Last week’s ASLRRA 2016 Connections was a really good meeting. It had all of the ingredients that you would expect: a great hotel, big expo with lots of suppliers to talk to, a good turnout of railroaders, good general sessions, and a set of breakouts with topics to interest everyone. It is an amazing process to watch, especially since Holly and I were some of the first people to arrive and some of the last to leave. You start as just another person in the hotel, somewhat anonymous, and then almost at once you start to take over the place, with exhibits in the hall, signage in the ballroom foyers, and people, lots of people. And, if you have been doing this for as long as I have (this was our 15th year exhibiting, and the 18th Annual I have been to), you know most of the people there.I’ve written in the past about how this meeting could not run without its volunteers, and this year was no exception. The cast of characters is vast, from roadmasters, customer service managers, attorneys, accountants and railroad executives, and they are all there because they want to be. They enjoy helping, and want to help because it is their way to give back to their association. They all recognize what the ASLRRA means and gives to them, and this is their small way to say thank you.For the volunteers, this group of people is family. The relatives all gather once a year, exchange stories about what has been going on in their lives since they last saw each other, break bread together, and generally have a good time, like many “normal” families. Like your own family, there are the weird cousins, the cut ups, and “that” cousin that has an opinion on everything. The ironic thing is that I see a lot of these people more than I see my own aunts, uncles, and cousins, and I probably know more about what is going on in my railroad family’s lives than what is going on with my biologic ones.Back in 2012, I chaired the meeting, and we had a staff and volunteer dinner before the meeting started to thank everyone who had donated their time to the cause. There were probably 50-60 people at the dinner, and once everyone had their fill of food and drink, the thank you speeches started. ASLRRA president Rich Timmons went first, and talked about all of the time and effort that was needed to put the meeting on and how it could not be done without the volunteers. Judy Petry, volunteer chair followed, and she also emphasized the importance of the work of the volunteers, and thanked them for the time they committed to the meeting. After the “professional” speech makers finished, it was my turn. Like my predecessors, I thanked everyone for their time and effort. I then focused on this “strange, dysfunctional family,” one that came together every year from all corners of the country to put on this monster of an event, and one that got along far better than some real families. I’m not sure how exactly this group formed the way that it did, but I am glad to be a member of it.After the meeting hits its crescendo and things start to wind down, the “ownership” of the hotel passes from the ASLRRA to the next group to come in (this year it was the Phi Theta Kappa honor society, just a little bit different from short line railroaders), and we sink back into anonymity as the family spreads back out across the country. It is an awesome sight to watch the whole process happen, and a week after the most recent one I am ready to get back together with the whole family again in Dallas next year.
--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.