Side Tracks
Simply a nice man
June 5th, 2013The loss of Senator Frank Lautenberg earlier this week came as a shock, but not a surprise. We all knew that his health was failing, and while we all hoped that he would make it to the end of his term in 2014, things were not looking great.
Senator Lautenberg was a big supporter of Amtrak, and we could count on him to support the issues of the short lines, most of the time. If you take a look at the Rail Safety Act of 2008, amongst the language there is a section regarding waste and construction debris transfer facilities. While you might be wondering why there is language like that in the bill, it came from Senator Lautenberg, and at the time it was directed at the actions of a New Jersey short line (I’ll let you fill in the blank yourself).
As for the rest of us, we did get to meet with the senator on a couple of occasions over the years, and last year he was the recipient of the Benjamin J. Friedland Award from the NJ Short Line Railroad Association. The meetings were always cordial, and he was the only NJ Senator in the last 15 years who actually met with us, unlike his predecessors and colleagues Senators Torricelli, Corizine, and Menendez.
Most of the time we had the usual meeting in his office with him and the staffers, and we went around the table and gave him our spiel. That was until 2010, when we went to his office, and the staffer gave us the option of sitting around the table and discussing the issues, or going over to the Capitol and meeting with the senator. It didn’t take us long to decide on the latter, and soon we were on the congressional subway, and on our way to the Capitol building. We ended up in the Senate Cloakroom, which, if you see pictures of the Senate chamber on TV is the room off to the left of the podium right off the Senate floor. There was an intense debate going on the floor at that point, but a couple of minutes later we were joined by the Senator, and he spent a good fifteen minutes talking with us. Did we make any progress on our issues with him that day? No, but we really didn’t need to. He did then what he did throughout his political career: he made the little guy feel important, and while he may not have agreed with your causes all of the time, he did care about you.
—By Steve Friedland
Steve Friedland is a child of the railroad industry. Following summers and vacations working on the track gang for the family-owned Morristown & Erie Railway, a 42-mile New Jersey short line, he started full-time in 1994. He has worked in all areas of the railroad, including track, mechanical, signals, and operations, and currently is a member of the management team for the company as director of operations in Morristown, N.J. 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.
Leaning In?
May 30th, 2013Is it just me or have we heard an awful lot of talk about leaning these days? You have the new Lean Forward slogan from MSNBC. Not to mention more traditional right-leaning or left-leaning descriptions attached to columnists, newspapers, media outlets, etc.
And then there’s the Lean In advice from Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg. As you can probably guess, I’ve just finished Sheryl’s best-selling book (or in my case, best-selling download). It has been called the new manifesto for women in the workplace, according to Oprah. It is a quick, easy read full of anecdotes and advice largely geared to young women in the early stages of their careers. She is able to offer some interesting perspectives based on three pretty impressive jobs she’s held in her career: chief of staff for the U.S. Department of Treasury, vice president at Google and COO for Facebook. While I think women will enjoy reading her work the most, in my opinion, men who supervise women or who are married to working women might benefit the most.
She examines the roles of working women, offers tips on negotiating salaries as a woman, and shares what she thinks are some of the biggest mistakes working women make. The first mistake? “Not believing in themselves and… [instead] sitting at the side of the room.” In short, not leaning in.
Another is not making their spouses/partners real partners, particularly when it comes to child care. The third mistake working women should avoid is not to “leave before they leave.” She says, “women, as early as junior high, are worried about having careers and families. So, they enter the workforce almost looking for the exit–years before they have children.” As a result, they can miss out on prime job opportunities.
One of her most interesting chapters deals with her personal mantra: What would you do if you weren’t afraid? That single question helped her find the courage to do things she wouldn’t have done otherwise–from her controversial admission that she leaves work at 5:30 p.m. to writing Lean In.
Sheryl makes some good points and offers much food for thought. As a woman who’s been in the workplace 30 years, I’ve learned a few things along the way, too. While they aren’t interesting enough to write a book, my tips (which apply equally to men or women) include:
● Show up for work on time (if not early) every day
● Work hard every day, all day (not just when the boss is looking)
● If you find yourself with free time, help your colleagues or ask your manager for more tasks
● Shy away from the bitch and moan club
● Be authentic
● Be respectful with criticism and blame
● If you make a mistake, own up to it and apologize sincerely and profusely
● Be generous with credit and praise for team members in their successes.
And for those of us who are road warriors spending way too many nights away from home, I urge you to make time when you are on the road to see some of the local sights. A rule I try to stick with is that for every night away from home, I make one night just for me. It might mean going to a baseball game, visiting a famous museum, tasting some local cuisine, seeing a Broadway show, walking or biking around a waterfront (lakefront Chicago is one of my faves for biking) or just sitting in a park with a cup of coffee taking in the scenery. It’s amazing how a few hours doing some of those things will elevate your spirits and help you forget about those long hours on a trade show floor or long lines to get through security at airports.
And that’s a really good thing, particularly after an extended stretch of leaning in.
—By Kathy Keeney
Kathy Keeney is Publisher of the Rail Group. The granddaughter of a railroader, she has been writing about railroads for more than 25 years. She is a past president of The League of Railway Industry Women and served on the board of directors for the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association.
It Takes All Sizes…
May 23rd, 2013We hear in the news regularly these days about how big government is. Most of the time, they are talking about how many different departments there are in the Federal system, but that is really only one part of the whole of government. How about we start our civics lesson today with a little explanation of government? (Stick with me for a second, kids, and you’ll see where I am going).
Starting from the top, you of course have the Federal government, which really holds most of the power when dealing with a railroad. On the Federal side, you have the legislators (Congress, Executive branch, etc), regulators (FRA, STB, IRS, etc.), and of course the legal (Supreme Court). Now I won’t get into a long winded explanation of checks and balances, but suffice it to say that most of the control over railroads takes place here, and that isn’t a bad thing, because…
Underneath the Federal system, you have a repetition of the above areas for State, County, and City governments. Each of these areas has their own organization, members and staff. In many cases they are doing similar things to the Feds, but their focus is their smaller pieces of the country, and may have a different set of laws to guide them (now you see why railroads are, for the most part, covered under federal law and not a collection of local laws and regulations).
While railroads don’t generally fall under the laws and regulations of the state and local governments that doesn’t mean that we can just sit there with our fingers in our ears and say “la la la la la, I’m not listening to you!” Our local governments are extremely important partners who can help us in many ways. Some are financial, and in many cases they have a reasonable amount of control over our customers, who are our lifeblood. Sitting back and just dealing with those who have direct control over you isn’t a good way to do business.
So what should we do? Take the time to get to know your local officials, from the top to the bottom. Do you have to get involved like you should with your Federal friends? Yes, and maybe more. Remember, these are the people who see you the most and look at you the closest. And let’s not forget, for many of them this is only the beginning of their political careers. At some point, they may be sitting in the big seat, and wouldn’t it be great to say “I knew them back when …” and, “they are a friend.”
—By Steve Friedland
Steve Friedland is a child of the railroad industry. Following summers and vacations working on the track gang for the family-owned Morristown & Erie Railway, a 42-mile New Jersey short line, he started full-time in 1994. He has worked in all areas of the railroad, including track, mechanical, signals, and operations, and currently is a member of the management team for the company as director of operations in Morristown, N.J. 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.
M is for the Many Things…
May 8th, 2013Last week at the 2013 ASLRRA Connections meeting the ASLRRA recognized ASLRRA President Rich Timmons for his eleven years of service to the Association. One of the first things Rich did in his remarks was to recognize his wife, Margo, for her years of supporting him while he was off fighting America’s wars and strengthening America’s Short Lines. I have been able to get to know Margo over the years, and she is an amazing person. While she might be the prototype of an Army Wife, she is also the prototype of a Railroad Wife.
Over the past 40+ years, Margo not only took the lead in maintaining the household, she also presided over thirty three (yes, one third of one hundred) moves all over the world. That is 33 times packing your (and your family’s) belongings, unpacking your stuff, cleaning the former quarters and preparing the new ones, sometimes with and mostly without the assistance of your spouse, and with two children in tow at times. Oh, and don’t forget that a couple of times it was halfway around the world.
As I said above, the spouse of a railroader does, in my opinion, come from a similar (if not the same) mold as an Army wife. While I have been fortunate to work in the same location for twenty years, a number of my coworkers have moved around the country as part of their railroad careers. And in a trend that bucks the national averages, most of them are still married to their first spouse, which says a lot about the strength of the relationships. I really am not going out on a limb to say that the strength of a railroader is built on the foundation of his family and his spouse at home.
That being said, and with Mother’s Day approaching, let me give a shout out to all of the railroad spouses out there, because without your strength and support, we wouldn’t be able to do our jobs safely and properly.
—By Steve Friedland
Steve Friedland is a child of the railroad industry. Following summers and vacations working on the track gang for the family-owned Morristown & Erie Railway, a 42-mile New Jersey short line, he started full-time in 1994. He has worked in all areas of the railroad, including track, mechanical, signals, and operations, and currently is a member of the management team for the company as director of operations in Morristown, N.J. 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.
Going the Extra Mile…
May 3rd, 2013
Just got back from Atlanta and the ASLRRA Centennial Convention. Big event. Lots of standing and walking. My legs and feet are still sore, but not as sore as those of my colleague, Tre Sanders.
Tre’s day job for us is in sales; he chases down leads and hustles to sell ads and subscriptions to The Pocket List and our other products. But anyone who knows him well knows that his passion is fitness. He’s a boot camp kind of guy. When he heard that GE Transportation was sponsoring a pedometer challenge during the convention, his first words were sign me up.
Combining the usual long walks on the show floor with his typical fitness regimen (including some noteworthy climbing of stairs at the Marriott Marquis Hotel), Tre was able to win the pedometer challenge. (He is pictured with his winning pedometer and his iPad prize.)
He logged more than 90,000 steps between Saturday afternoon and Tuesday afternoon. 90,000 steps. What does that really mean? The American College of Sports Medicine says it takes the average person 2,000 steps to walk one mile. The number of steps it takes to walk one mile varies from person to person because everyone has their own stride length. The longer your stride, the fewer steps it takes you to walk a mile
10,000 steps is about 5 miles. So, basically Tre walked or ran 45 to 50 miles over the course of the trade show. That’s impressive. On the trade show floor, I heard people talk about 6,000 or 9,000 steps daily. That’s impressive, too, if you consider that a sedentary person may only average 1,000 to 3,000 steps a day.
The pedometer challenge was a fun event that got lots of attendees talking … and walking. While the exercise itself was important, the challenge was part of a show-wide effort to raise funds for the American Cancer Society. Cancer has touched the lives of nearly every attendee in some way and cancer claimed the lives of several notable short liners, including Dale Leake, and former ASLRRA Chairmen Walter Rich and Tom Schlosser. Tom’s widow, Christy, was on-site in Atlanta leading the charge in promoting the pedometer fundraiser.
Thanks to participation from hundreds of attendees, and matching contributions from GE, the group was able to present the American Cancer Society with a $13,000 check. And that’s what I call walking the walk.
—By Kathy Keeney
Kathy Keeney is Publisher of the Rail Group. The granddaughter of a railroader, she has been writing about railroads for more than 25 years. She is a past president of The League of Railway Industry Women and served on the board of directors for the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association.
Savor it
April 23rd, 2013In my lifetime, I have been fortunate to see a lot of history. Man landed on the moon (I was only 1 ½, but they still did it), the Bicentennial took place in 1976, the Berlin Wall fell, and we all survived the Millennium and the computer problems it caused (and didn’t cause). The big difference between all of the events I mentioned above and the ASLRRA’s 100th anniversary is that I didn’t participate in the planning of the other events, while I have been a part of the ASLRRA’s party planning.
It has not been easy. There are a lot of moving parts to this event, and making sure that they are all aligned in the proper sequence has been a bear. Add to that my responsibilities with the Morristown & Erie and Short Line Data Systems (by the way, do visit us in booth 005/006, which is right across from the Pocket List and ASLRRA booths in the foyer), the last couple of weeks have been beyond exhausting. As many of you know, I have had the fortune to chair the convention in 2007 and last year, and I can tell you that this year’s involvement and preparation have exceeded anything I have done in the past.
So, with all that has been going on you would think that I am dreading being at the meeting. That could not be farther from the truth. I honestly have to say that the knot in my stomach is more excitement than frustration. How often do you have the opportunity to be involved with the 100th birthday of anything? This is a once-in-a-lifetime event. I am honored that I am going to be a part of it and that the railroad that I work for and the company that I own will be a part of it too. This will be a memorable event for all of the right reasons, and I will savor each moment, because there will never be an event like it in my lifetime.
I truly hope that you will savor it too.
—By Steve Friedland
Steve Friedland is a child of the railroad industry. Following summers and vacations working on the track gang for the family-owned Morristown & Erie Railway, a 42-mile New Jersey short line, he started full-time in 1994. He has worked in all areas of the railroad, including track, mechanical, signals, and operations, and currently is a member of the management team for the company as director of operations in Morristown, N.J. 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.
Talk on Campus
April 18th, 2013I’m thinking a lot about college these days. My twin nieces graduate next month from Notre Dame and we’ll make the trek to South Bend and cheer them on from the stands as they receive their diplomas at the famed football stadium.
At work, I’m involved in managing two college scholarship programs. I head up the Susan C. Murray Memorial Women’s Scholarship program. That scholarship, named in honor of my former boss and dear friend, is awarded annually to a daughter or granddaughter of a railroad or supplier member company of the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association. Susan worked closely with the association and was a driving force behind the creation of the ASLRRA’s trade show more than 25 years ago.
I’m having trouble believing that our company has conducted this scholarship program for 10 years. Time really does speed by. This year’s winner will be formally announced at the ASLRRA Centennial event later this month in Atlanta.
I also serve as scholarship chair for The League of Railway Industry Women. The LRIW Scholarship Program provides an opportunity for any member of the LRIW, corporate member company, or a member’s children to apply for scholarship funds.
Each year, the LRIW awards three scholarships to the best-qualified candidates. This year’s deadline for applications is July 1. Please click here for the LRIW scholarship packet.
One of the great things about the scholarships is getting to meet and monitor the progress of our winners as they move through college and beyond. I’m truly impressed by how well-rounded this generation is and how engaged they are in their communities and in social causes.
It’s rewarding to be involved in programs that lend a helping hand to young people who often face very large tuition bills. I’m reminded of two favorite quotes on education. The first is from Benjamin Franklin: “An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.” The second is from William Butler Yeats: “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”
—By Kathy Keeney
Kathy Keeney is Publisher of the Rail Group. The granddaughter of a railroader, she has been writing about railroads for more than 25 years. She is a past president of The League of Railway Industry Women and served on the board of directors for the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association.
Like the Sands of Time…
April 3rd, 2013As I am writing this I am three weeks from leaving to go to Atlanta for the 2013 ASLRRA Centennial Connections. My pallets of booth displays are packed and are going to be picked up by the truck today, and I have been in the midst of the shower of emails and conference calls that take place before the meeting, and have become an annual ritual over the years.
I have written previously about what a big deal this year’s event is, and as we get closer, the number of days or times that you can say to yourself, “well, I can take care of that tomorrow,” is dwindling quickly. This process of planning the meeting has become a year-round project for a number of us who are involved with the ASLRRA, and I believe that this has improved the product that the attendees see each year.
What also has grown over the years is the number of people who are involved with the execution of the meeting. You see the onsite volunteers in their shirts, and they are an amazing group of people who for the couple of days before the meeting and during the meeting make things happen. When you seen them in Atlanta, please say thank you. Without them the meeting would not run as smoothly as it does.
Another group that does a huge amount of work but you generally don’t see them are the breakout track and educational session committees. Each of the seven breakout tracks has a group of five to fifteen people who select the topics, find speakers, get their bios and other information for the program, and then push them to get their presentations to us early so that we can have them ready on the computers at the meeting. Most people never see this work happen, and the group as a whole is never convened in one place (which is probably a good thing, because they would probably start to compare notes), but you should know that this mass of close to a hundred people puts a lot of work into the convention.
And finally, there is the person at the top. I got to chair the meeting last year and in 2007, and my good friend Judy Petry is doing it for the third time this year. She has had this meeting on her plate for a little over a year now, and she has done what she does best: she has organized, empowered, and encouraged all of the people mentioned above and all of the rest of the people involved to produce what will be a memorable event.
I hope to see all of you in Atlanta.
—By Steve Friedland
Steve Friedland is a child of the railroad industry. Following summers and vacations working on the track gang for the family-owned Morristown & Erie Railway, a 42-mile New Jersey short line, he started full-time in 1994. He has worked in all areas of the railroad, including track, mechanical, signals, and operations, and currently is a member of the management team for the company as director of operations in Morristown, N.J. 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.
We did it
March 19th, 2013
New Jersey delegation of railroads and suppliers present an award from the New Jersey Short Line Railroad Association to Rep. Albio Sires during Railroad Day visit. (photo by Peter Cutts)
As I mentioned in my last post, my thirteen year old son Andrew accompanied me to Washington DC last week for Railroad Day on Capitol Hill. It was Andrew’s first experience with the ASLRRA and what goes on at a meeting, and believe me, he got a full education in a very short period of time.
Our adventure got off to a fast start on Tuesday, with a very quick drive down to DC (don’t ask me why I don’t take the train, it is more of a scheduling issue than anything else) and on Wednesday Andrew got to experience one of the realities of preparing for an ASLRRA meeting: stuffing packets and name badges. Andrew also was dragged by his father from person to person being introduced to umpteen railroaders whose names he will never remember, but believe me, for his father it was a bit of pride being able to introduce him to the gang.
Railroad Day itself was a bit of an adventure. Andrew started his day off with a fifteen minute session with ASLRRA President Rich Timmons (when you have a school project comparing the Roman and modern US Armies, who better to ask than a retired three-star general?), and then moved on to the Hill visits. I have made it a practice over the years to stay on the House side of the Hill so that it is possible to make it to as many visits as possible, and in the end we made it to seven scheduled and one unscheduled (otherwise known as a “Jersey Walk In”) appointments, and overall it was a very successful day. We picked up one new co-sponsor from New Jersey (Rep. Leonard Lance) for the Section 45G tax credit legislation that we were lobbying for, and most importantly, we continued the relationships with the staffers and members that we have developed over the years. I think one of the most important things that Andrew learned was that it isn’t necessarily the items that you talk about in the meetings, but it is the fact that you are there and care enough that the meetings take place.
The high point of the day for all of us was the presentation of the NJSLRRA’s Benjamin J. Friedland Award to Representative Albio Sires. The award is, of course, named after my father, and we award it to someone who has positively affected the railroad industry in New Jersey. It was a thrill to have Andrew with me to present the award to the congressman, and Andrew will tell the story of the presentation to whoever will listen to him with a big smile on his face.
So all in all it was a success. For me, I got to spend quality one on one time with my eldest (we did go to a couple of museums on Friday before we headed home), and as a father that spends a good amount of his time on the road, it was a bonus for me.
—By Steve Friedland
Steve Friedland is a child of the railroad industry. Following summers and vacations working on the track gang for the family-owned Morristown & Erie Railway, a 42-mile New Jersey short line, he started full-time in 1994. He has worked in all areas of the railroad, including track, mechanical, signals, and operations, and currently is a member of the management team for the company as director of operations in Morristown, N.J. 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.
Going Green
March 15th, 2013Most folks associate the color orange with our Pocket List of Railroad Officials, but it’s also available in green now.
As we head into St. Patrick’s Day weekend, it’s apropos that we just unveiled a Green alternative for one of our venerable print directories. Our newly expanded Pocket List Digital Edition is a Green option that our subscribers have been asking for and that creates the additional marketing exposure that our loyal advertisers deserve.
Digitizing the entire 400 or so pages was no small undertaking. Tip of the hat to the entire Pocket List team, with noteworthy contributions from data and production manager Ed McCarthy and editor Heather Longo. The digitizing job involved more than 25,000 hyperlinks of email and web addresses for companies and contacts, making it easier for subscribers to connect directly with the people or companies that they are looking for.
The Green Digital Editions are available in both annual subscriptions and an individual copy basis every quarter.
And speaking of green, Happy St. Pat’s everyone. Enjoy the corned beef, Guinness stew and green beer.
—By Kathy Keeney
Kathy Keeney is Publisher of the Rail Group at UBM Global Trade. The granddaughter of a railroader, she has been writing about railroads for more than 25 years. She is a past president of The League of Railway Industry Women and served on the board of directors for the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association.
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