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56-746: Montana Rail Link ( reporting mark MRL ) (now operated by BNSF as the MRL Subdivision) was a privately held Class II railroad in the United States . It operated on trackage originally built by the Northern Pacific Railway and leased from its successor BNSF Railway . MRL was a unit of The Washington Companies and was headquartered in Missoula, Montana . The railroad ran between Huntley, Montana and Spokane, Washington , largely within Montana, and

112-674: A 2-digit code indicating the vehicle's register country . The registered keeper of a vehicle is now indicated by a separate Vehicle Keeper Marking (VKM), usually the name of the owning company or an abbreviation thereof, which must be registered with the Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail (OTIF) and the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) and which is unique throughout Europe and parts of Asia and Northern Africa. The VKM must be between two and five letters in length and can use any of

168-745: A description of compatibility groups. The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) regulates hazmat transportation within the territory of the US. Note : For further details, check the Dangerous Goods Transportation Regulations of the country of interest. Mitigating the risks associated with hazardous materials may require the application of safety precautions during their transport, use, storage and disposal . Most countries regulate hazardous materials by law, and they are subject to several international treaties as well. Even so, different countries may use different class diamonds for

224-669: A four digit UN number . This number, along with standardized logs of hazmat information, can be referenced by first responders (firefighters, police officers, and ambulance personnel) who can find information about the material in the Emergency Response Guidebook . Different standards usually apply for handling and marking hazmats at fixed facilities, including NFPA 704 diamond markings (a consensus standard often adopted by local governmental jurisdictions), OSHA regulations requiring chemical safety information for employees, and CPSC requirements requiring informative labeling for

280-492: A global level. Dangerous goods are assigned to UN numbers and proper shipping names according to their hazard classification and their composition. Dangerous goods commonly carried are listed in the Dangerous Goods list. Examples for UN numbers and proper shipping names are: Dangerous goods are divided into nine classes (in addition to several subcategories) on the basis of the specific chemical characteristics producing

336-461: A hyphen. Some examples: When a vehicle is sold it will not normally be transferred to another register. The Czech railways bought large numbers of coaches from ÖBB. The number remained the same but the VKM changed from A-ÖBB to A-ČD. The UIC introduced a uniform numbering system for their members based on a 12-digit number, largely known as UIC number . The third and fourth digit of the number indicated

392-685: A predecessor of the CNW, from which the UP inherited it. Similarly, during the breakup of Conrail , the long-retired marks of the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) and New York Central Railroad (NYC) were temporarily brought back and applied to much of Conrail's fleet to signify which cars and locomotives were to go to CSX (all cars labeled NYC) and which to Norfolk Southern (all cars labeled PRR). Some of these cars still retain their temporary NYC marks. Because of its size, this list has been split into subpages based on

448-619: A westbound freight train derailed near Reed Point in Stillwater County , while traveling on a bridge over the Yellowstone River . The bridge collapsed and ten cars derailed, of which at least eight fell into the river. Breached cars included either molten sulfur or asphalt. Two cars carried sodium hydro sulfate, however, these did not rupture. Yellowstone County Disaster and Emergency Services stated that several cars were damaged and leaked petroleum products. Yellow liquid flowing out of

504-753: Is hazardous waste which is waste that has substantial or potential threats to public health or the environment . Hazardous materials are often subject to chemical regulations . Hazmat teams are personnel specially trained to handle dangerous goods, which include materials that are radioactive , flammable , explosive , corrosive , oxidizing , asphyxiating , biohazardous , toxic , poisonous , pathogenic , or allergenic . Also included are physical conditions such as compressed gases and liquids or hot materials, including all goods containing such materials or chemicals, or may have other characteristics that render them hazardous in specific circumstances. Dangerous goods are often indicated by diamond-shaped signage on

560-874: Is available from the National Chemical Emergency Centre (NCEC) website. Guidance is available from the Health and Safety Executive . New Zealand's Land Transport Rule: Dangerous Goods 2005 and the Dangerous Goods Amendment 2010 describe the rules applied to the transportation of hazardous and dangerous goods in New Zealand. The system closely follows the United Nations Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods and uses placards with Hazchem codes and UN numbers on packaging and

616-723: Is generally required includes the shipper's name and address; the consignee's name and address; descriptions of each of the dangerous goods, along with their quantity, classification, and packaging; and emergency contact information. Common formats include the one issued by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) for air shipments and the form by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for sea cargo. A license or permit card for hazmat training must be presented when requested by officials. The international community has defined

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672-532: Is normally a provincial jurisdiction. The federal government has jurisdiction over air, most marine, and most rail transport. The federal government acting centrally created the federal Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act and regulations, which provinces adopted in whole or in part via provincial transportation of dangerous goods legislation. The result is that all provinces use the federal regulations as their standard within their province; some small variances can exist because of provincial legislation. Creation of

728-882: Is regulated by the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act . The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act was also passed to further protect human and environmental health. The Consumer Product Safety Commission regulates hazardous materials that may be used in products sold for household and other consumer uses. Following the UN model, the DOT divides regulated hazardous materials into nine classes, some of which are further subdivided. Hazardous materials in transportation must be placarded and have specified packaging and labelling . Some materials must always be placarded, others may only require placarding in certain circumstances. Trailers of goods in transport are usually marked with

784-466: The Clark Fork River , and others derailed in the nearby tunnel. There were no injuries, fires or release of hazardous materials. Strong winds blowing the clay powder appeared like smoke and guest cabins were evacuated as a precaution. As the derailment site was only accessible by water, the fire district's water rescue team ferried responders across the river in a small boat. On June 24, 2023, part of

840-579: The Convention concerning International Carriage by Rail ). Many individual nations have also structured their dangerous goods transportation regulations to harmonize with the UN model in organization as well as in specific requirements. The Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) is an internationally agreed upon system set to replace the various classification and labeling standards used in different countries. The GHS uses consistent criteria for classification and labeling on

896-660: The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea ) for transportation of dangerous goods by sea. IMO member countries have also developed the HNS Convention to provide compensation in case of dangerous goods spills in the sea. The Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail has developed the regulations concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Rail ("RID", part of

952-643: The TTX Company (formerly Trailer Train Company) is named for its original reporting mark of TTX. In another example, the reporting mark for state-funded Amtrak services in California is CDTX (whereas the usual Amtrak mark is AMTK) because the state transportation agency ( Caltrans ) owns the equipment used in these services. This may also apply to commuter rail, for example Metrolink in Southern California uses

1008-504: The 26 letters of the Latin alphabet . Diacritical marks may also be used, but they are ignored in data processing (for example, Ö is treated as though it is O ). The VKM is preceded by the code for the country (according to the alphabetical coding system described in Appendix 4 to the 1949 convention and Article 45(4) of the 1968 convention on road traffic), where the vehicle is registered and

1064-558: The AAR, maintains the active reporting marks for the North American rail industry. Under current practice, the first letter must match the initial letter of the railroad name. As it also acts as a Standard Carrier Alpha Code , the reporting mark cannot conflict with codes in use by other nonrail carriers. Marks ending with the letter "X" are assigned to companies or individuals who own railcars, but are not operating railroads; for example,

1120-490: The Hazchem warning plate system which carries information on how an emergency service should deal with an incident. The Dangerous Goods Emergency Action Code List (EAC) lists dangerous goods; it is reviewed every two years and is an essential compliance document for all emergency services, local government and for those who may control the planning for, and prevention of, emergencies involving dangerous goods. The latest 2015 version

1176-605: The UN Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods. Australia uses the standard international UN numbers with a few slightly different signs on the back, front and sides of vehicles carrying hazardous substances. The country uses the same " Hazchem " code system as the UK to provide advisory information to emergency services personnel in the event of an emergency. Transportation of dangerous goods (hazardous materials) in Canada by road

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1232-500: The UN model but modified to accommodate unique aspects of air transport. Individual airline and governmental requirements are incorporated with this by the International Air Transport Association to produce the widely used IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR). Similarly, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has developed the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code ("IMDG Code", part of

1288-657: The VKM BLS. Example for an "Einheitswagen" delivered in 1957: In the United Kingdom, prior to nationalisation, wagons owned by the major railways were marked with codes of two to four letters, these codes normally being the initials of the railway concerned; for example, wagons of the Great Western Railway were marked "G W"; those of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway were marked "L M S", etc. The codes were agreed between

1344-531: The acquiring company discontinues the name or mark of the acquired company, the discontinued mark is referred to as a "fallen flag" railway. Occasionally, long-disused marks are suddenly revived by the companies which now own them. For example, in recent years, the Union Pacific Railroad has begun to use the mark CMO on newly built covered hoppers, gondolas and five-bay coal hoppers. CMO originally belonged to Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway ,

1400-465: The agencies OSHA, EPA, USCG, and NIOSH jointly published the first Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Guidance Manual which is available for download. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates hazardous materials as they may impact the community and environment, including specific regulations for environmental cleanup and for handling and disposal of waste hazardous materials. For instance, transportation of hazardous materials

1456-616: The approval of the Surface Transportation Board , and this was later approved on March 8, 2023. BNSF took over operations on January 1, 2024. This absorbed the MRL into BNSF, integrating MRL operations, technology and personnel. All 1,200 employees were offered employment with BNSF. In the Helena train wreck of February 2, 1989, 48 decoupled rail cars rolled into Helena, hit a parked work train, caught fire and exploded. While property damage

1512-480: The cars was visible. MRL stated that several cars carried hazmat products. As to whether the bridge collapsed first or the cars derailed first is under investigation. Reporting mark In North America , the mark, which consists of an alphabetic code of two to four letters, is stenciled on each piece of equipment, along with a one- to six-digit number. This information is used to uniquely identify every such rail car or locomotive, thus allowing it to be tracked by

1568-614: The dangerous goods transportation regulations of the country of interest. For example, see the TDG Bulletin: Dangerous Goods Safety Marks based on the Canadian Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations . The statement above applies equally to all the dangerous goods classes discussed in this article. For example, the Canadian Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations provides

1624-406: The degree of protective packaging required for dangerous goods during transportation. One of the transport regulations is that, as an assistance during emergency situations, written instructions how to deal in such need to be carried and easily accessible in the driver's cabin. Dangerous goods shipments also require a dangerous goods transport document prepared by the shipper. The information that

1680-541: The dissemination and restrict the usage of hazardous substances, important ones being the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS) and the REACH regulation. There are also long-standing European treaties such as ADR , ADN and RID that regulate the transportation of hazardous materials by road, rail, river and inland waterways, following the guide of the UN model regulations. European law distinguishes clearly between

1736-516: The federal regulations was coordinated by Transport Canada . Hazard classifications are based upon the UN model. Outside of federal facilities, labour standards are generally under the jurisdiction of individual provinces and territories. However, communication about hazardous materials in the workplace has been standardized across the country through Health Canada 's Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) . The European Union has passed numerous directives and regulations to avoid

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1792-448: The first letter of the reporting mark: A railway vehicle must be registered in the relevant state's National Vehicle Register (NVR), as part of which process it will be assigned a 12-digit European Vehicle Number (EVN). The EVN schema is essentially the same as that used by the earlier UIC numbering systems for tractive vehicles and wagons , except that it replaces the 2-digit vehicle owner's code (see § Europe 1964 to 2005 ) with

1848-554: The first of 16 new EMD SD70ACe locomotives. This was the first locomotive that the railroad has ordered new from a manufacturer, and it and the rest of the class were intended to replace aging SD40 and SD45 locomotives on trains crossing the Rocky Mountains over the continental divide at Mullan Pass near Helena, Montana and Bozeman Pass near Bozeman, Montana. In January 2022, BNSF agreed to pay MRL $ 2 billion for an early lease termination. The return to BNSF control required

1904-513: The fuselages fell down an embankment, with two reaching the Clark Fork River . The six fuselages were recovered and scrapped within the month. On the morning of Sunday, April 2, 2023, a westbound MRL freight train derailed at Quinn's Hot Springs Resort in Paradise, Montana . About 25 cars derailed, including cases of canned and bottled beer, clay powder and one with highly flammable gas (alternately described as butane or propane); some cars tumbled into

1960-530: The increase in fear of terrorism in the early 21st century after the September 11, 2001 attacks , funding for greater hazmat-handling capabilities was increased throughout the United States, recognizing that flammable, poisonous, explosive, or radioactive substances in particular could be used for terrorist attacks. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration regulates hazmat transportation within

2016-529: The item (see NFPA 704 ), its container, or the building where it is stored. The color of each diamond indicates its hazard, e.g., flammable is indicated with red, because fire and heat are generally of red color, and explosive is indicated with orange, because mixing red (flammable) with yellow (oxidizing agent) creates orange. A nonflammable and nontoxic gas is indicated with green, because all compressed air vessels were this color in France after World War II, and France

2072-469: The law of dangerous goods and the law of hazardous materials. The first refers primarily to the transport of the respective goods including the interim storage, if caused by the transport. The latter describes the requirements of storage (including warehousing) and usage of hazardous materials. This distinction is important, because different directives and orders of European law are applied. The United Kingdom (and also Australia, Malaysia, and New Zealand) use

2128-452: The line to BNSF. This took place on January 1, 2024; MRL became a subdivision of BNSF, and all employees of MRL were offered employment with BNSF. Montana Rail Link's independent status and main line dates back to October 31, 1987, when MRL under Missoula businessman Dennis Washington commenced a 60-year lease of Burlington Northern 's southern Montana main line between Sandpoint , Idaho and Huntley, Montana , near Billings. This spin-off

2184-875: The main line passes through the towns of Missoula, Livingston , Bozeman , Billings , and Helena . Montana Rail Link connected with the BNSF on both ends and also in Garrison, Montana . The railroad had over 900 miles (1,400 km) of track, served 100 stations, and employed approximately 1,000 personnel. The main classification yard was in Laurel, Montana, with smaller yards in Missoula, Billings, Bozeman and Helena. Repair and mechanical facilities were in Livingston, Montana; turntables remain in Livingston and Laurel. In January 2022, MRL and BNSF agreed on an early lease termination to return control of

2240-454: The other end. MRL also operated trains of its own to gather and distribute local freight along its lines. Forest products and grain were primary commodities, and MRL also operated a special train, called the Gas Local, between Missoula and Thompson Falls, Montana, to bridge a gap in a long-distance gasoline pipeline. On September 8, 2005, Montana Rail Link took delivery of locomotive number 4300,

2296-557: The owner of a reporting mark is taken over by another company, the old mark becomes the property of the new company. For example, when the Union Pacific Railroad (mark UP) acquired the Chicago and North Western Railway (mark CNW) in 1995, it retained the CNW mark rather than immediately repaint all acquired equipment. Some companies own several marks that are used to identify different classes of cars, such as boxcars or gondolas. If

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2352-405: The owner, or more precisely the keeper of the vehicle. Thus each UIC member got a two-digit owner code . With the introduction of national vehicle registers this code became a country code. Some vehicles had to be renumbered as a consequence. The Swiss company BLS Lötschbergbahn had the owner code 63. When their vehicles were registered, they got numbers with the country code 85 for Switzerland and

2408-406: The railroad it is traveling over, which shares the information with other railroads and customers. In multinational registries, a code indicating the home country may also be included. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) assigns marks to all carriers, under authority granted by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board , Transport Canada , and Mexican Government. Railinc , a subsidiary of

2464-480: The railways and registered with the Ministry of Railways , Government of India . Hazardous materials Dangerous goods ( DG ), are substances that are a risk to health, safety, property or the environment during transport. Certain dangerous goods that pose risks even when not being transported are known as hazardous materials ( syllabically abbreviated as HAZMAT or hazmat ). An example for dangerous goods

2520-727: The railways and registered with the Railway Clearing House . In India, wagons owned by the Indian Railways are marked with codes of two to four letters, these codes normally being the initials of the railway divisions concerned along with the Hindi abbreviation; for example, trains of the Western Railway zone are marked "WR" and "प रे"; those of the Central Railway zone are marked "CR" and "मध्य", etc. The codes are agreed between

2576-794: The reporting mark SCAX because the equipment is owned by the Southern California Regional Rail Authority —which owns the Metrolink system—even though it is operated by Amtrak. This is why the reporting mark for CSX Transportation , which is an operating railroad, is CSXT instead of CSX. Private (non-common carrier) freight car owners in Mexico were issued, up until around 1990, reporting marks ending in two X's, possibly to signify that their cars followed different regulations (such as bans on friction bearing trucks) than their American counterparts and so their viability for interchange service

2632-790: The responsible management of hazardous waste and chemicals as an important part of sustainable development with Sustainable Development Goal 3 . Target 3.9 has this target with respect to hazardous chemicals: "By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination." Furthermore, Sustainable Development Goal 6 also mentions hazardous materials in Target 6.3: "By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials [...]." The Australian Dangerous Goods Code complies with international standards of importation and exportation of dangerous goods in line with

2688-481: The risk. Note: The graphics and text in this article representing the dangerous goods safety marks are derived from the United Nations-based system of identifying dangerous goods. Not all countries use precisely the same graphics (label, placard or text information) in their national regulations. Some use graphic symbols, but without English wording or with similar wording in their national language. Refer to

2744-696: The same product. For example, in Australia, anhydrous ammonia UN 1005 is classified as 2.3 (toxic gas) with subsidiary hazard 8 (corrosive), whereas in the U.S. it is only classified as 2.2 (non-flammable gas). People who handle dangerous goods will often wear protective equipment, and metropolitan fire departments often have a response team specifically trained to deal with accidents and spills. Persons who may come into contact with dangerous goods as part of their work are also often subject to monitoring or health surveillance to ensure that their exposure does not exceed occupational exposure limits . Laws and regulations on

2800-451: The territory of the US by Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations . The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulates the handling of hazardous materials in the workplace as well as response to hazardous-materials-related incidents, most notably through Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response ( HAZWOPER ). regulations found at 29 CFR 1910.120. In 1984

2856-426: The transporting vehicle's exterior to convey information to emergency services personnel. Drivers that carry dangerous goods commercially, or carry quantities in excess of the rule's guidelines must obtain a D (dangerous goods) endorsement on their driver's licence . Drivers carrying quantities of goods under the rule's guidelines and for recreational or domestic purposes do not need any special endorsements. Due to

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2912-411: The use and handling of hazardous materials may differ depending on the activity and status of the material. For example, one set of requirements may apply to their use in the workplace while a different set of requirements may apply to spill response, sale for consumer use, or transportation. Most countries regulate some aspect of hazardous materials. Packing groups are used for the purpose of determining

2968-756: Was controversial as it happened during contract negotiations between Burlington Northern and the United Transportation Union . MRL workers were represented by various unions. Montana Rail Link trains operated between Billings and Spokane using trackage rights over BN successor BNSF 's tracks connecting those points. Montana Rail Link used cabooses until the BNSF takeover in 2024, which were used to carry remote control switching equipment on Laurel switch engines. A significant number of MRL movements were actually BNSF trains, complete with locomotives, that MRL received at one end of its track and forwarded back to BNSF at

3024-477: Was extensive, there were no casualties. On July 3, 2014, a MRL train with 90 railcars derailed near Alberton, Montana , en route from Laurel, Montana to Spokane, Washington . Twenty cars derailed, including three containing hazardous materials and six Boeing 737 fuselages. The 737 fuselages had been built in Kansas at Spirit AeroSystems and were being shipped to Renton, Washington , for final assembly. Three of

3080-564: Was impaired. This often resulted in five-letter reporting marks, an option not otherwise allowed by the AAR. Companies owning trailers used in trailer-on-flatcar service are assigned marks ending with the letter "Z", and the National Motor Freight Traffic Association , which maintains the list of Standard Carrier Alpha Codes, assigns marks ending in "U" to owners of intermodal containers . The standard ISO 6346 covers identifiers for intermodal containers. When

3136-675: Was where the diamond system of hazmat identification originated. The most widely applied regulatory scheme is that for the transportation of dangerous goods. The United Nations Economic and Social Council issues the UN Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods , which form the basis for most regional, national, and international regulatory schemes. For instance, the International Civil Aviation Organization has developed dangerous goods regulations for air transport of hazardous materials that are based upon

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