This colorful photo of the SVRR was taken by Cody Dombrowski .

Feature from the President
Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

“Put your money where your mouth is.” Those are good words to live by. In addition to investing in our employees, our company chooses to invest in its infrastructure and communities, and this edition of On Track will exhibit some of those investments.

Whether in the form of major crossing projects, property purchases and investments, or charitable contributions, our company is active in our communities. It is active not in the sense of simply trying to make a buck, but it is active in spending a buck. The dollars being invested are leading to safety and economic improvements for our friends, families, and neighbors - which is something, as a local company, we are extremely proud to see accomplished.

Additionally, we seek to invest our time where it is most beneficial. A great example is Randy Jeffrey, NSHR Conductor/Engineer. One evening, long after Randy was done on the train for the day, he called me to discuss giving back to the community of Berwick - in the wake of a senseless tragedy. Randy then took the time to hand deliver donations. Another example is our Chief Marketing Officer, Todd Hunter, who had a great deal of travel time this past quarter, including weekends and evenings, to visit with our partners and railroad associations in an effort to continue to network, market, and be front of mind as a logistics solution. In both cases, I can confidently state - we are investing our time wisely.

Due to space constraints, we call out but a few examples in this publication, but knowing the depth and extent of our company’s continued investments of time and energy in our railroads and communities, I would be remiss if I did not say that I am excited to see what the future holds, and how our future investments (of money and time) will impact our company and communities.

Notes from Marketing
Are You Ready for Winter?

Notes from Maintenance of Way
Winfield Crossing - Complete!

In a cooperative effort with PennDOT, a new, long-lasting, custom tub-style rail/highway crossing was installed on our UCIR - across the West Branch Highway (Route 15) in Winfield, PA. The crossing work was completed in two phases (northbound and southbound) in 12 days. Just this past week, all work was completed and the highway was completely reopened.

The Winfield crossing is 170 feet long and is on a 14 degree curve.

We want to thank Railroad Construction Company (RCC) for doing such a great job with this project. RCC mobilized and pivoted when needed to get the job done as efficiently and safely as possible. In addition to RCC, we want to also thank: Stiffler McGraw, Swank Construction, Sudol Paving and Excavating, and (of course) PennDOT (District III).

A little history on this crossing.. it was completely rebuilt in 2010. However, high traffic volumes, including tractor trailers and trucks related to construction of the Central Susquehanna Valley Throughway (CSVT), took a hard toll on the crossing. In June 2018, UCIR worked with PennDOT to raise the switch that abuts the highway, surface the entire crossing, and pave the approaches - a three day project. UCIR had to remove panels and install new asphalt in 2020 and then again in 2021. In the past decade, before the latest replacement project, the Winfield crossing had cost more than a half of a million dollars to maintain. The new, 2022 crossing project cost more than $800,000 to complete.

Needless to say, when it comes to the Winfield crossing, there is no one more excited to see this project completed than we are.

Great job to all of the crews who helped install this new crossing - a great improvement for Central PA!

Our Railroad Family
Great Visits with Partners, and Exciting News for Customers

In the Community

Northumberland Borough & GoJoe25

In July, we were excited to participate with other Northumberland businesses in donating to Joe Snedeker WNEP's GoJoe25 fundraiser for Saint Joseph's Center! Northumberland Borough was selected to be the GoJoe25 Day #1 destination, and we were there to cheer on Joe Snedeker!

Rail Safety Week 2022

Each year, we spend a week pushing social media posts, in participation with Operation Lifesaver Inc. and Pennsylvania Operation Lifesaver Inc. 2022 was no exception.

Although Rail Safety Week is only a week long, we promote the message of rail safety all year, and we hope you will too!

Goose Day/Week 2022

Our JVRR crews once again helped celebrate and spread the news about Goose Day in the Juniata River Valley, an event organized by the Juniata River Valley Visitors Bureau and Juniata River Valley Chamber of Commerce.

In 1973, the Mifflin County Commissioners issued a proclamation formally establishing “Goose Day” as September 29th. The celebration of Goose Day, or “St. Michaelmas Day”, is an example of an old custom that has continued to survive each year, because it has become a tradition for the Juniata River Valley. Further, Juniata County Commissioners signed the “Goose Day” proclamation in 1976, proclaiming Goose Week in Juniata County.

“Eat goose on Michaelmas Day, and you’ll never want money all the year round,” - An Old English Proverb

Tartaglia Railroad Services
Adirondack Railroad Restoration Project

Tartaglia Railroad Services (TRS) is nearing completion of a $19.7M contract to rehabilitate 92 miles of the Adirondack Railroad between Snow Jct. and Tupper Lake, NY, for the New York State Department of Transportation. TRS has already completely rebuilt 45 miles of track between Big Moose and Tupper Lake, NY.

Work began in 2020 and included:

• Replacing 83,951 ties

• Replacing 2,743 feet of rail

• Replacing 82,580 bolts

• Placing 65,630 tons of ballast

• Surfacing 447,278 feet of track

• Replacing three public grade crossings

• Replacing 17 private crossings

• Cleaning over 28,000 feet of ditches

• Miscellaneous turnout and siding work

At times, TRS had three separate crews working to complete the work, in cooperation with subcontractor Storer Excavating & Trucking of Stockton, NY.

Logistics and material supply was pretty difficult for a section of this project, where the railroad is a 26-mile stretch without a single access point in between.

TRS Director of Operations, Christian Henrici, said, “I am overly pleased with our dedicated employees who made completing this project possible, despite the remote location of the project.”

To date, TRS has worked over 53,500 manhours - all without a reportable injury!

Keep up the great work, guys!

Tartaglia Railroad Services
5867 East Molloy Road, Syracuse, NY 13211
315.455.0100