General Information

1. Recognize the Interchange Rules were formulated by the Master Car Builders' Association (1877-1919), The American Railroad Association (1919-20), The American Railway Association (1920-34) and The Association of American Railroads (1934-Present), not just The ARA and The AAR.
   

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3. Note:
   

4. Banned from interchange means AAR Interchange Rules.
   

5. Outlawed means prohibited by federal law or regulation backed by law.
   

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7. The Interchange Rules verbage seldom, if ever, used the term "banned." Rather, the Rules stated; "will not be accepted in interchange," or "prohibited in interchange." Generally, the use of the first was used in conjunction with an upcoming date of prohibition and the latter after the rule had been imposed. "Will not be accepted from owners" was an earlier phrase often used within the context of the rules synonomous with, "will not be accepted in Interchange." The Arbitration Committee of the ARA was challenged by several member railroads as to the use of this phrasing, thus changed the rules throughout the course of the 1920s.
   

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9. This list mixes recommendations with requirements. Some of the recommendations could be and were ignored by some railroads--including SP.
   

10. Tony Thompson
    

ARA-AAR Interchange Rules by Year

1. Just for informational purposes, this comes off another list. It might shed some light on practices as they apply to modeling.
   

2. Ken Harrison
   

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4. *Green Denotes Lettering & Numbering Changes
   

Year                          Rules Applied                          

1870

    Archbar trucks replace wood beam as US standard

1893

    Safety Appliance Act passed (brakes and couplers)

1900

    All cars required to be equipped with air brakes & knuckle couplers

1909

    MCB drops recommendation for "Air Brake" stencil

    MCB standard MCB-26A to locate reporting marks at left end of car side

1911

    Safety Appliance Act amended (ladders, grabs,etc.)

    United States Safety Appliances Standard stencil introduced

1914 or 1916

    Steel or steel-framed ends required or recommended on box cars

1915  (approx.)

    All cars to be equipped with compliant ladders, grabs, etc.

1920

    ARA issues standards for stenciling reporting marks

1925

    United States Safety Appliances Standard stencil requirement discontinued

    ARA revised dimensional data stencil standards in effect

    Nominal capacity & load limit stencils required

1927

    Load limit star stencil recommended, when limit is not bearings. The load limit was based on axle rating (as per rule 86).

1928

    Wood draft sills banned from interchange, ". Note: Cars of all wood construction, "Class - F" were prohibited in interchange in    

    1935.

1933

    Type E or F couplers required on all newly-built cars

    Rotary uncoupling levers required on all newly-built or newly-rebuilt cars

    AB brakes required on all newly-built cars

1934

    AAR created by merger of ARA with Assn of Ry Executives and Bureau of Ry Economics

1935

    Revision of ICC accounting rules defining repaired/rebuilt equipment

1936

    Initial proposed ban of arch bar trucks (eventually extended to 1940)

1937

    AB brakes required on all newly-rebuilt cars

    Geared handbrakes required on all newly-built or newly-rebuilt cars

    Revision of AAR Interchange Rules defining repaired/rebuilt equipment

    T Type E or F couplers required on all newly-rebuilt cars

    Most billboard markings gone off boxcars and reefers.

    The original date prohibiting the use of refrigerator cars bearing advertisements of any shipper, consignee, or product was

    January 1, 1937. The AAR's Board of Directors extended the date to April 1, 1937 (via supplement) in 1936. In 1937 the rule was    

    revised to include all other types of cars except special cars of Mechanical Designation "L" and tank cars of Mechanical

    Designation "T".

    Guy Wilber

1938

    No billboard boxcars and reefers

1939

    Arch bar trucks banned except 6 mo. for returning empties

1941

    Arch bar trucks banned from interchange

1945

    Wood running boards outlawed on new cars

1946

    Weld-repaired T- or L-section truck sideframes not to applied

1948

    Plate B maximum height 15-1 adopted

1949

    First proposed deadline for banning T- and L-section trucks

    Reweighing box, stock, reefer after 1st 30 mos, then every 48

1950

    I-section trucks added to proposed ban of T- and L-section trucks

1953

    K brakes banned, except tank cars & returning empties

    K brakes banned for tank cars & returning empties, except for tank empties

1954

    K brakes banned for all cars, including returning tank empties

1957

    Final deadline for ban on T-, L- and I-section truck sideframes

    Trucks w/integrally-cast journal boxes required in interchange

1958

    Cast iron wheels prohibited on new or newly-rebuilt cars

1959

    Allied Full-Cushion truck banned due to derailments

1963

    Plate C maximum height 15-6 adopted

1966

    Federal ban on running boards for new cars ordered after

    Late; low mount hand brake std on most cars blt from this time

    Federal ban on running boards for new cars delivered

1967

    High mount hand brakes prohibited on new cars

1968

    ACI labels introduced

1970

    Initial proposed date to require ACI labels in interchange

    Cast iron wheels banned from interchange (before Jan 2 1970)

    No underframes over 50 years (blt before Jan 2 1970?)

1972

    Final date for ACI labels required in interchange

    Roller bearings required for all cars w/6-1/2x11 journals

    AAR recommends single-panel COTS stencil, for new & rblt cars

1974

    Running boards to be removed from all cars (extended)

    Cars w/axle load >55,000 lbs must have roller bearings

    No underframes over 40 years if blt before July 1, 1974

    No underframes over 50 years if blt beginning July 1, 1974

    Plate E maximum height 15-9 adopted

    Plate F maximum height 17-0 adopted

    Two-panel COTS stencil required by FRA, all cars

1975

    Plate H maximum height 20-2 established (after 1975?)

1978

    White dot/yellow dot wheel inspection begins

    ACI labels no longer required for interchange

1981

    White dot/yellow dot wheel inspection ends

1982

    Third version COTS, Jan 1 1982

1983

    Running boards outlawed on all boxcars/reefers

1989

1. CAPY data stencil no longer required
   

1991

1. Plain-brg trucks banned from interchange
   

1994

1. Plain-brg trucks converted to roller-brg banned from interchange
   

1996

1. AEI "FET" tags required on interchange cars
   

2.