Railway Supply Institute

Booth space reservations are now open for the indoor and outdoor exhibitions at Railway Interchange 2015, the U.S.-based combined exhibition and technical conference taking place Sunday, Oct. 4 through Tuesday, Oct. 7 at the Minneapolis Convention Center and BNSF’s Northtown yard. Exhibits will be held Oct. 4-6.

In comments sent to the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) Dept. 30, 2014, the Railway Supply Institute Committee on Tank Cars (RSI-CTC) warned of “significant disruption to safety and to major sectors of the North American economy if mismatched rulemakings were to be implemented separately by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and Transport Canada.” These disruptions include “the loss of a significant portion of the rail tank car fleet during the modification period, and unintended consequences such as a potential increase in truck shipments of flammable liquids on highways.”

Freight car orders in 2014’s first quarter soared about 38% from fourth-quarter 2013, to 24,050 units, pushing builder backlogs up around 12% to 81,927, according to the most recent Railway Supply Institute American Railway Car Institute figures.

Exhibit space sales for RSI/CMA 2014, the Railway Supply Institute’s annual trade show, will begin Monday, March 17, 2014. Sponsorship sales for both RSI/CMA and Canadian Rail Summit 2014, hosted by the Railway Association of Canada, will also open March 17.

The Railway Supply Institute (RSI) is now accepting 2014-2015 school year applications for the RSI Scholarship Program, which provides a minimum of five $5,000 scholarships each year. Since 1989, RSI has awarded more than 100 scholarships. Recipients have been college students pursuing degrees in a variety of fields, among them nursing, teaching, engineering, business, and transportation.

The Coordinated Mechanical Associations—comprising the Air Brake Association (ABA), International Association of Railroad Operating Officers (IAROO), Locomotive Maintenance Officers Association (LMOA), Mechanical Association Railcar Technical Services (MARTS)—and the League of Railway Industry Women (LRIW) have announced the agendas for their 2013 Technical Conference, to be held in Indianapolis, Ind., in conjunction with Railway Interchange 2013, Sept. 29-Oct. 2, 2013.

Freight car building is in the tank—literally.