ASLRRA Honors Carriers in Pa., Indiana

Regional and short line railroads operating in Pennsylvania and Indiana were recently honored during the American Short Line and Regional Railroads Association convention.

Pennsylvania-based regional railroad Reading, Blue Mountain & Northern received a Business Development Award for “demonstrating innovative and successful business-building initiatives that will lead to significant increases in shipping volume and additional benefits for the customer and commodity.”

Also known as the Reading & Northern, the carrier was honored for developing a transload facility in Tunkhannock Township.

Construction began in August 2021 and the facility began full operation in early 2022. The facility has a capacity of 34 car spots and areas for trucking and transloading and offices.

Another Pennsylvania railroad, the Strasburg Rail Road, was recognized for opening this year a a new six-track freight yard in Paradise that can handle almost 500 cars a year, up from 10, and is poised to grow its freight business “dramatically” in the coming years.

Austin Milton of the Indiana Rail Road was recognized with a Safety Person and Safety Professional of the Year Award.

Milton is INRD’s director of safety and training. The citation issued by ASLRRA noted that he was en route to visit INRD’s car department when he spotted, from more than 200 feet away, an employee making a critical safety error.

He stopped to talk with the worker for more than 20 minutes with the individual about the matter.

INRD Creating Container Yard

A container yard is expected to open by May 1 at the Senate Avenue Intermodal Terminal in Indianapolis of the Indiana Rail Road.

The facility will cover 6 acres and is connected to an expanded terminal that was completed in December 2022, INRD said in a news release.

INRD said the container yard will handle more than 1,000 empty containers and equivalent chassis.

The railroad said in a statement that the facility will provide flexibility to shippers while creating capacity for steam ship lines to position their containers near the customer.

INRD Names New Safety, Training Director

Austin Milton has been promoted by the Indiana Rail Road to director of safety and training.

In a news release, INRD said Milton will coordinate safety operations, including the development, implementation and administration of safety programs, practices, procedures and training.

He also will continue performing workplace safety audits and promoting safety accountability for employees.

Milton joined INRD in 2011 as a train operator. In 2016, he was named manager of safety and training. Before joining INRD, Milton was a manager trainee and trainmaster at CSX.

INRD Vice President Retires

Indiana Rail Road announced recently the retirement of Vice President Engineering Peter Ray.

Ray joined INRD in 2006 as general manager of engineering. In 2009 he was promoted to vice president. His retirement became effective on Dec. 31.

During his time at INRD, Ray oversaw the completion of a $20 million track construction and capacity project to serve Bear Run Mine in Carlisle, Indiana, and the rebuilding of 43 bridges, INRD officials said in a press release.

He previously worked in track maintenance positions at the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific, the Santa Fe; the Chicago & North Western, and CSX.

INRD Names 2 to VP Positions

Indiana Rail Road has promoted two employees to vice president positions.

Shae LeDune has been named vice president of human resources and regulatory compliance, while Bryant McCuan has been appointed vice president of engineering.

A news released issued by INRD said both newly appointed executives have been serving their respective departments as assistant vice presidents.

LeDune has worked at INRD for 13 years and been in the HR department since 2017.

McCuan joined INRD in July 2022 and will succeed Peter Ray, who retired at the end of 2022 after nearly 17 years at INRD.

There Goes Santa Claus

The 2022 Santa Train of the Indiana Rail Road is shown above crossing Tulip Trestle in Greene County, Indiana, between Solsberry and Bloomfield on Saturday morning. Santa had earlier received children in Solsberry as part of a three-day, 12-stop journey over the INRD in Indiana and Illinois.

The locomotive engineer of SD40-2 No. 4002 played a short rendition of Jingle Bells on the locomotive’s horn as the train crossed the bridge, which was built between 1905 and 1906 by the Indianapolis Southern Railway, which soon became part of the Illinois Central Railroad.

Below the bridge was a crowd of railfans, and parents and children.

INRD Santa Train to Run This Weekend

The annual Santa Claus train of the Indiana Rail Road will run this weekend, making 12 stops in Indiana and Illinois.

Visitors will be permitted to board the train at 11 of the stops to visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus. At another stop Santa will instead disembark and receive visitors at a nearby community building.

In a news release, INRD said Santa and his helpers will be portrayed by volunteers of railroad workers and their families.

The event is free, and coats, hats, and gloves will be distributed to help children in need prepare for winter weather.

The INRD Santa train began in 1989 as a volunteer project. It was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and ran in modified form in 2021.

Last year visitors were not permitted aboard the train and Santa and Mrs. Claus greeted the crowd from the back of a caboose.

INRD Names Wright Vice President

The Indiana Rail Road has named Derrick Wright as vice president, operations and mechanical.

He has more than 20 years of railroading experience, including positions at CSX as a yardmaster, trainmaster, terminal manager, and terminal superintendent in Chicago.

More recently Wright has served as vice president transportation of the former Midwest Region at Genesee & Wyoming and as chief operating officer at Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District.

INRD Announces Management Changes

The Indiana Rail Road said this week it has made changes in its management team.

Dan Corcoran has been promoted to director of intermodal operations. He has been with INRD since 2018 and has served as manager of business development.

Bernie Guerrettaz, currently the short line railroad’s general manager of maintenance-of-way services, has been named director of bridges and real estate. He will oversee the conveyance of property or rights to access property to control risk and liabilities, as well as the building, maintenance and repair of bridges. Guerrettaz joined INRD in 2014.

Doug Guyer has been given additional duties as supervisor of maintenance-of-way services. He joined INRD as a bridge helper in 2009 and was promoted to foreman in 2011, followed by supervisor in 2016.

INRD Appoints New Vice President

Indiana Rail Road has named Bryant McCuan as assistant vice president of engineering.

In a news release, the carrier said he will oversee track infrastructure as well as the development and implementation of capital improvement plans. McCuan will work with vice president of engineering Peter Ray.

Before coming to INRD, McCuan worked for 22 years at Canadian National in a variety  of roles including track laborer, track foreman, bridgeman and carpenter. He later was promoted to management.