192.72 Lands may be mortgaged.
192.73 Sale of abandoned rail property after release by state.
192.80 Full crew employe rights.
192.001
192.001
Definitions. In this chapter:
192.001(1m)
(1m) "Department" means the department of transportation.
192.001(2)
(2) "Office" means the office of the commissioner of railroads.
192.14
192.14
Caboose equipment. 192.14(1)(1) This section shall apply to all cabooses except those operated in yard or transfer service.
192.14(2)
(2) Cabooses shall be at least 24 feet in length exclusive of platform and be of either a cupola or bay window type. Cabooses shall be of metal construction and shall be sufficiently insulated to reduce noise to a reasonable level. Cabooses shall be provided with a door with a window at each end, and with an outside platform across each end, not less than 24 inches in width and be equipped with proper guard rails and with grab irons and steps for the safety of persons getting on and off.
192.14(3)
(3) The trucks shall provide riding qualities at least equal to those of freight-type trucks modified with elliptical or additional coil springs or other means of equal or greater efficiency and shall be equipped with standard steel wheels.
192.14(4)
(4) Cabooses constructed after December 30, 1973 shall be equipped with cushion underframe draft gear. Cabooses constructed prior to December 30, 1973 shall be equipped with cushion draft gear.
192.14(5)
(5) Cabooses placed in service after December 30, 1973 shall be provided with electric lighting of at least 40 footcandles for direct illumination of the caboose desk, reading areas and lavatory facilities.
192.14(6)
(6) Wherever glass or glazing materials are used on exterior doors or windows they shall be of the shatterproof glass type or an equivalent clear plastic product.
192.14(7)
(7) Stanchions, grab handles or bars shall be installed at entrances, exits and cupola within convenient reach of employes moving within the caboose. All edges and protrusions, including, but without limitation because of enumeration, all bench, desk, chair and other furnishings, shall be rounded.
192.14(8)
(8) All cabooses shall be equipped with at least one portable foam, dry chemical or carbon dioxide type fire extinguisher with a minimum capacity of 1-1/4 gallons or 5 pounds. Such extinguishers shall be placed in readily accessible locations and shall be effectively maintained.
192.14(9)
(9) In the event a failure of required equipment or standards of maintenance occurs after a caboose has commenced a trip in service, it shall be corrected at the first point at which maintenance supplies are available, or, in case of repairs, at the first point where repair facilities are available.
192.14(10)
(10) If in any particular case any temporary exemption from any requirement of this section is deemed necessary by a carrier, the office shall consider the application of the carrier for temporary exemption and may grant the exemption when accompanied by a full statement of the conditions existing and the reasons for the exemption. Any exemption so granted will be limited to the particular case specified and shall be limited to a stated period of time.
192.14(11)
(11) Compliance with this section shall be accomplished within 5 years of December 30, 1973. The requirements stated in this section shall be deemed complied with by equipment or standards or maintenance equal or superior to those prescribed in this section.
192.14(12)
(12) The office may after public hearing make rules and establish the standards deemed necessary to carry out the purposes of this section.
192.15
192.15
Engine equipment. 192.15(1)(1) This section shall apply to all engines or locomotives used in operating a railroad.
192.15(2)(a)
(a) "Cab" means the crew compartment of the engine.
192.15(2)(b)
(b) "Control unit" means the unit which controls the movement of multiple units.
192.15(2)(c)
(c) "Engine" means a locomotive or a unit propelled by any form of energy, or a combination of such units operated from a single control, used in train or yard service.
192.15(2)(d)
(d) "Initial terminal" means the terminal within the state from which an engine is dispatched and at which maintenance supplies are available or at which regular maintenance forces are available to repair defective equipment.
192.15(2)(e)
(e) "Railroad" means a railroad operated as a common carrier in this state.
192.15(3)
(3) Cabs shall be sufficiently insulated to reduce noise in the cab in accordance with federal regulations.
192.15(4)
(4) Cabs shall be provided with at least 2 doors for exiting in 2 different directions. Exterior platforms shall be equipped with appropriate hand or guard rails. All ladders and steps shall be equipped with grab irons for the safety of persons getting on and off.
192.15(5)
(5) Wherever glass and glazing materials are used on exterior engine doors or windows they shall be in compliance with federal regulations.
192.15(6)
(6) Cab doors and windows shall be weatherstripped to prevent drafts and noxious odors from entering the cab. Cabs shall be heated to maintain a minimum temperature of 50° Fahrenheit and shall be insulated to retain heat. Heaters shall be in proper working order whenever the engine is in use.
192.15(7)
(7) Cabs shall be supplied with a drinking cup dispenser with a supply of cups. At least one gallon of sanitary water from a water cooler or sealed containers of water from a refrigerated cooler shall be in the cab at the time of departure from the initial terminal.
192.15(8)
(8) Each cab used in train service more than 25 miles from an initial terminal shall be equipped with a suitable retention toilet facility. If locomotives are operated in multiple units only the control unit needs to comply with the toilet facility requirement. All toilet facilities shall be sanitary and operational when placed in service at the initial terminal.
192.15(9)
(9) Each cab shall be in a clean and sanitary condition when placed in service.
192.15(10)
(10) A cab used in train service shall be equipped with a speedometer functioning accurately within 3 miles per hour. If locomotives are operated in multiple units only the control unit needs to comply with the speedometer requirement.
192.15(11)
(11) Engines shall be equipped with whistles or horns mounted to face the direction in which the engine is moving and placed to emit a warning sound at a sound level which accords with established practices to warn employes and the public of the engine's approach.
192.15(12)
(12) All cabs shall be equipped with at least one portable foam, dry chemical or carbon dioxide type fire extinguisher with a minimum capacity of 1-1/4 gallon or 5 pounds. The extinguisher shall be placed in a readily accessible location and shall be effectively maintained.
192.15(13)
(13) If a failure of required equipment or standards of maintenance, as set forth under this section, occurs after an engine has commenced a trip or tour of duty in service, it shall be corrected at the first point at which maintenance supplies are available, or, in case of repairs, prior to the next assignment.
192.15(14)
(14) If in any particular case any exemption from any requirement of this section is deemed necessary by a carrier, the office shall consider the application of the carrier for exemption and may grant the exemption when accompanied by a full statement of the conditions existing and the reasons for the exemption. Any exemption so granted shall be limited to the particular case specified and shall be limited to a stated period of time.
192.15(15)
(15) Compliance with this section shall be accomplished within 5 years of November 17, 1977. The requirements stated in this section shall be deemed complied with by equipment or standards or maintenance equal or superior to those prescribed in this section.
192.17
192.17
Arrest of passenger; police power of conductors. If it shall become necessary for the protection of the passengers on any railroad car from the violent, abusive, profane or indecent language or conduct of any passenger, the conductor may arrest such passenger and keep the passenger in the baggage car or some other safe and secure place on such train until its arrival at some usual stopping place, when the passenger may be put off the train and given into the custody of some officer for prosecution; and for this purpose conductors, while in charge of trains, may exercise the powers of sheriffs.
192.17 History
History: 1993 a. 482.
192.18
192.18
Shipment of grain, delivery. Every corporation operating a railroad shall receive all grain offered to it in carload lots for transportation, and shall transport such grain at the rates then in force to the elevator, warehouse or mill to which the same may be directed by the shipper, and deliver the same to the consignee at the place designated for the delivery thereof, if there be any track connecting therewith, over which such corporation shall have the right to run its cars, and such place of delivery be not more than one-half mile from its railroad; and shall make no additional charge for transportation of such grain because of such delivery nor charge for such delivery, except such sum as such corporation shall be actually required to pay for the use of such connecting track for such delivery.
192.255
192.255
Qualifications of conductors and flagmen. 192.255(1)(1) No person shall act or be engaged to act as a conductor on a railroad freight or passenger train in this state without having for at least three years prior thereto served or worked in the capacity of a railroad brakeman.
192.255(2)
(2) No person shall act or be engaged to act as a flagman on a railroad train in this state without having for at least two years prior thereto served or worked as a brakeman on a freight train or passenger train.
192.255(3)
(3) No railroad company by its officers, agents or employes shall knowingly engage or employ any person to act in the capacity of conductor or flagman in violation of the provisions of this section.
192.255(4)
(4) Nothing in this section shall be construed as applying to the running or operating of trains in the case of disability of a conductor or a flagman while out on the road between divisional terminals, or in case of an accident or wreck, or the shifting of cars or making up trains or doing any work appurtenant thereto, by a switchman or yardman in divisional terminals.
192.255(5)
(5) The provisions of this section as to brakeman shall not apply unless there are available at the terminal from which the train is starting brakemen who meet the requirements of this section and who are not assigned to regular runs nor shall the provisions of this section apply to any railroad company within the state nor the receiver or lessee thereof, whose line of railroad is less than thirty miles in length nor shall anything herein contained relieve any railroad company from the negligence of any of its employes.
192.255(6)
(6) Any person who shall violate any of the provisions of this section shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and shall upon conviction be punished by a fine of not more than one hundred dollars nor less than twenty-five dollars or confined in the county jail not exceeding ninety days, or by both such fine and imprisonment in the discretion of the court.
192.255 Annotation
This section is preempted by federal law. State v. Wisconsin Central, 200 W (2d) 450, 546 NW (2d) 206 (Ct. App. 1996).
192.266
192.266
Lights on track motor cars. It shall be unlawful after July 1, 1950, for any person, firm or corporation operating or controlling any railroad running through or within the state to operate or use in motion any track motor car during the period from 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise, which is not equipped with an electric headlight either portable or fixed of such construction and with sufficient candlepower to render plainly visible at a distance of not less than 200 feet in advance of such track motor car any track obstruction, landmarks, warning sign or grade crossing and which is not further equipped with a red rear electric light or reflector.
192.267
192.267
Luminous markings on engines and cars. Every railroad engine and railroad box car, flat car, gondola and tank car, which is built or rebuilt in this state, shall have luminous tape or reflectors affixed to each side. The tape shall be at least 2 inches wide and shall form a continuous horizontal strip. The reflectors shall be not less than 2 inches in diameter and shall be placed not more than 6 inches apart in a horizontal line.
192.267 History
History: 1971 c. 318.
192.268
192.268
Windshield, canopy and curtains on track motor cars. It is unlawful after January 1, 1965, for any person operating or controlling any railroad running through or within the state to operate or use in motion any track motor car, without a canopy or top, a windshield and windshield wiper, and each side and the rear enclosed by panels or curtains, removable or fixed, to adequately protect the occupants thereof from the weather. This section shall apply only to track motor cars which operate regularly outside the confines of the railroad yards.
192.27
192.27
Connecting tracks and switching. 192.27(1)
(1) When the track of a railway corporation crosses the track of any other railway corporation at grade, or when their tracks and right-of-way are adjacent, except in counties having a population of at least 150,000, the corporations shall, within 60 days after a written request of the office or the council or board of the city, town or village within which the tracks so cross or are adjacent, make a track connection within such town, city or village to afford reasonable and proper facilities for the interchange of traffic between their respective lines for forwarding and delivering freight, and the expense thereof shall be borne equally by those corporations, unless otherwise ordered by the office.
192.27(2)
(2) Any railroad corporation neglecting or refusing to comply with the provisions of this section shall be liable to a forfeiture of not less than twenty-five dollars nor more than one hundred dollars for each offense, and each day shall constitute a separate offense.
192.27 History
History: 1981 c. 347 s.
80 (1);
1993 a. 16,
123.
192.29
192.29
Train speed at street and highway crossings. 192.29(1)(1)
Setting maximum speed. Upon petition to the office by the governing body of any city or village or by any railroad corporation alleging that any railroad crossing of one or more public highways or streets in the city or village is dangerous to human life and that public safety requires a designation of the maximum speed of a train over such crossing or crossings, or that an order previously made by the office should be modified, the office shall give notice to the parties in interest and order a hearing thereon in the manner provided by
s. 195.04. If after the hearing the office shall determine that the crossing or crossings described in the petition are dangerous to human life, it may by order determine what maximum speed of a train over the crossing is reasonably required by public safety and is consistent with the public need for adequate and expeditious passenger and freight service by railroad, having due regard for other orders entered by the office and to practical railroad operating conditions. Where the office has designated the maximum speed of any train or trains over such crossing or crossings, the rate of speed shall be the lawful maximum speed at which any train affected by the order can be operated over the public highway or street crossing, until changed by subsequent order of the office. Every railroad corporation violating any order entered under this subsection shall for every violation forfeit not less than $10 nor more than $100. The jurisdiction over train speeds hereby vested in the office shall be exclusive, but any order entered by the office hereunder shall be subject to judicial review in the manner provided by
ch. 227.
192.29(2)
(2) Arterial stop signs. In any proceeding under
sub. (1) or under
s. 195.28, the office may by order require that the state or municipality install at any crossing involved in such proceeding an official stop sign.
192.29(3)
(3) Bell to ring, municipal authority. 192.29(3)(a)(a) No railroad train or locomotive shall run over any public traveled grade crossing within any city or village, except where gates are operated, or a flagman is stationed, unless the engine bell shall be rung continuously within twenty rods of and until such crossing shall be reached.
192.29(3)(b)
(b) Flagmen or gates shall be placed and maintained, or such mechanical safety appliances shall be installed upon such public traveled grade crossings in villages and cities as the city or village authorities and the railroad company may by agreement decide; such agreement may include the apportionment of the cost of installation of such mechanical devices.
192.29(4)
(4) Highways, whistle, horn, bell. No railroad train or locomotive shall run over any public traveled grade highway crossing outside of the limits of municipalities unless the whistle or horn shall be blown 1,320 feet from such crossing and the engine bell rung continuously from thence until the crossing be reached. But the office may order that the ringing of the bell or the blowing of the whistle, or horn, or both, as required by this subsection shall be omitted at any crossing.
192.29(5)
(5) Danger signs. Wherever its track crosses a public highway or street, every railroad corporation shall maintain on each side of the track and near such crossing a large signboard with the following inscription, painted in large letters: "Railroad Crossing," in such manner as to be visible to approaching traffic on the highway or street at least 100 feet distant.
192.292
192.292
Trains obstructing highways. It shall be unlawful to stop any railroad train, locomotive or car upon or across any highway or street crossing, outside of cities, or leave the same standing upon such crossing longer than 10 minutes, except in cases of accident; and any conductor, engineer, brakeman or other person in charge thereof or responsible therefor who shall violate this section shall be liable to a fine of not more than $25 or to imprisonment of not more than 15 days.
192.295
192.295
Wilful neglect of railroad employes. Any officer, agent, conductor, engineer or employe of any railroad company operating within this state who wilfully neglects or omits to ring or cause to be rung the bell on the engine of any train of cars or on an engine alone or to blow the whistle, as required by
s. 192.29 (3) and
(4) shall be imprisoned not more than 6 months or fined not exceeding $100.
192.295 History
History: 1983 a. 501.
192.31
192.31
Telltales over railroads. 192.31(1)
(1) Every railroad corporation shall maintain suitable telltales wherever any overhead structure or any part thereof is less than 23 feet above the top of rail; except that if the office finds that the installation of a telltale at any particular place would be impracticable or would result in an increased hazard to either the public or an employe and that either or both such factors outweigh the safety benefit which would result from the installation of a telltale, the office may enter an order providing an exemption from this section. The exemption shall be ordered by the office only after public hearing under
sub. (4).
192.31(2)
(2) The office may determine the materials for and the construction and placing of such telltales.
192.31(3)
(3) After December 31, 1993, no overhead structure shall be constructed or reconstructed, not including ordinary repairs necessary for maintenance, which shall have a vertical clearance of less than 23 feet above the top of rail, except as provided in
sub. (4).
192.31(4)
(4) Upon finding that any such structure will not imperil life or limb, and that the public interest requires or permits such structure to be constructed or reconstructed otherwise than as permitted by
sub. (3), the office may exempt such structure from such provision. Such findings shall be made only upon written application, setting forth fully the grounds therefor and shall be made only after public hearing. The findings and order granting exemption shall be in writing and contain complete provisions and requirements as to the vertical clearance to be maintained in such construction or reconstruction. Such structure shall be constructed or reconstructed only in compliance with such order.
192.31(5)
(5) Prior to July 1, in each year every corporation operating a railroad within the state shall file with the office a verified statement showing the location of every such bridge or other structure over any of its tracks at a height of less than 23 feet above the top of rail, together with a statement showing whether or not the provisions of this section have been fully complied with.
192.31(6)
(6) An employe of a railroad corporation who is injured by or because of the existence of any bridge, or other structure over, above or across any of the tracks of said railroad at a height less than that provided in this section, which has not been protected by telltales, shall not be considered to have assumed the risk of such injury, although the employe continues in the employ of such corporation after the existence of such unguarded structure has been brought to the employe's knowledge.
192.32
192.32
Trespassing on railroad. 192.32(1)
(1) No person, other than a licensee or authorized newspaper reporters or those connected with or employed upon the railroad, shall walk, loiter or be upon or along the track of any railroad. The provisions of this subsection shall not be construed to interfere with the lawful use of a public road or highway by any person, or to prevent any person from driving across any railroad from one part of the person's land to another part thereof, or from walking directly across the tracks or right-of-way of any railroad; or with the use of the right-of-way or track by any person when occasioned by or in connection with, either directly or indirectly, the shipping, loading or unloading of freight, seeking employment, the investigation or securing of evidence with respect to any accident or wreck, or in conducting or transacting any other business for or with said railroad; or with the entry of any employe during or on account of labor disputes by employes.
192.32(2)
(2) Each railroad corporation shall post notices containing substantially the provisions and penalties of this section, in one or more conspicuous places in or about each railroad station.
192.32 History
History: 1993 a. 482,
490.
192.321
192.321
Getting on and off cars. Any person under the age of 17 years who shall get upon, attempt to get upon, cling to, jump or step from any railroad car or train while the same is in motion shall be punished by fine of not more than $20 nor less than $2, provided that this section shall not apply to the employes of any railway or express company.
192.324
192.324
Railroad bridges to be safe for employes. Whenever a complaint is lodged with the office by any person to the effect that a railroad bridge because of its style of construction does not have walks or railings and for that reason is dangerous to the life and limb of railroad employes and the safety of such employes requires the alteration so as to provide for such walks and railings of such bridge, the office shall give notice to the party in interest, other than the complainant, of the filing of the complaint and furnish such party with a copy thereof, and order a hearing thereon, in the manner provided for hearings in
s. 195.31. The office may proceed in a similar manner in the absence of a complaint when, in the opinion of the office, the safety of railroad employes requires the alteration of a railroad bridge. After the hearing, the office shall determine what alteration, if any, of such bridge, shall be made. The expense of such alteration shall be borne by the railroad company.
