trains are passing and shall be planked or otherwise filled between the rails;

2. Operators shall sound a warning before starting trains and when trains approach crossing, other trains on adjacent tracks, persons, and any place where vision is obscured;

3. Persons shall not go over, under, or between cars unless the train is stopped and the motorman has been notified and the notice acknowledged;

4. Only authorized persons shall be permitted to ride on trains or locomotives and they shall ride in a safe position;

5. Movement of two or more pieces of rail equipment operating independently on the same track shall be regulated by an efficient signal block, telephone, or radio system; movements on complex haulage systems shall be adequately controlled if not under the supervision of a dispatcher;

6. Positive-acting stop blocks, derail devices, track skates, or other adequate means shall be installed wherever necessary to protect persons from runaway or moving railroad equipment;

7. Whenever a locomotive on one track is used to move equipment on a different track, a suitable chain, cable, or drawbar shall be used;

8. Persons in charge of trains shall ensure that tracks are clear and personnel are in safe locations prior to moving trains;

9. Cars shall not be coupled or uncoupled manually from the inside of curves unless the railroad and cars are so designed to eliminate any hazard from manual coupling;

10. Rocker-bottom or bottom-dump rail cars shall be equipped with locking devices;

11. Roadbeds, rails, joints, switches, frogs, and other elements on railroads shall be designed, installed, and maintained in a safe manner consistent with the speed and type of haulage;

12. Switch throws shall be installed so as to provide adequate clearance for switchmen;

13. Track guardrails, lead rails, and frogs shall be protected or blocked so as to prevent a person's foot from becoming wedged;

14. Railcars shall not be left on side tracks unless ample clearance is provided for traffic on adjacent tracks;

15. Parked railcars, unless held effectively by brakes, shall be blocked securely;

16. Railroad cars with braking systems shall be equipped with effective brake shoes when in use;

17. Where necessary, bumper blocks, or the equivalent, shall be provided at all track dead ends; and

18. At least 30 inches continuous clearance from the farthest projection of moving railroad equipment shall be provided on at least one side of the tracks; all places where it is not possible to provide 30-inch clearance shall be marked conspicuously.