Wow, has it been a busy month. Since the middle of August, it seems all I have done is get on airplanes. Not all of it was for work, but most of it was. Things started out with the ASLRRA Joint Committee meetings in Sacramento that I described last time, continued on a quick vacation with the family to San Diego, and finished with a marathon trip to Canada and the ASLRRA Central/Pacific Regional meeting. While it was definitely an “Ice and Fire” trip weather-wise, I also got to experience what short line railroading is like in Canada, and surprisingly, it isn’t that different from what happens in the U.S.So my nine day, six flight, 6000-mile adventure started with a trip to the Great Sandhills Railway in Leader, Saskatchewan. Where is Leader you ask? Well, it is a three-hour ride from Saskatoon or a five-hour ride from Calgary. In other words, yes, it is in the middle of nowhere. My drive from Saskatoon included lots of farm fields, grain elevators, and even oil fields (not doing a lot of pumping), and by the time I arrived in 700 resident Leader, I had a new definition of rural.What was interesting about the visit was the railroad. While they considered themselves a “small” railroad (they had roughly ten times the traffic of a lot of railroads I deal with), they ran the operation the same as any other railroad that I have been to. While their rulebook was different, the ideology was the same as we use in the States, and it was kind of funny to hear their freight agent have the same complaints about customers that you would hear from me or any other customer service person at a railroad here. In the end the differences were of scale, not concept, and it was good to see the operation in September instead of January.My trip from Saskatchewan to Scottsdale, Arizona had me on three flights crossing the country north to south, and from 40 degrees F in Canada to 105 degrees F in Arizona. This year the ASLRRA regional meetings are debuting a new format, with a change from a talking head at the front of the room to a more interactive and engaging program for the attendees. From both my observations and discussions with other attendees, not only did the new program work, but one President of a railroad mentioned to me that he really should send his middle managers to one of the other meetings in Erie or Atlanta, because the program would definitely suit them.The next meeting on the slate is the Eastern Region meeting in Erie, Pa., October 18-20. There is still time to sign up for the meeting, and room in the hotel. If you can’t make Erie, then Atlanta will host the Southern Region meeting November 15-17. The education and interaction available at these meetings can’t be matched elsewhere, and the value for the money is exceptional.I’m going to be at both of the regional meetings. For now, however, I’m happy to be home, catching my breath after running (or flying) all over the continent.
---By Steve Friedland
Steve Friedland is a well-known leader in the short line industry who has devoted more than two decades to railroading. At the Morristown & Erie Railway, a 42-mile New Jersey short line, he worked in all areas of the railroad, including track, mechanical, signals, and operations. In 1999, he founded Short Line Data Systems, a provider of railroad EDI and dispatching software, AEI hardware, and management consulting to the short line industry. He currently serves as the ASLRRA representative to the AAR's Wireless Communications Committee and is chairman of the joint AAR-ASLRRA Short Line Information Improvement Committee. He also is a member of the ASLRRA's board of directors.
Steve Friedland is a well-known leader in the short line industry who has devoted more than two decades to railroading. At the Morristown & Erie Railway, a 42-mile New Jersey short line, he worked in all areas of the railroad, including track, mechanical, signals, and operations. In 1999, he founded Short Line Data Systems, a provider of railroad EDI and dispatching software, AEI hardware, and management consulting to the short line industry. He currently serves as the ASLRRA representative to the AAR's Wireless Communications Committee and is chairman of the joint AAR-ASLRRA Short Line Information Improvement Committee. He also is a member of the ASLRRA's board of directors.