Railway Track & Structures 12/07

AREMA NEWS President’s Column y all metrics, 2007 has been a good year for AREMA. Goals for membership retention and recruitment (for the third year in a row) were exceeded. Publication sales remained steady. Attendance at both the C&S Conference and the Annual Conference was excellent, as were their technical programs. Our technical committees are active and productive. Financially, AREMA will end the year “in the black” with a healthy contribution to our organization’s reserves. In summary, AREMA remains strong. However, AREMA will have to work hard to remain strong in 2008 and beyond. Opportunities (some would say challenges) await us. We need to continue to present strong technical programs at our Annual Conference (starting in 2008 there will not be a separate C&S Conference). Participation on the technical committees is a must so that AREMA can continue to advance both the technical and practical B program welcomes the next generation of railroaders at the conference. Students are provided the opportunity to learn about the rail industry and meet industry professionals. Recruiters from several companies are in attendance. The 2007 “Meet the Next Generation” was an excellent event. We plan to make the 2008 edition even better. I want to thank everyone who helped with AREMA’s success in 2007 and thank you in advance for your support of AREMA in 2008. Also, I wish each of you and your loved ones a happy holiday season and a healthy, safe and prosperous New Year. –Larry Etherton Upcoming Seminars Introduction to Practical Railway Engineering January 6-8, 2008 February 26-27 April 16-18 Palm Springs, CA Jacksonville, FL Springfield, IL (in conjunction with NRC 2008 Conference) AREMA remains strong knowledge and recommended practices pertaining to the design, construction and maintenance of railway infrastructure. We need to rekindle the fire with respect to our seminars. I can add to the list. However, there is no doubt in my mind that AREMA will embrace the opportunities and grow stronger. Much has been said about the upcoming wave of retirements and the associated knowledge drain as the so-called baby boomers retire and its effect on our industry. AREMA has already responded to this opportunity with two tools that will help AREMA gain new members during this period. One of the tools is the AREMA Educational Foundation. Investing in the future – in this case helping support the next generation of railroaders in their college years – is always good. NS and CSXT, as well as many individual and other contributors, have recognized the AREMA Educational Foundation as a valuable tool in attracting new talent (and future AREMA members) to the rail industry. There’s still time to make that 2007 tax deductible contribution to the Foundation. The other tool is the “Meet the Next Generation” program held during the Annual Conference. The Participants benefiting the most from this course are those with limited exposure to the railway industry, or railroaders with highly specialized positions. For example, a structural engineer well versed in highway bridge design, but with some exposure to railway bridge design, would gain valuable knowledge about track, signals, and railway operations typically unfamiliar to those outside the industry. This course provides 16 professional development hours. For information about this seminar and other AREMA meetings, please visit our Website at www.arema.org. Call for Papers for 2008 AREMA Annual Conference September 21-24 Salt Lake City, UT Deadline December 14, 2007 Available Online at www.arema.org Larry Etherton AREMA® President 2007-2008 10 Railway Track & Structures December 2007 www.rtands.com http://www.arema.org http://www.arema.org http://www.arema.org http://www.rtands.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Railway Track & Structures 12/07

Railway Track & Structures - December 2007 Contents On Track Industry Today Supplier News AREMA News NRC News TTCI R&D Hand-Held Tools Provide the Power to Get Big Jobs Done AREMA C&S Update Striving to Solve the Riddle of Wheel Climb RTA Stages Warm Gathering in Sunny Florida in October Products and Literature People Calendar Website Directory Advertisers Index Sales Representatives Professional Directory Classified Advertising Chicago Perspective

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