Before a shoving movement is made past a derail, the employee lining the derail will

• A. Notify the engineer the derail is off and the engineer must acknowledge.
• B. Stop the movement until the derail is reset.
• C. Contact RTC for permission.
• D. Inspect the derail visually.

Answer: (A)

The important idea here is ensuring the engineer is aware of the derail’s status before moving a shove past it. When a derail is set to off, it allows movement, but responsibility for that movement sits with the engineer who is in charge of the locomotive. The person lining the derail must promptly tell the engineer that the derail is off and obtain the engineer’s acknowledgment. This creates a clear, verified line of communication: the engineer confirms they understand the protection device is not engaged and approves proceeding, so both can coordinate and watch for any unexpected issues.

Stopping the movement until the derail is reset isn’t the standard step if the derail is already off and a proceed signal from the engineer is present. Contacting RTC isn’t the immediate requirement for this local maneuver, and merely inspecting the derail visually doesn’t establish that the engineer is informed and in agreement to proceed.