BLUEWATER MICHIGAN CHAPTER RULE BOOK 2007

BLUEWATER = MICHIGAN CHAPTER=

CREW RULEBOOK

Issued April 15, 1992

Major Revisions: February 12, 1998, March 11, 2000,=

August 10, 2005

Minor Revisions: May 31, 2001, February 19, 2007, <= o:p>

September 19, 2007<= /span>

Thanks for helping m= ake Bluewater Michigan Chapter’s excursions successful. Each trip has its own challenges a= nd opportunities. All of them re= quire the best we can give. And non= e of them is a relaxing “free ride” for on-board personnel. However, all of them will be rewar= ding to each of us if we all WORK TOGETHER, THINK THROUGH OUR TASKS, AND HELP OUR PASSENGERS HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY TIME.

DEFINITIONS:

1.1    The chain of command f= or Bluewater’s train crew starts with the Bluewater Conductor, who is ultimately responsible for Bluewater’s operation of the train. The Assistant Conductors, Railroad = Liaison (who is also an Assistant Conductor), Car Host Manager, Chief Mechanical Officer, Food Service Manager, and Souvenir Manager all report to the Bluewater Conductor. The = Car Host Manager, Chief Mechanical Officer, Food Service Manager, and Souvenir Manager are all responsible for the supervision of their personnel.

1.2    The railroad’s conductor is ultimately responsible for the train. If a railroad conductor overrules a member of Bluewater’s crew notify the Bluewater conductor immediately= .

RULE 1 – PASSENGER AND CREW SAFETY

1.1    Crew members shall be = away from their assigned posts, locations, or tasks only upon the expressed direction of their supervisor.

1.2    Traps shall be opened = and passengers and crew shall exit only upon a clear hand signal or radio messa= ge from the Bluewater Conductor. The Bluewater Conductor must contact the railroad conductor via the Railroad Liaison to get permission to open traps.

1.3    Passengers shall not b= e allowed to climb on or under railroad equipment that is operated as part of a BMC excursion or is adjacent to excursion equipment, except in case of emergency and as directed by the Bluewater Conductor.

1.4    Members and supervisors= of the BMC mechanical crew shall be on the ground for equipment inspection or repair only when cleared by the Bluewater Conductor, and must confirm their reboarding with the Bluewater Conductor immediately upon completion of their tasks. The Bluewater Conducto= r must be in contact with the railroad’s Conductor via the Railroad Liaison while any Bluewater crew are on the ground.

1.5    Passengers boarding an= d detraining shall occur only at locations with secure footing, reasonable stepping dist= ance from the bottom step of the trap, and only with a step box.

1.6    Passengers are not all= owed onboard the train during deadhead moves without prior permission from the Bluewater Conductor.

1.7    Crew members shall act= ively assist in the boarding and detraining of passengers. No passenger shall be allowed to b= oard or detrain without Bluewater personnel present.

1.8    In the event of passen= ger illness or injury, crew members shall immediately notify first-aid officer = and Bluewater Conductor, render appropriate non-medical assistance, and secure = name and address of the affected party and witnesses and/or others traveling with the affected party.

1.9    In the event of any emergency that poses a threat to the safety of passengers, crew member must immediately notify Bluewater Conductor or their supervisor.

1.10    Potential safety hazar= ds shall be reported by crew member to Bluewater Conductor or their supervisor= .

1.11 When discussing any injury, illnes= s, emergency, potential safety hazard, or other known or anticipated problem w= ith supervisory personnel or railroad personnel, crew member shall use UTMOST DISCRETION to minimize the chance of overheard conversation or rumors that could unnecessarily alarm passengers.

1.12 Matters not specifically covered by rules 1.1-1.11 shall be the subject of direct orders from the Bluewater Conductor or a Supervisor.

RULE 2 – CREW UNIFORM AND APPEARANCE=

2.1    Bluewater car hosts sh= all wear white or light blue dress shirt or blouse, black or dark blue necktie = and black or dark blue trousers or skirt. (Blue jeans not acceptable)

2.2    Optionally, Bluewater c= ar hosts may wear official Bluewater Michigan Chapter baseball-style cap or a conductor-style hat. If they = chose to wear this type of hat, it must be worn at all times during the tour of d= uty.

2.3    Bluewater car hosts sh= all make every effort to appear neat and clean at all times during the excursio= n or when in public view in connection with the excursion.

2.4    Bluewater First Class attendants shall wear black or dark blue trousers or skirt, white shirt or blouse, and whatever tie, waistcoat, apron, or other uniform items are assi= gned prior to the excursion. Offic= ial hats or caps are encouraged when attendants are on the ground but MUST NOT = be worn while aboard.

2.5    Snack and souvenir per= sonnel shall wear black or dark blue trousers or skirt (clean, neat, DARK blue jea= ns are acceptable), white or light blue shirt (tie optional) or BMC golf-type shirt. BMC-issued vests MAY be assigned. Chapter baseball or conductor-style caps are optional.

2.6    Approved historic dres= s may be permitted on a case-by-base basis.

RULE 3 - CREW REPORTING

3.1    Unless otherwise notif= ied, all crew members will report to the train boarding site or crew boarding si= te at the specified time to assist with parking, boarding, and other assigned tasks.

3.2   Crew members may drop off pe= rsons traveling with them and personal effects near the tracks but must PARK IN DESIGNATED AREAS, some of which may be some distance away.

3.3    Crew members must repo= rt to the Car Host Chairman or designated supervisor for assignment, unless they = were previously given an assignment.

RULE 4 – PARKING

4.1    Listen carefully to th= e Car Host Chairman or designated representative for instructions that apply to t= he specific situation.

4.2    MAKE CERTAIN THAT ANY MOTORIST MERELY DROPPING OFF PASSENGERS, BUT NOT INTENDING TO RIDE THE TRAI= N, DOES NOT GET TRAPPED IN A “NOSE-TO-NOSE” PARKING LINE. BE ALERT TO THIS.

4.3    Learn in advance from = the Bluewater Conductor or Car Host Chairman the boarding locations for various sections of the train so that you can assist passengers in getting to the b= est waiting location. If the weat= her is inclement, encourage passengers to wait in their automobiles until the trai= n is ready for boarding.

RULE 5 -- BOARDING AND DETRAINING

5.1   No car host or passenger may be on the ground, and no trap may be opened, with= out a radio or hand signal from the Bluewater Conductor, which may be relayed by the Car Host Chairman or Assistant Conductors.

5.2    Expect instructions on = which traps will be opened to board or discharge passengers. If the footing is unsafe at your location, assist passengers in reaching another boarding/detraining locatio= n.

5.3    Unless otherwise notif= ied, your responsibility is to be on the ground, with a step box, at your open t= rap to assist passengers.

RULE 6 – SEATING

6.1    Seating on many trips = is assigned in advance, with boarding passes issued by mail or at trainside. Please assist passengers in finding their seats. If seats are NOT assigned, assist passengers in finding suitable seats for their group. IF YOU HAVE UNUSAL DIFFICULTIES, C= ONTACT THE BLUEWATER CONDUCTOR.

6.2    The Bluewater Conductor and/or Assistant Conductors will check, punch, and separate tickets, and wi= ll seek car host’s or attendant’s assistance if required.

RULE 7 – ON-BOARD RADIO COMMUNICATIONS

7.1    Designated BMC crew me= mbers, including Conductors, Railroad Liaison, Supervisors, first aid, some car ho= sts, and mechanical personnel will be equipped with on-board radios to assist in communications.

7.2  = ; Crew members designated= to have a radio will pick them up prior to going on duty. Radios will be surrendered to the communications manager upon release from duty, just before final departure = from the train.

7.3  = ; Crew members assigned r= adios are required to monitor radio communications while on duty. Any crew member assigned a radio MUST keep the speaker volume high enough at all times to h= ear incoming messages, especially in noisy environments such as vestibules or n= ear operating machinery. Carrying radios in the pockets is discouraged.

7.4    Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES= shall any member of the Bluewater crew communicate directly with any member of the host railroad crew or officials regarding train movement. All such communications must be ro= uted through the Bluewater Railroad Liaison.&nb= sp; Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES shall any member of the Bluewater crew be in = possession of a radio capable of transmitting on the host railroad's operating frequen= cies without the prior approval of the Bluewater Railroad Liaison.

RULE 8 – CLEANUP AND TRASH REMOVAL

8.1    Please keep your car c= lean and trash-free throughout the trip, and assist passengers in disposing of trash. Use broom or mop to ha= ndle spills. In the event of rain,= do everything possible to keep floors clean and dry.

8.2    Check restrooms period= ically to keep them clean, supplied, and functioning properly. Handle routine matters and seek assistance through the Car Host Chairman for plumbing or other unusual requirements.

8.3    Once passengers have l= eft the train at the excursion destination, a full cleanup is required. Trash-disposal instructions will be given to you. Each car must be cleaned to the satisfaction of the Car Host Chairman or his designated representative, and trash disposal must be complete BEFORE the crew member = is relieved of duty.

8.4    At the final terminati= on point of each day’s excursion, the provisions of 8.3 are in force.

RULE 9 -- PASSENGER AND COMMISSARY CAR SERVICIN= G

9.1    No motor vehicle shall= be parked afoul of an active track. This includes temporary servicing of passe= nger/commissary cars. A minimum of 8 feet clearance from the outside rail is required. (NOT= E: all tracks are considered active unless Blue Flagged. Refer to Blue Flag Ru= le.)

9.2    The Bluewater radio ne= twork will remain active during post-trip servicing. This is to insure all crew members can be notified of any scheduled or unscheduled train movements.

9.3    A Bluewater crew membe= r will accompany railroad crew members involved in switching occupied passenger ca= rs. He will provide protection at any location that the cars will be joined or separated to ensure that all other crew members are clear of the connection= . He will close the end gates where provided during the movement.

GENERAL NOTES

A.=      SAFETY is our mo= st important concern. Please con= sider the passengers’ and your own at all times.

B.=      FUN is important too. Please consider the passengers’ enjoyment and you’ll find you’re having some = too.

C.=      Bring with you whatever you feel you’ll need to do the job the way it needs to be done: flashlight, broom, dust= pan, mop (unless your car already has these aboard) AND YOUR BEST ATTITUDE.=

D.=      Please ask quest= ions of the Bluewater Conductor or your Supervisor. BUT CHECK THIS RULEBOOK, THE EXCUR= SION ON-BOARD HANDOUT, AND YOUR OWN STOREHOUSE OF COMMON SENSE FIRST.=

AND THANKS AGAIN FOR= TAKING ON THIS DEMANDING, BUT REWARDING JOB.

BLUE FLAG RULES

These regulations pr= escribe the requirements that must be followed for the protection of BMC volunteers engaged in the inspection, testing, repair and servicing of rolling equipme= nt whose activities require them to work on, under, or between such equipment = and subjects them to the danger of personal injury posed by movement of this equipment.

BLUE SIGNAL PROTECTION DEFINITION= S

(GTW RULE 26)

Blue Signal - A clea= rly distinguishable blue flag or blue light by day and a blue light at night.

Effective Locking De= vice - When a used in relation to a manually operated switch or a derail, a lock w= hich can be locked and unlocked only by the class or group or workmen applying t= he lock.

A blue signal indica= tes that workmen are on, under, or between rolling equipment. The equipment must not be coupled = to or moved. Other rolling equipmen= t must not be placed on the same track so as to block or reduce the view of the bl= ue signals except on engine servicing tracks or when a derail is used to divid= e a track into separate working areas.

When a blue signal is displayed at the entrance to a track, rolling equipment must not enter that track.

WORKMEN ON THE TRACK OTHER THAN M= AIN TRACK

(CSXT RULE B)

1)         A blue signal mu= st be displayed at or near each manually operated switch providing access to t= he track;

2)         Each manually operated switch providing access to the track on which the equipment is loc= ated must be lined against movement to that track and locked with an effective locking device; and

3)         The person in ch= arge of the workmen must have notified the operator of any remotely controlled switch that work is to be performed, and must have been informed by the operator that each remotely controlled switch providing access to the track= on which the equipment is located has been lined against movement to the track= and has been locked. <= /span>

BLUE FLAGGING AT SAGINAW SHOPS

When working on the = cars at Saginaw yard the = control tower should be notified that you would like to enter the yard and blue flag the track the car(s) are on. = The switch leading to the track the cars are on should be lined away from that track and a lock will be applied to the switch followed with the installati= on of a blue flag approximately 20 feet from the switch on the track which the= se cars reside. The person who installs the blue flag will be responsible to ensure that all personnel have completed all work on cars before removing blue flag. This also means the person who ins= talled blue flag is the only one who may remove blue flag. If the person who insta= lled the blue flag cannot remain on site until all work is completed he will give the key to the next person in charge or the Chief Mechanical Officer. The b= lue flag must remain in place. Upon completion of work the blue flag and lock w= ill be removed. The tower will be contacted that the track is clear of all personnel. Any questions concerning blue flagging should be directed to the Chief Mechanical Officer. Note: Hard hats, safety glasses, and safety shoes should be worn while working outside the cars.