49 C.F.R. § 215.115

Defective roller bearing

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(a) A railroad may not place or continue in service a car, if the car has—

(1) A roller bearing that shows signs of having been overheated as evidenced by—

(i) Discoloration; or

(ii) Other telltale signs of overheating such as damage to the seal or distortion of any bearing component;

(2) A roller bearing with a—

(i) Loose or missing cap screw; or

(ii) Broken, missing, or improperly applied cap screw lock; or

(3) A roller bearing with a seal that is loose or damaged, or permits leakage of lubricant in clearly formed droplets.

(b)(1) A railroad may not continue in service a car that has a roller bearing whose truck was involved in a derailment unless the bearing has been inspected and tested by:

(i) Visual examination to determine whether it shows any sign of damage; and

(ii) Spinning freely its wheel set or manually rotating the bearing to determine whether the bearing makes any unusual noise.

(2) The roller bearing shall be disassembled from the axle and inspected internally if—

(i) It shows any external sign of damage;

(ii) It makes any unusual noise when its wheel set is spun freely or the bearing is manually rotated;

(iii) Its truck was involved in a derailment at a speed of more than 10 miles per hour; or

(iv) Its truck was dragged on the ground for more than 200 feet.

(3) Each defective roller bearing shall be repaired or replaced before the car is placed back in service.

[44 FR 77340, Dec. 31, 1979, as amended at 45 FR 26711, Apr. 21, 1980]

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 4 cases (3 in the last 5 years), 2000–2025 · leading case: Union Pac. R.R. v. California Pub. Utils. Comm'n, 109 F. Supp. 2d 1186 (N.D. Cal. 2000).

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Union Pac. R.R. v. California Pub. Utils. Comm'n, 109 F. Supp. 2d 1186 (N.D. Cal. 2000). “Plaintiffs’ reliance on 49 C.F.R. § 215.115 is similarly misplaced.”

Webb v. CSX Transp., Inc. (E.D. Ky. 2025). · cites it 2× “These allegations include that Defendants breached duties owed to Plaintiffs by violating 49 C.F.R. § 215.115 , which prohibits placing in service or continuing in service a train car with an overheated roller bearing, as well as allegations that Norfolk Southern violated…”

Franklin v. CSX Transporation, Inc. (E.D. Ky. 2025). · cites it 2× “103(h) and 49 C.F.R §215.115 as preempting regulations.”

In re: East Palestine Train Derailment (N.D. Ohio 2025). “GATX suggests that the FRSA substantially subsumes the subject-matter of Count Three, because 49 C.F.R § 215.115 “regulates precisely the ‘subject matter’ at the heart of this case” (ECF No.”

— 49 C.F.R. § 215.115(a)(1) — 1 case

Webb v. CSX Transp., Inc. (E.D. Ky. 2025). “These allegations include that Defendants breached duties owed to Plaintiffs by violating 49 C.F.R. § 215.115 , which prohibits placing in service or continuing in service a train car with an overheated roller bearing, as well as allegations that Norfolk Southern violated…”

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