Better than ever

Railway Track and Structures, May, 2004 by Rick Ebersold

As May is the month that the NRC publishes its Annual Directory (see NRC insert), this seemed like a good time to step back and take stock of how the NRC is doing. Overall, the NRC is as strong as it has ever been, and we are continuing to grow and improve. I'd like to focus on two specific events that are helping to define the bright future of the NRC.

First of all, the NRC Annual Conference and Exhibition that takes place every January is getting a new look for 2005. This world-class conference has been the hallmark of the NRC for 25 years and we will not mess with success, but we are adding some new aspects. More than ever, the upcoming conference at the Sheraton Bal Harbour January 5-9, 2005, will be a meeting spot for the entire railroad industry.

We are inviting key members from REMSA, AREMA, AAR, APTA and many other groups to create an event where a broad industry-wide coalition can be formed. In addition, key representatives and speakers from the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives, the FRA and the DOT, among many others, will be in attendance.

Also, for the first time ever, in 2005 the conference will be a joint event held with REMSA. NRC will do what it has always done and put on an excellent conference, while REMSA will step in with its considerable expertise and run a much-improved Exhibition program. We fully expect the Exhibition program to be bigger and better than ever before and to have an increased focus at the conference.

The second new service I would like to write about, which will help define the future of the NRC, is the NRC-sponsored railroad equipment auction. On March 31, 2004, in Pittsburgh, Pa., the NRC held its first auction and it was a tremendous success. More than $600,000 of high-quality used contracting equipment changed hands before lunch. The auction was run by noted railroad auction company Blackmon Auctions and was held at an old rail yard just outside of Pittsburgh.

Attendance at the auction was solid as we had buyers snapping up the bargains who came all the way from Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Maryland and Virginia. NRC members, including Balfour Beatty Rail, Atlas Railroad Construction, Delta Railroad Construction, Amtrac Railroad Contractors, G.W. Peoples Contracting and Herzog Contracting, sold their surplus equipment to the willing group of buyers.

As both buyers and sellers got fair prices, the NRC found a valuable new service to offer its members, and many good friends were brought together. This event was a win-win-win for everybody involved. In fact, the auction was so successful that the NRC is now in discussions to make this an annual or even semi-annual event, with locations varying throughout the country. If you are interested in buying or selling equipment at future auctions, please contact the NRC office with any suggestions you might have for time and location.

If you are already an NRC member, stay tuned for more information coming your way on both the 2005 NRC Conference/REMSA Exhibition and on upcoming NRC-sponsored railroad equipment auctions. If you're not already a member, now is the time. Call our office at 202-715-2920 and sign up.

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Rick Ebersold

Chairman

The National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association, Inc.

122 C Street, N. W. Suite 850 Washington D. C. 20001

Tel: 800-883-1557

Fax: 202-318-0867

www.nrcma.org