Union Pacific's Dick Davidson: managing a 33,000-mile factory—with no roof - Railroader of the Year - Company Profile

Railway Age, Jan, 2003 by William C. Vantuono

UP, says Valentine, "is no longer attempting to be all things to all people." For example, "if a customer's freight is not earning acceptable returns, the customer will be asked to pay a higher rate or move off of the railroad." There's a profitability analysis for all business, "down to the carload. This is also new philosophy, as most U.S. railroad management has been reluctant to push any business off its high-fixed-cost network.

Valentine says he's become skeptical over the years about Class I growth plans, because, after being devised by senior management, they "are imposed on the marketing and operating teams who then struggle to execute the plan." But UP's growth plan, which is based on an absolute level of 3% to 5% top line growth, "is not overly aggressive" and "has a good chance to succeed," especially since the economy is expected to recover between now and 2005.

What makes it all work? "Service levels that have been consistently high for three years, which means that Union Pacific is gaining back customer trust."

You're in fine company, Mr. Davidson

Dick Davidson in the 40th recipient of Railway Age's Railroader of the
Year Award, which was started by Modern Railroads magazine in 1964 as
the "Man of the Year" award. Railway Age acquired Modern Railroads in
1992 and has presented the award annually since then. Davidson will be
presented with the award, one of the most prestigious in the industry,
on March 18 at Chicago's Union League Club.

1964:  D. W. Brosnan
       Southern Railway System
1965:  Stuart T. Saunders,
       Pennsylvania Railroad Co.
1966:  Stuart T. Saunders,
       Pennsylvania Railroad Co.
1967   Louis W. Menk,
       Northern Pacific Railway
1968:  William B. Johnson,
       Illinois Central Railroad
1969:  John W. Barrlger,
       Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad
1970:  John S. Reed
       Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe
       Railway
1971:  Jervis Langdon, Jr.,
       Penn Central Transportation
       Co.
1972:  Charles Luna.
       United Transportation Union
1973:  James B. Germany,
       Southern Pacific
       Transportation Co.
1974:  L. Stanley Crane,
       Southern Railway System
1975:  Frank E. Barnett,
       Union Pacific Railroad
1976:  Dr. William J. Harris, Jr.,
       Association of American
       Railroads
1977:  Edward G. Jordan,
       Conrail
1978:  Robert M. Brown
       Union Pacific Railroad
1979:  Theaodore C. Luts,
       Washington Metropolitan Area
       Transit Authority
1980:  John G. German,
       Missouri Pacific Railroad Co.
1981:  Lawrence Cena,
       Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe
       Railway
1982:  A Paul Funkhouser,
       Family Lines Rail System
1983:  L. Stanley Crane,
       Conrail
1984:  Hays T. Watkins,
       CSX Corp.
1985:  John L. Cann,
       Canadian National
1986:  Raymond C. Burton, Jr.,
       Trailer Train Co.
1987:  Willis B. Kyle,
       Kyle Railways
1988:  Darius W. Gaskins, Jr.,
       Burlington Northern
1989:  W. Graham Claytor, Jr.,
       Amtrak
1990:  Arnold B. McKinnon,
       Norfolk Southern
1991:  Mike Walsh,
       Union Pacific
1992:  William H. Dempsey,
       Association of American
       Railroads
1993:  Raymond C. Burton, Jr.,
       TTX Co.
1994:  L.S. "lake" Jacobson
       Copper Basin Railway
1995:  Edwin Moyers,
       Southern Pacific
       Transportation Co.
1996:  Robert D. Krebs,
       AT&SF, and
       Gerald Grinstein,
       Burlington Northern
1997:  Paul M. Tellier,
       Canadian National
1998:  David R. Goode,
       Norfolk Southern
1999:  Edward A. Burkhardt,
       Wisconsin Central
       Transportation Co.
2000:  The Railroad Worker
       ("Railroader of the Century")
2001:  Michael R. Haverty
       Kansas City Southern Railway
2002:  E. Hunter Harrison,
       Canadian National/Illinois
       Central
2003:  Richard K. Davidson,
       Union Pacific