American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association

ASLRRA President Chuck Baker
Commentary

Short Lines Are Dependable and Get the Job Done

ASLRRA PERSPECTIVE, RAILWAY AGE DECEMBER 2023 ISSUE: The story of “The Little Engine That Could” began as an American folktale popularized by various authors in the 1900s. An early published version of the tale appeared in 1906 under the title “Thinking One Can” in Wellspring for Young People, a national Sunday School Publication. A subsequent version was published in 1910 in the Kindergarten Review under the title “The Pony Engine.” In 1930, the story became widely known under the title “The Little Engine That Could” after a Chicago publishing house released it as an illustrated children’s book that was used in schools to teach children the value of optimism and hard work.

VW Mitigation Trust Funding Available to Short Lines in Calif.

The Volkswagen (VW) Environmental Mitigation Trust for California has approximately $55 million in funding available to support “statewide combustion freight and marine projects that replace or repower equipment to the cleanest commercially available internal combustion, hybrid or zero emission technologies,” the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) reported in its Nov. 30 Views & News newsletter.

ASLRRA’s Fred Oelsner, Cameron Downs and Richard Sherman recently joined Wi-Tronix’s Chad Jasmin for a field tour of Amtrak’s Ivy City Maintenance Facility in Washington, D.C. (ASLRRA Photograph)
  • News

Supply Side: ENSCO, RailPros, Wi-Tronix

The U.S. Department of Labor recognizes railway track inspection and measurement technology provider ENSCO for excellence in recruiting, employing and retaining America’s veterans. Also, engineering and diversified safety services company RailPros opens a Chicago office; and American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) staffers visit Amtrak’s Ivy City Maintenance Facility in Washington, D.C., to learn about Wi-Tronix’s onboard locomotive system implementation.

EPA Eyes Air Emissions Reporting Requirement Revisions (UPDATED 11/27)

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing changes to its Air Emissions Reporting Requirements, which would involve state, local and certain tribal air agencies providing emissions data using different approaches and owners/operators of some facilities reporting additional emissions data. Update: The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) has submitted comments in response to the proposal.

Paducah & Louisville Railway, Inc. was one of five ASLRRA Southern Region members to earn a President’s Award in 2023. ASLRRA President Chuck Baker (right) and ASLRRA Southern Region Vice President Ben Tarbutton III (left) presented the award at this month’s Eastern & Southern Region Meeting. (ASLRRA Photograph)

ASLRRA Members Honored for Safety Performance

The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) presented President’s Safety Awards to members at its Central and Pacific Region Meeting, held Sept. 26-28 in Long Beach, Calif., and at its Eastern and Southern Region Meeting, held Nov. 7-9 in Lexington, Ky.

Overhead photograph of the accident location in Houston, Tex., outside the Greens Port Industrial Park. Watco-subsidiary WDRL provides switching service for the facility. (Courtesy of NTSB; Source: Google Earth)

NTSB Releases Report on 2021 Houston Shoving-Movement Accident

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued a report and three safety recommendations on shoving movements following its investigation of the Oct. 29, 2021, accident involving a Watco Dock and Rail LLC (WDRL) conductor killed when a train collided with a combination vehicle at a grade crossing in Houston, Tex.

ASLRRA Legal and Office Administrator Kathi Birch
  • News

Birch Joins ASLRRA as New Legal and Office Administrator

The American Short Line and Railroad Association (ASLRRA) recently announced that Kathi Birch has joined as the new Legal and Office Administrator. She will be responsible for a range of administrative and paralegal duties, and will report to Senior Vice President, Law and General Counsel Sarah Yurasko.