American Railroading Podcast

Welcome to the American Railroading Podcast! In this episode our host Don Walsh, is joined by guest Kari Gonzales, President and CEO of MxV Rail (formerly TTCI). Together they discuss the Research, Education, Technology and Training, including Firefighter and EMT safety and HAZMAT training, that MxV Rail brings to the railroad industry, as well as the immense amount of data MxV Rail has compiled over 30 years of research. They also discuss the company’s recent transition from TTCI to MxV Rail that Kari has spearheaded, what new technology is on the horizon and the training classes and tours that you can take at their facility in Pueblo, CO. Tune in to this episode now to gain valuable insights and broaden your understanding of American Railroading. You can find the episode on the American Railroading Podcast's official website at www.AmericanRailroading.net . So come aboard!

KEY POINTS: 

• Don shares his experience from a recent visit to MxV Rail’s facility in Pueblo, CO., including a tour of their labs, testing areas and first responder safety and HAZMAT training center (SERTC).
• MxV Rail is a subsidiary of the Association of American Railroads (AAR).
• The AAR is an industry trade group representing primarily all the major freight railroads of North America ( United States, Canada, and Mexico ). Amtrak and some regional commuter railroads are also members.
• Kari announces previously unreleased “breaking news” on the episode. 
• The efforts MxV Rail has made to improve safety and reliability in the railroad industry goes back to the 1980’s. 
• Over 76,000 First Responders have received training from MxV Rail (TTCI) since the inception of their SERTC program in 1986, which includes a FREE training program for those Firefighters and EMT’s who qualify for the NDPC grant.
• The AAR provides annual funding to MxV Rail to perform research, which for 2023 is estimated at $13.3M.
• Kari shares her experience as a board member of the League of Railway Women. 
• MxV Rail has over 1,000 Technology Digests based on 30 years of research data, now available to the public for the first time.
• Their Facility for Accelerated Service Testing (or FAST) Program achieved a significant milestone in 2021, in its freight rail research program accumulating 5 Billion gross tons of freight train loading.

LINKS MENTIONED: 

https://www.americanrailroading.net/ 

https://therevolutionrailgroup.com/

https://www.mxvrail.com/ 

Welcome to the American Railroading Podcast! In this episode, we'll be discussing some fascinating insights about railcar maintenance, inspection and technology. We also will highlight the important role that wheel bearing inspection and monitoring plays in overall railcar safety.

Did you know that railcar maintenance providers are considered a part of the railway supply industry, supporting approximately 240,000 direct jobs, and that for every 1 job in the railway supply industry, it creates another 1.9 jobs in other industries? 

With approximately 1.6 million railcars in the United States, most of which are in use, maintenance is critical to ensuring safety. 

Despite significant improvements in safety, voluntary actions and new technologies are still necessary to further improve safety.

Predictive tools like vibration monitoring and onboard monitoring using wireless sensors on railcars can provide continuous or periodic data for better maintenance scheduling and safer operation. 

And that's just a sneak peek of what we will be talking about on this episode! Join us on this exciting journey to learn more about the fascinating world of railcar maintenance, inspection and technology.

KEY POINTS:

• The podcast has skyrocketed to just within the top 10% of podcasts in the first week of episode one being released.
• This episode will touch on information about railcar maintenance, inspection and technology, as an introduction, if you will. Being such a vast subject, it will take multiple episodes, potentially years of episodes to get through the subject matter.
• Railcar maintenance providers are considered a part of the railway supply segment of the industry. The railway supply industry supports approximately 240,000 direct jobs and every job in the railway supply industry creates another 1.9 jobs in other industries.
• There are approximately 1.6 million railcars in the United States, most of which are in utilization, and all railcars will need maintenance at some point.
• Railcars are highly regulated for compliance. Tank cars, as an example, are required to be brought in to an AAR certified facility for regulatory compliance inspection for HM216b qualification, which is typically done every ten years for general purpose tank cars and every five years for a pressure tank car.
• Inspection of railcars requires an individual who is extremely knowledgeable of not only all applicable regulations, but also all railcar owner’s requirements as well.
• The Association of American Railroads has been using technology like positive train control (PTC), sensors, analysis, and adaptation of protocols to ensure overall safety.
• Although safety on railroads has made significant improvements, per the AAR President and CEO, voluntary actions and new technologies are needed to further improve safety.
• Predictive tools like vibration monitoring have been used in the industry for the last 30 years to get ahead of premature indications of failure.
• Onboard monitoring using wireless sensors on railcars can provide continuous or periodic data for improved maintenance scheduling and safer operation.
• Remote monitoring equipment (RME), or remote condition monitoring (RCM), has been around for decades and needs to go through an approval process by the Association of American Railroads (AAR)

Welcome to the American Railroading Podcast hosted by Don Walsh, founder, president, and CEO of The Revolution Rail Group, a railcar consulting and brokering company, which is the anchor sponsor for the podcast. Don shares his experience of how he got into the industry as a teenager and his journey to establishing a consulting and brokering company in the railroad industry. In this episode Don is joined by guest, Wendy Buckley, the founder, president, and CEO of Stars Hazmat Consulting. She has an extensive background in hazmat and has worked with and for various organizations and departments, is a Sirius XM show guest-host and an author.

Don’t miss out as they discuss the importance of safety when working with hazardous materials in the railroad industry and share experiences helping companies transport, store, handle and remediate hazardous materials safely. 

They also delve into the remediation process implemented in the East Palestine, Ohio derailment from February 3, 2023, as well as common mistakes people make when working with hazardous materials. They emphasize the importance of communication with employees and leadership's role in operating safely. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in the railroad industry and the critical role that safety plays in the handling and transportation of hazardous materials by rail.

KEY POINTS:

• Don Walsh is the founder, president, and CEO of the The Revolution Rail Group, which is the anchor sponsor for the American Railroading Podcast. 
• Don got into the industry as a teenager by knocking on doors in his neighborhood and doing summer jobs for a man who owned a rail car repair company.
• Wendy Buckley is the founder, president, and CEO of Stars Hazmat Consulting, who is the first guest on the American Railroading Podcast.
• Wendy Buckley has an extensive background in hazmat and has worked for and with various organizations and departments, including the Federal Railroad Administration, the New Jersey Department of Transportation, multiple county fire departments, and has performed Hazmat training for educators and the U.S. military.
• She is an instructor, trainer, and an adjunct professor teaching hazmat transportation. She appears monthly on a show on Sirius XM Radio, publishes a weekly newsletter called Hazmat Chronicle, and has written a book on hazmat transportation.
• Wendy Buckley has won numerous honors and awards, including being listed as one of the 10 most successful businesswomen to watch in 2022 and one of the 20 most inspiring women leaders of 2022.
• Wendy Buckley helps companies transport, store, dispose of, and handle hazmat safely and efficiently, in compliance with regulations and industry best practices.
• Discussion of the remediation process implemented in the East Palestine, Ohio derailment from February 3, 2023.
• The importance of safety when working with hazardous materials in the railroad industry. 
• The most common mistake people make is becoming complacent and forgetting that hazardous materials can cause damage to the body, short-term and long-term injury, and even death.
• Most personal injuries occur at the beginning or end of a career due to ignorance or complacency. 
• Communication with employees is crucial, and leadership must understand the importance of operating safely. 
• There tends to be a misunderstanding about what the shipper's responsibility is and what the railroad's responsibility is. 
• Pre-trip inspections are essential.
• It is necessary to check all loading and unloading equipment and fittings before loading or unloading a railcar, to ensure everything is functioning properly, and report any non-conformance and/or leaks.

LINKS MENTIONED:

https://therevolutionrailgroup.com/

https://starshazmat.com/

https://aar.org/ 

Disclaimer: https://www.americanrailroading.net/p/disclaimer/