Any railroads in the US NOT using high visibility vests?

Are any railroads in the US NOT using high visibility vests these days?

I am curious if anyone sees crews not wearing these things? I understand the reason some use them. It seems a stretch but that is not the point of the question.

I know this a Class One board but I will thought the question open to shortlines as well??

T2

I have seen vests that were given to the new hires; but I haven't seen anything in writing mandating their use on the IORY (although I have been away for about 7 months, now). Engineers are not wearing them.

Saw an FRA guy on property the other day, and he wasn't wearing one.

FRA Signal here in Bama wear them but only during an actual inspection I've seen.

CN and CP started the vest thing because Canada has laws stating a one working outside around vehicular traffic must where a high visibility vest back around 2000 i believe, US DOT started the same thing a few years back, so when we flag crossing we need to have a hi vis vest on. So rather then keep a vest on an engine that will vanish within days, All railroads issued vest to conductors and most engineers as a blanket policy because you never no when the need arises to flag a crossing. Now there might be a cash strapped short line that leaves a vest on an engine for the train crew to use when the need arises to flag a crossing. But all the class one railroads just issued vests to all operating employees and said wear them all the time.

What's the cost of a high visibility vest (BTW, is there a nickname to it)? You can buy one one for a dollar, I presume, so there is no reason for an employer not to hand one out to their employees. I go through a HVA every three months or so.

We are mandated to wear them every time we set a foot on the tracks. Every time. If we fail to do so, we're in for tea and biscuits and, if something happens, for some legal action. There have been cases of colleagues not wearing a HVA while moving around on some slow speed tracks - maybe shooting a picture of their train - and an engineer passing by called the signalbox and reported unauthorized persons on the track . Which leads to the Federal Police coming into action and a Befehl for the next hour for every train (dozens of them) passing by to proceed on sight. This is why I wear them unless I feel absolutely stupid doing so, which is quite often, I admit. Uncoupling two locomotives in the middle of a switching yard - I'd say you'd not be doing this if you wouldn't belong there and wouldn't know what you're doing, so you have to be a railroader and not some looney running around just because of the matter of fact.

On the other hand, it is quite a relief if you see some orange and bright ahead of you in the middle of the night. You won't panick because you see the guy in front of you for several hundred foot instead of inches.

At CSX its required, unless you are wearing approved (issued or bought from CSX) HV gear. If you have a HV rain coat, but doesn't say CSX, you must wear the vest over your HV gear.

A few Short Lines near me wear bight colored Yellow and or Orange Shirts and that's about it the M/W Guys wear the same and on occasion have vests.

We are issued vests over at my Class 1, however our rules specify lime green for TE&Y and orange for MoW. Other than the color, it only states it must be ANSI Class 2 compliant so we can buy/wear whatever we want as long as it meets ANSI. But - in short, anytime you are outside on the property/cab, you must be wearing it. The rules do state that inside a building etc, its not required. Hearing protection within 100 feet of a running locomotive or where requried by local rules. Eye protection for TE&Y can just be a pair of off the shelf sunglasses. They do not need to be ANSI rated. MoW will require it though.

As much as I agree that you can't "steer" a train to a person, it still depends on the situation. I was coming down a grade into a curve one sunny day and as we looked down the track, we saw what we thought was a new rail greaser box. It just seemed like something new was there. As we got closer, it looked less square. We hit the horn a few times and a larger type person stood up and had his MoW orange on, but you couldn't tell with the way his body was positioned. Orange/green/plaid...its all about how you see it.

In a busy yard its a good thing in case somone steps out of a cut or god-knows-where and you can attempt to bring the train to a stop. RCL with PSP - no one would know.