This year's conference is shaping up to be 3 days that are full of valuable information to help your railroad operate a smoothly and safely as possible.

Throughout the conference, the Mobile Technical Training Center with the Locomotive Simulator, provided by Iowa Northern Railway, in partnership with ASLRRA, will be available in the parking lot of The Lodge at Deadwood for you to tour and get information about utilizing this valuable tool for your training needs.

Below is a tentative agenda. We are still working on the final times and presenters.  

Tuesday April 18th

• Short Line Safety Institute (SLSI) Hazmat Training for the Real World – presented by SLSI Staff (Full Day Training Event)

  • The SLSI Instructors will bring the regulations to life with practical descriptions and application. The hazmat training trailer will provide the hands-on up close understanding of the basics of leak detection and control. This is the opportunity to learn from instructors that have spent decades in the field. One of these instructors may have been in the room when the regulations were first written.

 
Engineering Breakouts are available on Tuesday as an option instead of the full day SLSI Hazmat Training

• Bridge Worker Safety and Standards (Part 214 & Part 237) – Presented by Shaun Johnson, FRA

• Track Safety Standards (Part 213) – Tim Presser/Track Team, FRA

• FRA update on Grade Crossing Safety - Tammy Wagner, FRA

• Roadway Worker and Roadway Maintenance Machines (Part 214, Subparts C & D) – Tim Presser/Track Team, FRA

• Continuous Welded Rail/Rail Integrity (Part 213) – Tim Presser/Track Team, FRA

• Hazmat Training for Engineering Employees – Presented by SLSI Staff

• Maintenance Grinding Switches – Presented by Robert Taylor, RazorSafe

 
Wednesday, April 19th

• Safety Culture Through Leadership - Sam Cotton, SLSI

• Part 240-242 Audit Process - Every Short Line will be audited. Know what to expect and how the process works – Presented by Kevin Lewis, FRA

• FRA/OSHA  – Presented by Ed McCullough, FRA and Eric Wollan, OSHA

• FRA/OSHA Panel Discussion – a panel discussion with various subject matter experts with the FRA and an OSHA representative to answer your questions

• Hearing Conservation – Presented by Jenika Major, FRA

• Excursion Operations – Presented by Michael Ramsey, FRA (retired)

• C3RS & SOFA – Presented by Brian Reilly, FRA

• Signals – Mike Flanigan, FRA

• FAMES – Lance Hawks, FRA

• Confined Space and Hotwork Permits – Presented by SLSI Staff

 
Thursday, April 20th

• Community and Railroad Engagement Training (CARET) – SLSI Staff

  • All railroads plan for an emergency incident, and practice mitigation responses to recover operations quickly.  Caring for the community – your railroad family and the community your railroad serves – should be a critical piece of that plan.  Our talk will outline considerations to effectively respond to the impact beyond operations, protecting and prioritizing the Ps - people, prescriptions & pets, and property.

•  Keep your train together: Brush up on Freight Car Safety Standards with a deeper look at couplers and draft gears – Presented by Mike Goddard, Railway Educational Bureau