CHAPTER 372

An Act relatiny to the equipment of rail track motor cars used or fur-
nished by common carriers by railroad for transporting employees;
providing for the extension of necessary time in which to equip such
cars; and penalizing those carriers who operate or furnish for oper-
ation such unequipped cars to their employees for transportation to or
from their place or places of labor.

[fH 462]

Approved April 2, 1954

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. § 1. It shall be unlawful for any owner or operator of a railroad
running through or within the boundaries of the State of Virginia and
engaged in the business of common carrier to operate for or transport
its employees in a motor car which is not equipped with an electric head-
472 ACTS OF ASSEMBLY [vA., 1954

lamp of sufficient candle power as to render it visible at a distance of
300 feet in advance of such car under ordinary atmospheric conditions,
any obstruction, landmark, warning sign or grade crossing on such rail-
road and said car shall also be equipped with two electric lights on the
rear end thereof with sufficient candle power as to be visible at a distance
of 300 feet under ordinary atmospheric conditions.

§ 2. Any owner or operator of a railroad running through or within
this State as a common carrier of persons or property or both, for com-
pensation, who either operates for its employees, or who furnishes to
its employees for their transportation to or from the place or places
where they are required to labor, a rail track motor car that has not been
fully equipped as requiréd by § 1 of this Act, on or before July one,
nineteen hundred fifty-five, shall be fined not less than ten dollars, nor
more than twenty-five dollars for each offense, and each day or part
of a day it operates or furnishes each of such rail track motor cars
not so equipped as provided in § 1 of this Act, to its employees for
operation to or from the place or places where they are required to
work shall constitute a separate offense; provided that any common
carrier that has not been able to equip its rail track motor cars as
required by the provisions of § 1 of this Act, on or before the effective
date thereof can, by applying to the State Corporation Commission, which
is hereby authorized to, and upon good cause shown, grant by order, addi-
tional time to any owner or operator of a common carrier by railroad,
in which to equip such cars, not to exceed one year from the effective
date of this Act and, when such an order has been granted by said State
Corporation Commission to such carrier, the provisions of this Act penal-
izing rail carriers who do not so equip their cars shall not be applicable
to those carriers securing such an order for such additional time in which
to so equip their cars during the period granted to them only by order
of the State Corporation Commission.