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Moving and stopping 100-ton freight cars requires special equipment and with decades of experience in terminals and rail yards, SafeRack has a full range of wheel chocks, derail equipment, railroad warning signs, and FRA and OSHA-mandated rail safety products. Manufactured by Aldon, railcar wheel chocks feature rail-biting steel spurs for superior holding power. Chock styles for exposed and flush rails.
Railcar Chocks are an important safety item in any rail yard or repair facility, and SafeRack’s railcar wheel chocks provide fast blocking of all types of railcars. Choose from cast steel railcar wheel chocks, rail-clamping wheel blocks the newly introduced urethane railcar wheel chocks… all of which provides worker safety and meets OSHA regulations to safely prevent railroad cars from moving during loading or unloading operations, including OSHA regulations 1910.110(15), 1910.11(13) and 1910.110(A) (5).
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Moving and stopping 100-ton freight cars requires special equipment and with decades of experience in terminals and rail yards, SafeRack has a full range of wheel chocks, derail equipment, railroad warning signs, and FRA and OSHA-mandated rail safety products. Manufactured by Aldon, railcar wheel chocks feature rail-biting steel spurs for superior holding power. Chock styles for exposed and flush rails.
Railcar Chocks are an important safety item in any rail yard or repair facility, and SafeRack’s railcar wheel chocks provide fast blocking of all types of railcars. Choose from cast steel railcar wheel chocks, rail-clamping wheel blocks the newly introduced urethane railcar wheel chocks… all of which provides worker safety and meets OSHA regulations to safely prevent railroad cars from moving during loading or unloading operations, including OSHA regulations 1910.110(15), 1910.11(13) and 1910.110(A) (5).
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Steel Railcar Wheel Chocks and Clamps
Railcar chocks, blocks and clamps are made of heavy-duty steel to prevent rail car’s movement.
Rail car is securely held in place due to heat-treated steel spurs.
Idle Railcar on Storage Track and Railcar Being Worked
Double Chocks on each end of the car provide two-chock blocking against movement in either direction.
Railcar on Slope or Hill
Do not use wheel chocks. Use rail skids or car stops instead.
Railcar Being Worked – Slight Dip
On uneven track if the car tends to roll in one direction, single chocks on the foremost wheel of both wheel sets may be sufficient.
Multiple Railcar Chocking Procedures
Use double chocks. On flat track, where a line of rail cars remain coupled together, and are moved forward progressively to be loaded/unloaded: Brake and chock the car to be worked (chock both ends of the car). It may be necessary to brake and chock several cars behind the car to be worked depending on your operating conditions. When the first car is ready to be moved, remove the chocks and release the brakes on both cars. Move cars forward and repeat the braking and chocking procedure. If cars are uncoupled to be worked separately, brake and chock each car.
Railcar Wheel Chocks OSHA regulations
OSHA mandates the use of wheel chocks in addition to car brakes wherever rail cars are being worked, loaded or unloaded.
A gust of wind is enough to cause a 260,000 pound freight car to start rolling. Thanks to roller bearings, freight car wheels offer very little resistance to movement. In fact, the contact area of each wheel on the rail is smaller that the size of a dime. This is why moving heavy loads by rail is so efficient! But at the same time, all this mass, so easily moved, needs to be securely blocked while the car is being worked.
Loading freight cars increases the strain on the car brakes. Liquid pouring into a tank car or a forklift moving back and forth in a boxcar create dynamic forces which can overcome the holding power of the brakes.
Slack in mechanical car brakes can be enough to allow a wheel to move forward a few inches and dislodge a dock board or strain a hose line
Loading Pulp and Paper Railcars
1910.261(c) …
(4) Handling pulpwood from flatcars and all other railway cars.
(V) Flatcars and all other cars shall be chocked during unloading. Where equipment is not provided with hand brakes, rail damping chocks shall be used.
(vi) A derail shall be used to prevent movement of other rail equipment into cars where persons are working.
Loading Tank Railcars
1910.111(b) …
(iii) Caution signs shall be so placed on the track or car as to give necessary warning to persons approaching the car from open end or ends of siding and shall be left up until after the car is unloaded and disconnected from discharge connections. Signs shall be of metal or other suilable material, at least 12 by 15 inches in size and bear the words ‘’STOP-Tank Car Connected” or ‘’STOP-Men at Work” the word, “STOP,’ being in letters at least 4 inches high and the other words in letters at least 2 inches high.
(iv) The track of a tank car siding shall be substantially level.
(v) Brakes shall be set and wheels blocked on all cars being unloaded.
1910.110(b)(15) …
(iii) While cars are on sidetrack for loading or unloading, the wheels at both ends shall be blocked on the rails.
Freight Railcars in General
1910.178(k)
(2) Wheel stops or other recognized positive protection shall be provided to prevent railroad cars from moving during loading or unloading operations.
(4) Positive protection shall be provided to prevent railroad cars from being moved while dockboards or bridge plates are in position.
1910.178(m) …
(7) Brakes shall be set and wheel blocks shall be in place to prevent movement of trucks, trailers, or railroad cars while loading or unloading.
1910.30(a) …
(5) Positive protection shall be provided to prevent railroad cars from being moved while dockboards or bridge plates are in position.
1910.176 …
(f) Rolling railroad cars. Derail and/or bumper blocks shall be provided on spur railroad tracks where a rolling car could contact other cars being worked, enter a building, work or traffic area.
Customer Reviews
55
Product fulfilled the customer’s expectations.
The product was very simple and met all the specs that the customer requested. The SafeRack name is well know and respected. Product is very well made.
By Dan Logsdon from Choctaw Kaul Dist Co. on 5/31/17
45
SafeRack products are well built, safe, and reliable.
Our sales rep, Charles MacEachern, was professional, courteous and very helpful. I like SafeRack products because they’re well built, safe and reliable. Not to mention you have a great customer support department. Everything is positive, no negativity on any dealings with your company.
By Ralph Sprenger from LDM Yorkton Processing GP on 8/7/12
55
Our new flat-ramp gangway is a major improvement from what we had.
Travis was very responsive and the product was delivered very quick. The product works well, it was a step up from what we had.
By Chris Denton from Nestle on 12/3/10
55
It is sturdy, functional, OSHA-compliant, it stands up to the weather and heavy use.
No concerns. Staff is professional and friendly. I would recommend the product. It is sturdy, functional, OSHA-compliant, it stands up to the weather and it stands up to heavy use. The salesman has been responsive. He promptly took my order and delivered a thorough proposal. My order was delivered within a few weeks, well within the expected shipping time.
By Joe Stansell from Proximo Distillers, LLC on 8/18/16
55
Everything excellent.
Good response time [and] good service during purchasing process.
By Andres Alford from Celanese - Wood on 2/8/18
55
Allows operators safe access to the top of rail cars.
We used to take product samples from rail cars as well as open vent hatches for unloading. This can now be done at our unloading zone as opposed to hundreds of yards down the track where our stationary stand resides. This also allows operators safe access to the top of rail cars without having to use ladders or a safety harness to tie off.
By Blake from Michelin North America, Inc. on 3/4/15
Urethane Wheel Chocks
