AREMA®

Communications and Signals Style Manual

July 2021

Introduction

The C&S Style Manual is intended to be used by the AREMA® Technical Committees
when preparing new or revising old Manual Parts for the C&S Manual of Recommended
Practices. The Style Manual sets forth guidelines dealing with page layout, font,
indentation, figures, footers, headers, and much more. Providing a consistent approach
to the Manual Parts’ development will provide for a more professional publication.

All Manual Parts are to be developed in Microsoft MS Word, version 2007 or higher.
(Microsoft Office Word 2007 is AREMA® headquarters' standard).

Page Layout

The basic format of a page can be found in Appendix A. This format page contains the
necessary setup features and may be copied to be the template for a new Manual Part.
Manual Parts are to be developed electronically using MS Word software. All the required
style issues can be achieved using MS Word.

A. Paper size - Should be standard letter size, 8.5 in × 11 in, in a portrait orientation.

B. Paper weight - Should be standard weight of 20 lb.

C. Margins - Top and Bottom should be 0.5 in from paper edge.

- Sides should be 1.0 in from paper edge.
- Headers and Footers will automatically be placed within the correct
margins.

D. Justification - Full justification is to be used on the text (block format).

E. Title - Title shall follow the recommended descriptions listed in Manual Part 1.0.1
Titles and Descriptions for AREMA® C&S Manual Parts

F. Paragraphs - No indentation will be used at the beginning of each paragraph.

G. Indentations - May go to a maximum of six levels. The levels are:

Level 1 - Capital alphas, bolded, non-underlined starting with “A”.

There is no indentation for level 1.
Level 2 - Arabic numerals, non-bolded, non-underlined starting with “1”.
There is one standard Tab indentation.
Level 3 - Lower case alphas, non-bolded, non-underlined starting with “a”.

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 There are two standard Tab indentations.
Level 4 - Arabic numerals in parentheses, non-bolded, non-underlined
starting with (1). There are three standard Tab indentations
Level 5 - Lower case alpha in parentheses, non-bolded, non-underlined
starting with (a). There are four standard Tab indentations
Level 6 - Lower case Roman numeral, non-bolded, non-underlined
starting with (i). There are five standard Tab indentations.

An example of a 6 level indentation is as follows: A.1.a.(1).(a)(i).

1. The indentation will be a standard Tab spacing of 5 from the left.

2. There are periods between the first to the fourth level of indentations only.

H. Headers and Footers - Will be per the standard shown in Appendix A. Within the
header, odd pages will have the publication year on the left side and the part number
on the right side. Even pages will have these entries in reverse. The Technical
Committees are not to write in the Header and Footer sections.

I. Font - The font chosen for the body of the Manual Part is Arial. The font size is to be
12 pt. The color is to be black.

A. Bolding - is to be used for the Title and the first level of indentation
B. Underlining - The title after the Level 1 indentation.
C. Capitals - are to be used at the beginning of each sentence and at the beginning
of each indented level.

The font chosen for the Headers and Footers is Arial Black. The font size is to be 12
pt. The color is black.

The font chosen within Figures and Tables is preferably a minimum of 8 pt. The color
is black.

The font to be used on footnotes is Arial 10 pt., color black. See Appendix A for an
example of footnote format and placement.

Figures

Figures may be placed within the Manual Part as deemed appropriate. Figures shall be
shown in accordance with the style layout in Appendix B. Each figure shall be numbered
and the figure number shall be centered under the corresponding figure and kept on the
same page as the figure itself. The word "Figure" will be used to start the number, and
the corresponding Manual Part number will be used without any periods followed by a
hyphen and then the number “1”. In the case of multiple figures within a Manual Part, a
hyphen and then a sequential number beginning at "1" shall be used. The entire figure
designation shall be bolded.

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Example - for Manual Part 18.1 36 having one figure: Figure 18136-1.

Figures shall also have titles using standard sentence structure with each word being
capitalized. The title will be bolded and will follow the figure number. There will be a
colon and then two spaces placed between the figure number and title. The entire figure
number and title will be centered under the figure. If the wording wraps to the next line,
it must be kept centered.

Example: Figure 18136-1: Style Format for Manual Parts

Tables

Tables shall follow the same format as for figures, numbers and titles except they shall
be placed above the table and shall follow the word "Table". Table titles should be kept
on the same page as the table itself. Tables shall be shown in accordance with the style
layout in Appendix B.

Example: Table 18136-1: Style Format for Manual Parts

Cross-references

Cross-referencing of material in other Manual Parts, whether in the C&S manual or the
MRE Manual of Railway Engineering, shall use the same format. At the point of reference
within the Manual Part, the cross-referenced Manual Part number and title shall be
shown.

Example: Manual Part 18.1.36 Style Format for Manual Parts.

For cross-referencing of external publications such as ASTM International, FCC,

AASHTO, etc., the same format shall be used, with the addition of a date or revision letter.

Example: ASTM International Standard B164-03(2019) Standard Specification for

Nickel-Copper Alloy Rod, Bar, and Wire.

No parentheses shall be used with cross-reference titles.

The former American Society for Testing Materials ASTM is now called ASTM
International.

In addition:

1. Manual material ownership shall rest with the topic experts. For example, HBDs
are C&S responsibility, so C&S would maintain the technical material ownership,
while manual material in the Manual for Railway Engineering would cross-
reference the C&S Manual. Similarly, the reverse would hold true for track

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 components, where the C&S Manual material would cross-reference the Manual
for Railway Engineering.

2. While it would be more efficient to not duplicate the cross-referenced information

in both AREMA Manuals, it is felt that people who do not want to buy both Manuals
should not have to because of cross-references. Therefore, the cross-referenced
material shall be included in the referencing manual part as well. The cross-
referenced material in both manual parts would be designated by a double asterisk
(**) at the beginning and end of the reference. (i.e. **..... the referenced material
...... **).

3. Both the referencing and cross-referenced manual parts shall have a footnote
included in each, indicating the cross-reference (See example below). A list of
cross-references shall be kept by AREMA headquarters to ensure the Publication
Review Committee knows where cross-references are so they can be reviewed for
accuracy and to ensure they stay current.

4. When a manual part is cross-referenced, the referencing Technical Committee

shall advise AREMA headquarters, who in turn will update the cross-referenced
list and advise the appropriate Technical Committee for the other Manual of the
cross-reference so they can add a footnote to their manual part as well.

5. When a manual part has been revised that affects a cross-referenced section of
manual material, the Technical Committee making the change shall advise
AREMA headquarters, who will then contact the appropriate Technical Committee
for the other Manual, advising them of the change to the cross-referenced material
so they can update their manual part accordingly.

The following is an example of both footnotes to be used:

Referenced Material Footnote: "Cross-referenced by Manual for Railway Engineering,

Chapter.., Part ....."
Referencing Material Footnote: "Cross-referencing C&S Manual of Recommended
Practices, MP ....."

Footnotes

Footnotes shall be shown above the footer, starting with a number in Arial font size 10
that is in superscript format followed (with no spacing) by a clear and concise text.
Footnotes should only be used for additional explanatory comments.

Manual Part Numbering

AREMA® headquarters will assign new Manual Parts. Manual part numbers are shown
in three sections, each separated by a period. Each section may have up to 2 digits.

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Example: 18.1.36
where 18 - represents the Chapter, 1- the Topic, 36 - the Sub-Topic

The topic and sub-topic numbers will be chosen sequentially. No previous numbers will
be re-used. AREMA® headquarters will maintain an archival list for all manual part
numbers for future reference purposes. Where the Manual Part is a figure only, a letter
designation shall be used after the three sections. If more than one figure follows, then
start at A then sequentially use B, C, etc.

Example: 18.1.36A

Alternate Practices

Where there is more than one common practice in use, a Manual Part may show the
prevalent practice first and then list the alternate practices under the Alternate Practices
section within the Manual Part.

Section Labeling Convention

Each section of a Manual Part shall have a title with the content beginning two lines below.
This rule only applies to the level 1 indentation within each section.

Example:

A. Purpose

The purpose of the style manual is ….

While the content of each Manual Part will vary, the section labeling should remain as
consistent as possible. The following convention should be adhered to as closely as
possible.

A. Purpose
B. General
C. .
D. .
E. .
F. .

Should and Shall

The words "should" and "shall" are to be used under the following conditions:

Shall - when the direction given may adversely affect safety if not followed, or when
referencing other AREMA Manual Parts.

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Should - preference given to the direction, but safety would not be compromised
if not followed.

Consistency

There are many words where two or more may be used to provide the same meaning,
but the following conventions shall be used:

1. Ensure - is to be used instead of insure.

2. Embed - is to be used instead of imbed.
3. Enclosure - is to be used instead of inclosure.

Appendices

Appendices are not recommended to be used with a Manual Part except when absolutely
necessary. The material may either be incorporated within the Manual Part or cross-
referenced from the original source.

Metric and Imperial Measures

Both the Metric and Imperial measures are to be shown in the Manual Parts. The Imperial
will be shown first with the Metric equivalent shown after in brackets. Exceptions to this
rule can be invoked when such information is expressed using customary terms that are
widely used and recognized such as common drill sizes, traditional tools, standard
fastener sizes, commercial pipe sizes and other similar terms commonly used in the
United States. For example, it is permissible to refer to a “36-inch pipeline” or a “half-inch
drill” without showing the equivalent metric unit.

Example: 1 inch (25.4 mm)

The Metric may be shown first with the Imperial equivalent shown after in brackets where
this is the common industry practice such as in the Cable and Wire industry.

Example: +90 °C (+194 °F)

There are two exceptions to the use of both measures:

1. When the size of a drawing would make it difficult to properly read the dimensions
or values.
2. When describing the temperature rise and differential temperatures of electrical
apparatus. These are usually expressed only in degrees Celsius or kelvin

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The equivalent Metric unit for wire sizes expressed in AWG (American Wire Gauge) is
mm2. The cross-sectional value found for a given size will be the exact conversion in mm2.
It will be up to the user to specify the corresponding standard Metric size.

Example: 14 AWG (2.08 mm2). The closest Metric equivalent is 2.5 mm2.
12 AWG (3.31 mm2). The closest Metric equivalent is 4.0 mm2.

Abbreviations

The use of abbreviations within the Manual Parts is accepted, as long as the following
conventions are applied:

A. Measures: See a complete list under Guidelines for the Use of Symbols and
Units Part C.

B. Numbers: Are to be written out when starting a sentence.

Are to be shown as a numeral within the text.

C. Time and Date: Time to be shown in 24-hour time. Examples:

2245 hours but not: 10:45 p.m.

1331:52 hours but not: 1:31:52 p.m.
0916 hours but not: 9:16 a.m.
.
Date is to be shown as day, month, year. Example:

18 Dec. 2002 but not: 12/18/02 or Dec 18, 2002

D. Temperature: To be shown in Fahrenheit with Celsius shown after in

brackets. Example: +32 °F (0 °C).
The Metric may be shown first with the Imperial equivalent shown
after in brackets where this is the common industry practice such as
in the Cable and Wire industry.
Example: +90 °C (+194 °F)

Both the plus (+) sign and the minus (−) sign shall be used to
describe the temperatures. A space shall be placed between the
number and the degree (°) sign.

Trademarks and Copyrights

Trademarks must be denoted with a ® symbol and copyrights with a symbol © after the
name with no space in between.

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Government Standards

Government standards, such as those of the FRA are not to be referenced, unless they
represent the only technical practice in industry, such as FCC part J. on electrical
interference.

Hyphenation

Hyphens are usually used between the parts of a compound word (e.g. relay-based), or
the syllables of a divided word at the end of a line. They may also be used when listing
bullet points.

Quotation Marks, Commas and Periods

Although it defies grammatical logic, commas and periods must be placed inside
quotation marks at the end of sentences e.g. To get to the next line press the button
marked “Enter.” The only exception to this rule occurs if the last word is a single character
e.g. Reference is made to paragraph “C”. or Refer to list “1”, but not to “10”.

Parentheses and Dashes

Periods go inside parentheses only if the entire sentence is inside the parentheses.

Examples: Please read the analysis (I enclosed it as Attachment A.).

or
Please read the analysis. (I enclosed it as Attachment A.)
or
Please read the analysis (Attachment A).

Dashes may be used instead of parentheses when emphasis needs to be added. Like
exclamation points, dashes should not be overused.

Drawings and Figures

Drawings and figures are to be of electronic format using a CAD software package (unless
drawings and figures can be drawn within the MS Word format) and will be placed within
the MS text in a compatible picture file format (ex. pdf, jpeg, etc.). Format of the drawings
is to follow the C&S standard as directed by AREMA headquarters. Copies of the original
drawings or figures must be appended to the submittal in both their native CAD format
and either dxf or dwg formats. Supporting 3D models or assemblies must be supplied in
their native CAD format if they were required to generate the drawings or figures.

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Manual Part Types

There are various types of manual parts depending on the nature of the subject material.
For consistency, the manual part titles should begin with one of the following:

Guidelines for ….
Applications for ….
Instructions for….

Language

The Manual Parts are to be written in American English, following all the grammar rules
that apply thereto.

Revisions to Manual Parts

Revisions to Manual Parts should be made by using the Review>Track Changes feature
of Word whereby all changes are memorialized.

Guidelines for the Use of Symbols and Units

Because of the increasing need for symbols and units to be able to be recognized
internationally, it is suggested that the following SI guidelines be used. The International
System of Units (SI) listed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
has compiled an extensive guide with the goal of achieving uniformity in technical
manuscripts. While the emphasis of the SI is to use metric units it does not preclude the
use of units commonly used in the United States such as U.S. standard fastener sizes,
commercial pipe sizes, and other common terms. For instance, it is permissible to refer
to a “36-inch pipeline” or a “half-inch drill”.

A. General – For a comprehensive treatise of the use of SI units refer to NIST Special
Publication 811 – 2008 Edition: Guide for the Use of the International System of Units
(SI) published by the Department of Commerce.

B. Highlights – The following are but a few general guidelines for reviewing manuscripts:

1. The combination of letters “ppm,” “ppb’” and “ppt,” and the terms part per million,
part per billion, and part per trillion are not used to express the values of quantities.
The following forms are used instead: 2.0 uL/L or 2.0 × 10−6 V, 4.3 nm/m or 4.3 ×
10−9 l, 7 ps/s × 10−12 t, where V, l, and t are, respectively, the quantity symbols for
volume, length, and time.

2. Unit symbols are not modified by the addition of subscripts or other information.
For example:

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 Vmax = 1000 V but not: V = 1000 Vmax

3. Information is not mixed with unit symbols (or names). For example, the form “the
water content is 20 mL/kg” is used and not “20 mL H2O/kg.”

4. It is clear to which unit symbol a numerical value belongs and which mathematical
operation applies to the value of a quantity. Examples:

35 cm × 48 cm but not: 35 × 48 cm
20 °C to 30 °C or (20 to 30) °C but not: 20 °C – 30 °C or 20 to 30 °C
123 g ± 2 g or (123 ±2) g but not: 123 ± 2 g
70 % ± 5 % or (70 ± 5) % but not: 70 ± 5 %

5. Values of quantities are expressed using Arabic numerals and the symbols for the
units.

m = 5 kg but not: m = five kilograms or five kg

Although the use of only symbols is preferred, units can be expressed as complete
terms such as amperes for “A” or pounds for “lb”.

6. There is a space between the numerical value and unit symbol, even when the
value is used as an adjective except in the case of superscript units for plane angle.

a 25 kg sphere but not: a 25-kg sphere

an angle of 2°3’4” but not: an angle of 2 °3 ‘4 “
temperature of +43 °F (+6 °C) but not temperature +43°F(+6°C)

7. Commas are used to separate digits to the left side of the decimal point in groups
of three. Note: Because commas are used in other countries to denote the decimal
marker, recent standard trends suggest that the digits of numerical values having
more than four digits on either side of the decimal marker are separated into groups
of three using a thin, fixed space counting from both the left and the right of the
decimal marker. For example, 15 739.012 53 is highly preferred to 15739.1253. .

8. Unit symbols are in roman type, and quantity symbols are in italic type with
superscripts and subscripts in roman or italic type as appropriate.

9. When spelled out in full, unit names are treated like ordinary English nouns. Thus
the names of all units start with a lower-case letter, except at the beginning of a
sentence or in a capitalized material such as a title. In keeping with this rule, the
correct spelling of the unit °C is “degree Celsius” (the unit “degree” begins with a
lowercase “d” and the modifier “Celsius” begins with an uppercase “C” because it
is the name of a person).

10. When the name of a unit containing a prefix is spelled out, no space or hyphen is
used between prefix and unit name. Example:

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 milligram but not: milli-gram kilopascal but not: kilo-pascal

the exception to this rule occurs when a derived unit is formed from other units by
multiplication. Example:

pascal second (preferred) or pascal-second are both acceptable.

11. When the name of a derived unit formed from other units by division is spelled out,
the word “per” is used and not a solidus. Example:

ampere per meter (A/m) but not: ampere/meter

12. Symbols for quantities are italic and for units are roman. Examples:

t=3s t time, s second T = 22 K T temperature, K kelvin

r = 11 cm r radius, cm centimeter λ = 633 nm λ wavelength, nm nanometer

13. Unit symbols are printed in lower-case letters except that.

a. The symbol or the first letter of the symbol is an upper-case letter when the
name of the unit is derived from the name of a person; and
b. The recommended symbol for the liter in the United States is L (to avoid
confusion with the number “1”). Examples:

m (meter) s (second) V (volt) A (ampere)

Pa (pascal) lm (lumen) Wb (weber) T (tesla)

14. Units are never capitalized except for “American wire gauge” or “British thermal
units” or other similar units.

15. Unit symbols are unaltered in the plural. Examples:

l = 75 cm but not: l = 75 cms

t = 32 min but not: t = 32 mins

16. Unit symbols are not followed by a period unless at the end of a sentence.
Examples:

“Its length is 75 cm.” or “It is 75 cm long.” but not: “It is 75 cm. long.”

17. It is not permissible to use abbreviations for units’ symbols or names. Examples:

Sec (for either s or second).

sq. mm (for either mm2 or square millimeter).
cc (for either cm3 or cubic centimeter).
mins (for either min or minutes).
hrs (for either h or hours).
lit (for either L or liter).

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 amps (for either A or amperes).
AMU (for either u or unified atomic mass unit).
mps (for either m/s or meter per second).

18. The unit symbol for kelvin is K, not °K.

19. The number “0” is always used to the left of the decimal point when this place has
no value: Example:

The distance is 0.26 in but not: The distance is .26 in

20. Equations and scientific notation should utilize the appropriate Unicode symbols
for the minus, and multiplication signs (− ×) in lieu of the common keyboard hyphen
and letter x characters (- x). As information, the standard keyboard plus sign is
Unicode Character (002B)

Unicode Character (2212) for minus: 4−2 but not: 4 – 2

…10−3 but not: …10-3
Unicode Character (00D7) for multiply: 4 × 2 but not: 4 x 2

21. Scientific notation should be used whenever possible. Examples:

1.23 × 1011 = 123,000,000,000 5 × 10−5 = 0.00005

C. Symbols and units – Following is a list of the most commonly used units, and their
symbols:

________________Abbreviations and Letter Symbols for Units_________________

________ Unit or Term_________________Abbreviation or Symbol_____________

acceleration of gravity g
alternating current ac
American wire gauge AWG
ampere A
ampere-hour Ah
ampere per meter A/m
ampere turn At
amplitude modulation AM
antilogarithm antilog
application development tool ADT
audio frequency AF

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________________Abbreviations and Letter Symbols for Units_________________
________ Unit or Term_________________Abbreviation or Symbol_____________

automatic equipment identification AEI

automatic frequency control AFC
automatic gain control AGC
automatic speed control ASC
automatic train control ATC
automatic volume control AVC
average avg
average rated life ARL
axial alignment AA
baud Bd
beat-frequency oscillator BFO
binary coded decimal BCD
bit b
British thermal unit Btu
calorie cal
candela cd
candela per square foot cd/ft2
candela per square meter cd/m2
capacitance C
cathode-ray oscilloscope CRO
cathode-ray tube CRT
centimeter cm
centimeter-gram-second CGS
checksum or cyclic redundancy check CRC
circular mil cmil
color light signal CLT
color position light signal CPLT
Commission Internationale de
l’Eclairage CIE
common mode CM
computer aided application CAA
configuration management CM
configuration item CI
constant warning time CWT
continuous wave CW
coulomb C
counter-electromotive force CEMF
crossing gate arm CGA
cubic centimeter cm3
cubic foot ft3
cubic foot per minute (cfm) ft3/min

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________________Abbreviations and Letter Symbols for Units_________________
_ ______Unit or Term_________________Abbreviation or Symbol____________

cubic inch in3

cubic meter m3
cubic meter per second m3/s
cyclic redundancy check CRC
decibel dB
degree Celsius °C
degree Fahrenheit °F
degree (plane angle) …°
degree Rankin °R
degree (temp. interval or difference) deg
device under test DUT
diameter diam
differential mode DM
direct current dc
electromagnetic compatibility EMC
electromagnetic interference EMI
electromagnetic unit EMU
electromotive force EMF
electronic data processing EDP
electronvolt eV
electrostatic unit ESU
engineering change EC
engineering change process ECP
etcetera etc.
exempli gratia (for example) e.g.
extra-high voltage EHV
extremely high frequency EHF
extremely low frequency ELF
failure fault trees FFT
failure modes and defects analysis FMEA
failure modes, effects and
criticality analysis FMECA
failure tree analysis FTA
farad F
fault tree analysis FTA
field-effect transistor FET
foot ft
foot per minute ft/min
foot per second ft/s
foot pound-force ft · lbf
frequency modulation FM
functional fault trees FFT
gallon gal
gallons per minute gal/min
gauge ga

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________________Abbreviations and Letter Symbols for Units_________________
_______Unit or Term_________________Abbreviation or Symbol_____________

gauss G
geographic information system GIS
gigaelectronvolt GeV
gigahertz GHz
gram g
gravity go or gn or g
henry H
hertz Hz
high voltage HV
hour h
id est (that is) i.e.
Impedance Z
inch in
inch per second in/s
indicator IND
individual line replaceable unit
mean time to replace IMTTR
inductance L
inductance-capacitance LC
inertia kg · m2 or lb · ft2
infrared IR
inside diameter ID
integrated circuit IC
intermediate frequency IF
International Electrotechnical
Commission IEC
international system of units SI
input/output I/O
joule J
joule per degree J/deg
kelvin K
kilocircular mil kcmil
kiloelectronvolt keV
kilogauss kG
kilogram kg
kilogram per square centimeter kg/cm2
kilogram per square meter kg/m2
kilohertz kHz
kilohm kΩ
kilojoule kJ
kilometer km
kilometer per hour km/h
kilonewton kN
kilopound per square inch ksi
kilovar kvar

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________________Abbreviations and Letter Symbols for Units_________________
_______Unit or Term_________________Abbreviation or Symbol_____________

kilovolt kV
kilovoltampere kVA
kilowatt kW
kilowatthour kWh
lambert L
light center length – measured to
top of filament LCL
light-emitting diode LED
lineal foot per minute (lfm) ft/min
line replaceable unit LRU
liter L
liter per second L/s
logarithm log
logarithm, natural ln
low frequency LF
lumen lm
lumen per square foot lm/ft2
lumen per square meter lm/m2
lumen per watt lm/W
lumen second lm · s
lux lx
magnetohydrodynamics MHD
magnetomotive force MMF
major filament MF
mean time between failures MTBF
mean time to restore MTTR
medium frequency MF
megaelectronvolt MeV
megahertz MHz
meganewton MN
megavolt MV
megawatt MW
megohm MΩ
metal-oxide semiconductor MOS
metal-oxide varistor MOV
meter m
meter per second m/s
meter-kilogram-second MKS
microampere µA
microcoulomb µC
microfarad µF
microgram µg
microhenry µH
microinch µin
micrometer µm

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________________Abbreviations and Letter Symbols for Units_________________
______Unit or Term_________________Abbreviation or Symbol_____________

micromho µΩ−1
micromillimeter µmm
microohm µΩ
microsecond µs
microwatt µW
mile per hour mi/h
mile (statute) mi
milliampere mA
milligram mg
millihenry mH
milliinch (one thousandth of an inch) mil
milliliter mL
millimeter mm
milliohm mΩ
millisecond ms
millitesla mT
millivolt mV
milliwatt mW
minute (plane angle) …’
minute (time) min
nanofarad nF
nanometer nm
nanosecond ns
nanowatt Nw
National Institute of
Standards & Technology NIST
neper Np
newton N
newton meter N·m
newton per square meter N/m2
number No.
octave oct
octave per minute oct/min
ohm Ω
open circuit voltage OCV
operating & support hazard analysis O&SHA
original equipment manufacturer OEM
outside diameter OD
ounce (avoirdupois) oz
ounce per square foot oz/ft2
overall product mean time to restore OMTTR
pascal Pa
peak pk

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________________Abbreviations and Letter Symbols for Units_________________
_______Unit or Term_________________Abbreviation or Symbol_____________

peak-to-peak ppk
peak inverse voltage piv
permeability µ
per unit pu
phase modulation PM
pi π
picoampere pA
picocoulomb pC
picofarad pF
picoseconds ps
picowatt pW
position light signal PLT
positive train control PTC
pound lb
poundal pdl
pound-force lbf
pound-force foot lbf · ft
pound-force per square inch lbf/in2
pound per square inch lb/in2 or psi1
preliminary hazard analysis PHA
power factor PF
polyvinyl chloride PVC
preliminary hazard list PHL
printed circuit board PCB
probability of a failure being unsafe PFU
product safety requirements PSR
programmable read-only memory PROM
project safety engineer PSE
quasi-peak QP
radian rad
radio frequency RF
radio-frequency interference RFI
railroad light center visible day/night
indicator RLS
railroad signal visible night indication
only RS
reactance X
red, green, blue light RGB
reluctance H-1
resistance R
resistance-capacitance RC
resistance-inductance-capacitance RLC

__________________
1 Although the use of abbreviation psi is common, it is not recommended

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________________Abbreviations and Letter Symbols for Units_________________
_______Unit or Term_________________Abbreviation or Symbol_____________

revolution per minute r/min

revolution per second r/s
roentgen R
root-mean-square rms
saybolt universal second SUS
second (plane angle) …”
second (time) s
secondary filament SF
semaphore signal SEM
short wave SW
siemens S
signal-to-noise ratio SNR
silicon controlled rectifier SCR
spring switch on station track relay SSOSTR
square foot ft2
square inch in2
square meter m2
square millimeter mm2
square yard yd2
standing-wave ratio SWR
steradian sr
stoke St
subsystem hazard analysis SSHA
switch circuit controller SCC
switch lamp SL
system hazard analysis SHA
television interference TVI
tesla T
thousand circular mils kcmil
traffic control system TCS
transverse electric TE
transverse electromagnetic TEM
transverse magnetic TM
traveling-wave tube TWT
tuned resonant unit TRU
ultra-high frequency UHF
unique check number UCN
vacuum-tube voltmeter VTVM
var var
variable frequency oscillator VFO
verification & validation V&V
very high frequency VHF
vital microprocessor interlocking system VMIS
volt V
voltage controlled oscillator VCO

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________________Abbreviations and Letter Symbols for Units_________________
_______Unit or Term_________________Abbreviation or Symbol_____________

voltage standing-wave ratio VSWR

voltampere VA
volts per meter V/m
watt W
watthour Wh
watt per steradian W/sr
watt per steradian square meter W/(sr · m2)
wayside interface unit WIU
weber Wb
worse case analysis WCA
yard yd

Prefixes

yotta 1024 = (103)8 Y

zetta 1021 = (103)7 Z
exa 1018 = (103)6 E
peta 1015 = (103)5 P
tera 1012 = (103)4 T
giga 109 = (103)3 G
mega 106 = (103)2 M
kilo 103 = (103)1 k
hector 102 h
deka 101 da
deci 10−1 d
centi 10−2 c
milli 10−3 = (10−3)−1 m
micro 10−6 = (10−3)−2 µ
nano 10−9 = (10−3)−3 n
pico 10−12 = (10−3)−4 p
femto 10−15 = (10−3)−5 f
atto 10−18 = (10−3)−6 a
zepto 10−21 = (10−3)−7 z
yocto 10−24 = (10−3)−8 y

Common Chemical Elements

aluminum Al
argon Ar
cadmium Cd
calcium Ca
carbon C
chlorine Cl
copper Cu
gold Au

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helium He
hydrogen H
iron Fe
lead Pb
mercury Hg
neon Ne
nickel Ni
nitrogen N
oxygen O
selenium Se
silicon Si
silver Ag
sodium Na
sulphur S
tin Sn
tungsten W
xenon Xe
zinc Zn

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 AWG Wire Sizes and Equivalent Metric Sizes

Nearest Nearest Nearest

AWG mm2 Metric* MCM AWG mm2 Metric* MCM AWG mm2 Metric* CM
mm2 mm2 mm2
4/0 107 120 212 14 2.08 2.5 4.1 31 0.0404 -- 80
3/0 85.0 95 168 15 1.65 -- 32 0.0320 0.03 63
2/0 67.4 70 133 16 1.31 1.5 2.6 33 0.0254 -- 50
1/0 53.5 -- 106 17 1.04 -- 34 0.0201 0.02 40
1 42.4 50 84 18 0.823 1.0 1.6 35 0.0160 -- 31
2 33.6 35 67 19 0.653 -- 36 0.0127 0.015 25
3 26.7 -- 53 20 0.518 0.5 1.0 37 0.0100 0.010 20
4 21.2 25 42 21 0.41 0.38 0.8 38 0.00797 0.008 16
5 16.8 -- 22 0.326 0.34 0.6 39 0.00632 0.006 12
6 13.3 16 26 23 0.258 -- 0.5 40 0.00501 0.005 10
7 10.5 -- 24 0.205 0.25 0.4 41 0.00404 0.004 8
8 8.37 10 17 25 0.162 -- 0.3 42 0.00320 0.003 6
9 6.63 -- 26 0.129 0.14 0.25 43 0.00254 -- 5
10 5.26 6 10 27 0.102 -- 0.2 44 0.00201 0.002 4
11 4.17 -- 28 0.081 0.08 0.16 45 0.00160 -- 3
12 3.31 4 6.6 29 0.064 -- 0.13 46 0.00125 0.0015 2.5
13 2.62 -- 30 0.051 0.05 0.1

* Metric sizes as defined by IEC 60228

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 Appendix A

Manual Part Template

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 AREMA® C&S Manual
2020 Part 11.1.1

Full Title of Manual Part Goes Here

Revised 2020 (3 Pages)

A. Purpose

Section A. will always describe the Purpose of the Manual Part. It typically only
needs to be a sentence or two. All paragraphs will be block justified just like this
paragraph is.

B. General

Section B. will always be a section for general information about this Manual Part.
It also only needs to be a line or two. 1

C. Topic

1. Topics always start with number 1.

2. This is Section C.2.

a. This is the next level after Section C.2.

b. This is Section C.2.b.

(1) This is the next level after C.2.b.

(a) This is the fifth level if it needed in any Manual Part.

(i) If a sixth level is needed, this is what it would

look like.

3. More information under Topic.

D. Another Topic.

1. This is Section D.1.

2. This is Section D.2.

a. This level starts with a. again.

1 This is what a footnote would look like at the bottom of the page. They would be numbered sequentially.

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 AREMA® C&S Manual
2020 Part 11.1.1

Appendix B

Figure and Table Placement

-2-
 AREMA® C&S Manual
2020 Part 11.1.1
Title borders ½ point double line

Table 1111-1: Table Title Goes Here

All entries centered in cell
TITLE (Use upper
case Arial)
units (metric
equiv) (Use Inches (mm)
lower case Arial)

CHART OR TABLE GOES HERE WITH THE TITLE ABOVE THE

CHART. THE TABLES ARE NUMBERED SEQUENTIALLY.

data
data
data

FIGURE GOES HERE WITH THE TITLE BELOW THE FIGURE.

THE FIGURES ARE NUMBERED SEQUENTIALLY.

Figure 1111-1: Figure Title Goes Here

Notes:

1. These are the notes about the above Figure.

2. They are numbered sequentially right after the Figure

3. Tables and Figures should be placed as closely as possible to pertinent text.

4. Font for Tables and Figures should be Arial and preferably no smaller than 8.
Larger font can be used.

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