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Tools

X12 470 — Railroad Clearance

The 470 transmits a clearance request for an oversize / dimensional rail movement (high-wide load) between a shipper and a railroad.

Purpose

The 470 documents the request for authorization to move a load exceeding AAR standard plate (Plate C/E/F). It carries exact dimensions (length, width, height, weight), centre of gravity, car type, attachments, desired routing.

The railroad analyses physical constraints of each segment (tunnels, bridges, platforms) and responds with authorization, refusal, or alternate routing. Acknowledged by 997. Critical for transformers, wind blades, military equipment moves.

Envelope structure

The 470 travels within the three X12 envelope levels (ISA/IEA, GS/GE with functional group GD, and ST/SE). Didactic example in release 004010:

x12 example-470.x12 
ISA*00*          *00*          *ZZ*INDUSTRIAL    *ZZ*RAILROAD      *260515*1330*U*00401*000000470*0*P*>~
GS*GD*INDUSTRIAL*RAILROAD*20260515*1330*1*X*004010~
ST*470*0001~
BGN*00*CLR-2026-0042*20260515~
N1*SH*ACME INDUSTRIAL*92*GLN-ACME~
N1*RR*BNSF RAILWAY*24*EIN-BNSF~
N4*FORT WORTH*TX*76101~
N4*LONG BEACH*CA*90802~
LX*1~
NTE*ZZ*WIDE LOAD - TRANSFORMER 250T~
REF*ZZ*WIDTH-INCH-160~
REF*ZZ*HEIGHT-INCH-198~
REF*ZZ*LENGTH-INCH-840~
SE*11*0001~
GE*1*1~
IEA*1*000000470~

Common segments

  • Header — ST, BGN.
  • Shipper / Railroad — N1*SH, N1*RR.
  • Route — N4 (origin), N4 (destination).
  • Detail — LX loop: NTE (description), REF*ZZ (width, height, length, weight, CoG).
  • Summary — SE.

Common pitfalls

  • Tunnels & overhead: a 1-inch height underestimation can disqualify a tunnel; dimensions must include fixings and straps.
  • Centre of gravity: an off-axis CoG triggers speed restrictions; always declare both transverse and longitudinal CoG.
  • Multi-railroad consent: a BNSF→NS move needs separate clearances from each road — one 470 alone is not enough.

Documentation

The code 470 and the name Railroad Clearance are public and listed on x12.org/products/transaction-sets. The complete structure of loops, qualifiers and code lists is distributed by DISA via the proprietary Implementation Guides (TR3). ediverse.io covers only public concepts, the envelope and didactic examples.