---
kind: "section"
citation: "49 C.F.R. § 215.119"
title: "49"
number: "215.119"
heading: "Defective freight car truck."
url: "https://uscodex.org/cfr/49/215.119"
---

# §215.119. Defective freight car truck.


A railroad may not place or continue in service a car, if the car has—

- (a) **A side frame or bolster that—**
  - (1) Is broken; or
  - (2) Has a crack of 1/4 of an inch or more in the transverse direction on a tension member;
- (b) **A truck equipped with a snubbing device that is ineffective, as evidenced by—**
  - (1) A snubbing friction element that is worn beyond a wear indicator;
  - (2) A snubber wear plate that is loose, missing (except by design), or worn through;
  - (3) A broken or missing snubber activating spring; or
  - (4) Snubber unit that is broken, or in the case of hydraulic units, is broken or leaking clearly formed droplets of oil or other fluid.
- (c) **A side bearing in any of the following conditions—**
  - (1) Part of the side bearing assembly is missing or broken;
  - (2) The bearings at one end of the car, on both sides, are in contact with the body bolster (except by design);
  - (3) The bearings at one end of the car have a total clearance from the body bolster of more than 3/4 of an inch; or
  - (4) At diagonally opposite sides of the car, the bearings have a total clearance from the body bolsters of more than 3/4 of an inch;
- (d) **Truck springs—**
  - (1) That do not maintain travel or load;
  - (2) That are compressed solid; or
  - (3) More than one outer spring of which is broken, or missing, in any spring cluster;
- (e) Interference between the truck bolster and the center plate that prevents proper truck rotations; or
- (f) **Brake beam shelf support worn so excessively that it does not support the brake beam.**

## Notes

### Authority

Authority: 49 U.S.C. 20102-03, 20107, 20171; 28 U.S.C. 2461; and 49 CFR 1.89.

### Source

Source: 44 FR 77340, Dec. 31, 1979, unless otherwise noted.