Railway Track & Structures - May 2008 - (Page 28)

State of the NRC through red tape to get skilled contractors to work building and maintaining our nation’s vital rail infrastructure. The second major victory is that several railroads and contractors, including Balfour Beatty Rail, BNSF, CN, Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern and Nordco, have generously donated dozens of pieces of rail equipment to the NRC Railroad Contracting Equipment Auctions over the past few years. The proceeds from that equipment are dedicated to the NRC Safety & Education Training program, which will allow us to continually strengthen our efforts to make the industry safer for everyone. I congratulate these railroads and contractors for recognizing the value of this opportunity and making a true investment in railroad contractor safety. Also, the NRC Safety Contest has developed into a major industry award. The contest is based on very strict parameters, and the awards are meaningful. Judges come from the insurance industry and the railroad engineering departments and they evaluate the safety programs of each participating company. Each year it gets tougher to pick the winners because of the increasingly-effective safety programs being developed by contractors. RWP, GCOR, right-of-way work rules, JHAs, safety work-plans, manuals, OSHA scores and training videos are just a few of the safety items that are generally included in the submittals. The contest has become very competitive, and the results have become a tool that can be used by contractors when submitting bids for projects. RT&S: Your 2007 Annual Conference in Miami was conducted in conjunction with REMSA, and was a huge hit. In 2008, you had another hit in Palm Springs. What’s next? Ramirez: We are all very pleased with how the last two conferences have turned out. Our speakers in Palm Springs included senior engineers and executives from Alameda Corridor East, BNSF, CN, CPR, CSXT, DM&E, FEC, FRA, LA Exposition Light Rail, LIUNA, NS, OmniTRAX, RailAmerica, UP and Watco. We seem to be setting new attendance records every year and feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. As far as the NRC conferences goes, it ain’t broke so we’re not going to do much in the way of fixing it. For January 2009, we’re going to the Sanibel Harbour Resort in Florida. We’ll be there from Wednssday, January 7 through the evening of Saturday, January 10. Baker: We’re already well into the planning stages of 2009, and I’m confident it will be a great event for everybody who can make it. The NRC will do what it has always done and put on a world-class conference. REMSA will step in and do what it does best by organizing a world-class exhibit program. We fully expect to trump our previous attendance records, and have a truly productive and enjoyable four days. We will have space for more than 60 exhibitors, and expect to sell out of that space and end up with a waiting list. Interested exhibitors should contact the NRC or REMSA as early as possible. RT&S: How about any other new services for your members? Ramirez: Absolutely. A big one is our new auction program. Just recently, on April 15 in Little Rock, Ark., the NRC sponsored our 5th annual Railroad Contracting Equipment Auction. More than $750,000 of goods changed hands before lunch. Dozens of consignors sold more than 200 pieces of rail contracting equipment to more than 75 registered bidders in an auction run by Blackmon Auctions. Blackmon also provided NRC an ideal location for the auction just east of Little Rock. There was everything up for bid from cranes to excavators, spike reclaimers, rotary scarifiers, tie removers/inserters, ballast regulators, brush cutters, Pettibone speed swings, double brooms, spike pullers, rotary dumps, car movers, skid steers, lowboy trailers, air compressors and even a Mark III Tamper. The auction is now firmly entrenched as an annual NRC event, with locations varying throughout the country. If you’re not already a member and want access to this exclusive auction, call our office at 202-715-2920 and sign up. The site for next year’s auction will most likely be the JER Overhaul facility in Arcola, Ill., which is located south of Champaign and east of Decatur. It’s not too early to start making plans to consign or donate equipment. Contact the NRC office or NRC Auction Committee member Danny Brown (FCM Rail, 810-397-3533, danny@fcmrail.com) for more information. RT&S: Do you have any closing thoughts to share? 28 Railway Track & Structures May 2008 www.rtands.com http://www.fcmrail.com http://www.fcmrail.com http://www.rtands.com

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Railway Track & Structures - May 2008

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