Railroad Safety Appliance Act facts for kids

A modern train car showing the automatic connector and air brake hose. These were made mandatory by the Safety Appliance Act.

The Safety Appliance Act is a United States law that made trains much safer. It required all trains in the United States to have special air brakes and automatic couplers. This law was passed on March 2, 1893. It started being fully used in 1900, after a seven-year period to get ready. This act is famous for greatly reducing accidents on American railroads in the early 1900s.

Why This Law Was Needed

After the American Civil War, railroads grew very quickly across the United States. More trains meant more accidents for railroad workers, especially those called brakemen. Many accidents happened when workers had to connect and disconnect train cars.

Old ways of connecting cars, like the "link-and-pin" system, were very dangerous. Workers often had to go between the cars to connect them. Using hand brakes was also very risky.

Because of all these accidents, people started asking for safety laws as early as the 1870s. In the 1880s, more railroad workers died on the job than in almost any other job, except for coal mining. Some states tried to pass their own safety laws. However, these laws were different in each state. This made it hard for trains that traveled across many states. So, the U.S. Congress passed the Safety Appliance Act in 1893. This law created one standard safety rule for all railroads. A man named Lorenzo Coffin, who used to work for railroads in Iowa, worked very hard for six years to get Congress to pass this important law.

What the 1893 Act Said

The original law was called "An Act to Promote the Safety of Employees and Travelers upon Railroads..." It had several key rules to make trains safer.

Safer Brakes for Trains

The first part of the law made it illegal for a railroad company to run any train without enough cars having special "train brakes." These were like air brakes. The idea was that the engineer in the front of the train could control the train's speed. This meant brakemen would not have to use dangerous hand brakes to slow down the train.

Automatic Car Connectors

The second part of the law said that train cars had to have automatic couplers. These couplers could connect and disconnect by themselves. This was very important because it meant workers did not have to go between the ends of the cars to connect them. This greatly reduced a very dangerous part of their job.

Secure Handles on Cars

The fourth part of the law required train cars to have strong "grab irons" or "hand holds" on their ends and sides. These were like handles that workers could grab onto. They made it safer for workers when they were connecting and disconnecting cars.

Fines for Breaking the Law

The sixth part of the law stated that if a railroad company broke any of these rules, they would have to pay a fine of $100 for each violation. This was a lot of money back then and encouraged companies to follow the law.

Key Sections Explained Simply

Section 1: Power Brakes on Locomotives and Cars

Starting January 1, 1898, it became against the law for a railroad company to use a train engine (locomotive) that didn't have a power brake system. Also, a train needed enough cars with power brakes. This way, the engineer could control the train's speed without workers having to use hand brakes.

Section 2: Automatic Couplers for Cars

Also starting January 1, 1898, it was illegal for a railroad company to use any car that didn't have automatic couplers. These couplers had to connect when cars bumped into each other. Most importantly, they had to be able to disconnect without a worker having to go between the cars.

Section 3: Refusing Unsafe Cars

This section allowed railroad companies that followed the new safety rules to refuse to accept cars from other lines or shippers if those cars were not equipped with the required safety features. This helped push all companies to upgrade their equipment.

Section 4: Grab Irons for Safety

After July 1, 1895, it was against the law for a railroad company to use any car that didn't have strong grab irons or handholds on its ends and sides. These handles made it safer for workers who connected and disconnected cars.

Section 5: Setting Standards for Car Parts

This section gave the American Railway Association the job of setting a standard height for the connecting bars (drawbars) on freight cars. They also had to decide how much this height could change between empty and loaded cars. These standards were then given to the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC), which told the railroad companies. If the Association didn't set the standards, the ICC would do it. After July 1, 1895, no cars could be used if they didn't meet these standards.

Section 6: Penalties for Violations

Any railroad company that broke these rules had to pay a fine of $100 for each time they broke the law. This money would be collected in a federal court.

Section 7: Extending Compliance Time

The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) had the power to give railroad companies more time to follow the law if there was a good reason. They would hold a meeting to decide this.

Section 8: Protecting Injured Workers

This section was very important for workers. If a worker was injured on a train that was not following this law, the worker would not be blamed. Even if the worker knew the train was unsafe but still worked, they would not be considered at fault for their injury. This protected workers who had to work with unsafe equipment.

Changes Over Time

The original law was updated in 1903. The new act said that the rules about train brakes, automatic couplers, and grab irons applied to almost all trains and cars used in interstate commerce (trains traveling between states).

The 1903 act also said that at least 50% of the cars in a train must have their brakes controlled by the engineer. The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) could increase this percentage. In 1910, the ICC increased it to 85%.

Another update in 1910 required even more safety equipment. This included things like ladders, steps, and hand brakes on cars.

Who Enforces the Law Now

In 1966, a new law called the Department of Transportation Act moved the power to enforce the Safety Appliance Act. This power went to the United States Secretary of Transportation. The Secretary then gave this job to a new agency called the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). The FRA started taking over the enforcement duties from the ICC in 1967.

More Railroad Safety Laws

The Safety Appliance Act was the first big step in making railroads safer. Many other laws have been passed since then to continue improving safety.

The Federal Railroad Safety Act of 1970 made the FRA's job even bigger:

• It covered all railroads, whether they traveled within one state or between states.
• It covered all areas of railroad safety.
• It gave the FRA power to issue emergency orders if something was very unsafe.
• It said that federal safety rules would be stronger than any safety rules made by individual states.

Other important railroad safety laws include:

• Rail Safety Improvement Act of 1974
• Federal Railroad Safety Authorization Act of 1976
• Federal Railroad Safety Authorization Act of 1978
• Federal Railroad Safety Authorization Act of 1980
• Railroad Safety Authorization Act of 1982
• Rail Safety Improvement Act of 1988
• Rail Safety Enforcement and Review Act of 1992.

Important Court Cases

Some important court cases related to this law include:

• Southern Railway Co. v. United States
• United States v. Erie Railroad Co. (1915).