Railway Track & Structures - April 2008 - (Page 15)

AREMA NEWS Getting to know Paul Skelton the subcommittee. AREMA: Outside of your job and the hard work you put into AREMA, what are your hobbies? Skelton: I still play ice hockey regularly, and I recently started running on a regular basis. In fact, I ran the NYC Marathon this past November. Besides that, my main goal is to get home and spend as much time with my family as possible. I travel a lot, and it really takes a toll on my free time. AREMA: Tell us about your family. Skelton: I met my wife, Minerva, at Hardesty & Hanover. She was the CADD Director, and she was especially good at producing machinery drawings. Back then, engineers didn’t do their own drawings, so, I spent a lot of time with her. We now have two children, Nicholas 9, and Bianca 7. Of course, they are our pride and joy. AREMA: What is your biggest achievement? Skelton: Professionally, with my partners to sustain a medium-sized business that has a small company feel and produces quality engineering in the current world where large firms seem to be popping up out of the blue. It’s a challenge at times, but it is extremely rewarding. Also, I am currently in charge of bringing my firm's railroad bridge engineering capabilities to the international scene. In the past few years, we have done work on new railroad bridges being constructed in Australia, France, Turkey, and, yes, the AREMA Manual is the controlling guide. AREMA: What advice would you give to someone who is trying to pursue a career in the railway industry? Skelton: My advice is that you should make a strong effort to gain an appreciation of every facet of how a railroad operates, even the areas that have nothing to do with your specific role. This “big picture” view will allow you to understand how the business operates and how your efforts fit in. It also will allow you to assess your skill sets and give you the opportunity to find a position that is most rewarding to you, and your company. Paul Skelton Chair Committee 15- Steel Structures Partner-Hardesty & Hanover, LLP ach month AREMA will feature one of our committee chairmen. We are pleased to announce that the April featured chairman is Paul Skelton, chair of Committee 15 - Steel Structures. AREMA: Why did you decide to choose a career in railway engineering? Skelton: My major at university was Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Structural Engineering. When looking for my first job after graduation, I applied to structural engineering firms and I was hired by Hardesty & Hanover, a bridge engineering firm with a specialty in movable bridges. My first assignment was on an old bridge for Amtrak, the Spuyten Duyvil Swing Bridge. I spent that first year with my nose buried in the drawings and preparing rehabilitation design. Fortunately, my firm was quite busy with various railroads at the time and I ended up spending the first few years of my career working almost exclusively with the engineering departments of the major railroads. AREMA: How did you get involved in AREMA and your committee? Skelton: Since my first days as an engineer, I was working with the AREMA Manual. My mentor, Richard W. Christie, was the chairman of the Committee 15 movable bridges subcommittee. He asked me to “volunteer” to join that committee. When Christie retired, I took over as the chairman of www.rtands.com E 2008 Upcoming Committee Meetings April 15-16 April 27-28 May 1-2 May 13-16 May 14-16 May 19-20 Committee 2 - Track Measuring Devices Committee 34 - Scales Committee 8 - Concrete Structures and Foundations Committee 5 - Track Committee 18 - Light Density & Short Line Railways Committee 38 - Information, Defect Detection & Energy Systems May 20-21 Committee 15 - Steel Structures June 11 Committee Chairs' Meeting June 20-22 Committee 24 - Education & Training September 20-21 Committee 24 - Education & Training September 21 Committee 5 - Track September 21 Committee 14 - Yards and Terminals September 21 Committee 16 - Economics of Railway Engineering & Operations September 21 Committee 17 - High Speed Rail Systems September 21 Committee 18 - Light Density & Short Line Railways October 7-8 Committee 15 - Steel Structures October 16-17 Committee 8 - Concrete Structures & Foundations Jacksonville, FL Calgary, AB Albuquerque, NM St. Louis, MO Vineland, NJ Grapevine, TX West Lafayette, IN Minneapolis, MN Calgary, AB Salt Lake City, UT Salt Lake City, UT Salt Lake City, UT Salt Lake City, UT Salt Lake City, UT Salt Lake City, UT Chicago, IL Des Moines, IA Railway Track & Structures April 2008 15 http://www.arema.org http://www.rtands.com

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Railway Track & Structures - April 2008 Contents On Track Industry Today Supplier News AREMA News NRC News TTCI R&D Railroads Seeking More Advanced Systems to Handle Materials SKOL Bounces Back From Summer Flood Landmark Railroad Bridges Need Inspection, Too Products and Literature People Calendar Sales Representatives Advertisers Index Website Directory Professional Directory Classified Advertising Chicago Perspective

Railway Track & Structures - April 2008

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