Railroad - Division 1.1 or 1.2

Division 1.1 or 1.2 explosive materials transported by rail must only be transported in a certified and properly placarded car of at least 36,300 kg (80,028 pounds) of capacity, with steel underframes and friction draft gear or cushioned underframes.

Each rail car used for transporting Division 1.1 or 1.2 explosive materials must meet the following requirements, if applicable:

• The car must be equipped with air brakes, hand brakes, roller bearings in good conditions, high-friction composition brake shoes, and compatible brake rigging.
  • Each brake shoe must be at least 1 cm (0.4 inch) thick.
• The roof of the car must be carefully inspected from the outside for decayed spots, and if found, must be covered or repaired to prevent their holding fire from sparks. If the roof is too decayed, it must not be used.
• Roller bearings and the trucks must be carefully examined and put in a way to reduce the danger of hotboxes or any other failure.
• Any holes in the floor or lining must be repaired and special care taken to ensure that there are no projecting nails, bolts, or exposed pieces of metal.
• Doors and openings must be closed tightly, and if necessary, stripped and cleated.
• Metal floor plates must be completely covered with wood, plywood, or fiber composition sheets of adequate thickness and strength to prevent contact between the packages and the floor plates.
• The car must be carefully swept before being loaded.
• The car must not have any holes or cracks in the roof, sides, ends, or doors through which sparks may enter.
• The car must have either a metal subfloor with no combustible material exposed beneath the car, or metal sparks shields extending from center sill to side sills and from end sills to at least 30 cm (12 inches) beyond the extreme treads of the inside wheels of each truck.

Car Certification

Before Division 1.1 or 1.2 materials are loaded, the car must have been inspected and certified under the requirements in §174.104(b) by a qualified person. Appropriate certification must be made and the car labeled Car Certificate No.1, Car Certificate No.2, or Car Certificate No.3. Car certification specifications can be found in §174.104(c-f).

Routing Shipments

Before a shipment of Division 1.1 or 1.2 explosive materials is forwarded, the initial carrier must ensure that the shipment can move forward through its designated route. To avoid delays, the initial carrier must possess the full rate information before forwarding the shipment.

"Order-Notify" or "C.O.D." Shipments

A carrier must not accept for transportation Division 1.1 or 1.2 explosive materials, detonators, or detonating primers in the following instances:

• If they possess any quantity when consigned to "order-notify" or "C.O.D.," except through bill of lading to a place outside the U.S.
• If the shipper consigns to himself, unless the shipper has a resident representative to receive the materials at the delivery point
• If the materials are subject to stop-off privileges en route for partial loading or unloading

Record of Change of Seals

When a car seal is changed on a car requiring "EXPLOSIVES 1.1 or EXPLOSIVES 1.2 (EXPLOSIVES A) placards" while en route or before delivery to a consignee, a record of the change must be made on or attached to the waybill or other form of memorandum and must accompany the car to its destination. An example of the appropriate information that must be provided can be found in §174.114.

Car Magazine

Division 1.1 or 1.2 materials in quantities no larger than 68 kg (150 pounds) may be carried in construction or repair cars if the packages of Class 1 - Explosive Materials are placed in a "magazine" box made of lumber a minimum of 2.5 cm (0.98 inch) thick, covered on the exterior with metal, and provided with strong handles. The box must be stenciled on the top, sides, and ends in letters a minimum of 5 cm (2 inches) high, "EXPLOSIVES - DANGEROUS - HANDLE CAREFULLY." The box must have strong hinges and possess a lock to keep it securely closed. Vacant space in the box must be filled with a cushioning material such as sawdust or excelsior, and the box must be properly stayed to prevent shifting within the car. The car must also be placarded with EXPLOSIVES 1.1 or 1.2 (EXPLOSIVES A) placards.

To learn more about Railroad HAZMAT visit our DOT Railroad HAZMAT Online Training web page.