1

FOREWORD

This manual is current for the dates indicated on the title page of Volume I and is kept current by the issuance
of annual updates.

The first two editions of the Manual were issued in 1905 and 1907 as the “Manual of Recommended Practice
for Railway Engineering and Maintenance of Way.” Both were bound volumes and published by the Association
under its original name – American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association.

In 1911, the Association changed its name to the American Railway Engineering Association and issued the
third edition of its Manual. This edition, and the next one in 1915, was called the “Manual of the American
Railway Engineering Association,” and was also a bound volume. The final bound volumes were published in
1921 and 1929 under the name “Manual of the American Railway Engineering Association for Railway
Engineering.” A number of Manual updates were issued between some of the bound volumes.

The first looseleaf edition of the AREMA Manual was issued in 1936 under the name “Manual for Railway
Engineering,” the next in 1953. In 1961, the publication was reissued and called the “Manual of Recommended
Practice for Railway Engineering.” The current title, “Manual for Railway Engineering,” was approved by the
Board of Directors in 1970 and reverts to the former, simpler, more functional name although the contents are
still recommended practice, as indicated in the preceding Introduction.

In 1996 the Manual was given a complete facelift. Not only was the manual available in paper form, it was also
available in an electronic version stored on a CD-ROM. The Manual was enlarged to an 8¹⁄₂ × 11 inch format,
perfect bound and divided into four volumes. For our users’ convenience, the Manual has returned to a loose
leaf four volume set in 2000. Each volume covers one of four general areas: Track, Structures, Infrastructure
and Passenger, and Systems Management. The CD-ROM contains a complete version of the manual, which can
be run on several platforms (Windows, Macintosh, and Unix).

The Association also publishes the Portfolio of Trackwork Plans, which is a companion volume to the Manual
for Railway Engineering. The Portfolio contains specifications and plans relating to the design of frogs,
switches, crossings and other special trackwork. It was first issued about 1926 in cooperation with the
Manganese Track Society.

As shown on the following Contents pages, the AREMA Manual for Railway Engineering is issued in four
volumes, each volume divided into chapters with numbers corresponding to the numbers of the standing
technical committees charged with the primary responsibility for developing and maintaining the chapters. In
addition, each volume contains a General Subject Index which augments the separate Table of Contents
provided with each Chapter and Part of the Manual.

To make the Manual easier to use and facilitate reference to parts of it, the committee identification number is
carried throughout the publication by incorporating the number in the page numbering system. For complete
information on the key features of the Manual, such as page numbering system, document dates, article dates,
revision marks, and Proceedings references, the user is directed to the Introduction found in each Chapter.

As stated earlier, updates to the Manual normally are issued annually. Each update contains a complete set of
Manuals, or as an alternative is available on CD-ROM. Beginning in 2001, revision sets will also be available.

© 2000, American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association iii

Foreword

All holders of the Manual – individual AREMA members, individual nonmembers, railways, universities,
governmental agencies, consulting engineers, constructors, supply companies, or other firms – are notified each
year of the availability of the revised Manual and its cost.

Manuals ordered during the normal Association year will be furnished complete for the dates indicated on the
title page.

Copies of the complete Manual may be purchased from Association Headquarters at the then current prices,
which are subject to change without notice. To obtain individual specifications, the complete Manual set must
be purchased, since economy precludes breaking up the set for only a few pages.

© 2000, American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association

iv AREMA Manual of Railway Engineering