CMA sets technical programs for Railway Interchange 2015

The Coordinated Mechanical Associations (CMA), which includes the Air Brake Association (ABA), International Association of Railroad Operating Officers (IAROO), League of Railway Industry Women (LRIW), Locomotive Maintenance Officers Association (LMOA), and the Mechanical Association Railcar Technical Services (MARTS) have solidified the agendas for their 2015 Technical & Educational Conferences, to be held Oct. 4-6, 2015 in Minneapolis, Minn., in conjunction with Railway Interchange 2015.

The CMA Programs will be held during exhibition hours at the Minneapolis Convention Center.

All CMA sessions will begin following the opening general session held the morning of October 5th with keynote speaker retired U.S. Navy SEAL Robert O’Neill. The ABA and IAROO will hold combined technical sessions Monday, Oct. 5 from 10 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. BNSF and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) will update attendees on the railroad’s 90 CFM test waiver followed by a presentation by FRA giving an update on Positive Train Control.

ABA sessions taking place the afternoon of Oct. 5 and Tuesday, Oct. 6 will feature presentations from Union Pacific, Wabtec, Canadian Pacific, New York Air Brake, Amtrak, Transport Canada, Norfolk Southern, and Railroad Friction Products Corporation.

The IAROO technical sessions taking place during the afternoon of Oct. and Tuesday, Oct. 6 will see a variety of topics covered including Phase 2 Distributed Power on Union Pacific, a discussion on the Short Line Safety Institute, Locomotive Cab Standards, Effective Operations Testing, an update on Liquefied Natural Gas, Identifying and Preventing Human Attention-Related Errors in Railway Operations, and the 40K Tractive Effort.

The LMOA technical sessions, which will be held in Room 208A on the second level of the Minneapolis Convention Center, will feature reports and papers from the Diesel Mechanical Maintenance Committee, the Shop Safety, Processes & Equipment Committee, the New Technologies Committee, the Fuel, Lubricants and Environmental Committee, and the Diesel Material Control Committee. Additionally, LMOA President Bob Harvilla will give a State of the Association Address.

MARTS will tackle an assortment of subjects during its technical sessions Oct. 5-6. Topics include a panel discussion on rolling stock asset health, a Tank Car Safety Forum, which will focus on the Department of Transportation’s rulemaking on flammable liquids and responses from the Association of American Railroads (AAR) and Railway Supply Institute, an update on wheel/rail profile and air brake research, a Protective Coatings forum that will look at increasing productivity in rail coatings and lining facilities, Advanced Freight Car Search and updates from the AAR on the QA-5000 Program and its Mechanical Inspection Department.

Speakers at the LRIW conference program, which begins on October 5, include Operation Lifesaver, Inc., President and Chief Executive Officer Joyce Rose, Canadian Association of Railway Suppliers Executive Director Sylvia Newell and American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association President Linda Darr. In addition, LRIW will present its “Outstanding Woman of the Year” award during the opening general session.

Access to the Railway Interchange 2015 Exhibition is complimentary with CMA registration. Full CMA technical session details are available by clicking HERE.