NSHR 1940 (SW-1500) pulls a dimensional load over King Street (approaching the tracks behind our home office) in Northumberland. This photo was taken by Jack Pehowic and is featured on the cover of our 2023 calendar.

Feature from the President
What makes us successful?

This year, we are excited that our company is being celebrated as one of PA Business Central's Top 100 Organizations. We credit our employees for this recognition.

It is not lost on my team how important each employee is to making every aspect of our company work as well as it does. When I reflect on the team we have today, I’m genuinely pleased. In order to properly recognize the efforts of our employees, my greatest responsibility is to do everything I can to make our company the best possible employer it can be. It occupies my management team’s minds and priority list day in and day out. It helps govern everything we do - from our focus on safety, to the way we schedule, to our philosophy on success, and our plans for the future. I’ll briefly touch upon each of these items.

Safety

Many folks do not realize our company and crafts are federally regulated and routinely audited. We are bound to nearly 3,000 pages of federal rules, regulations, and guidelines. We anticipate around 70 audits and inspections by government officials (Federal Railroad Administration, Pennsylvania Utility Commission, Transportation Security Administration, etc.) each year. So, our industry is based upon a philosophy of safety and regulations to ensure the same. That said, we also have supplementary company rules and standards that go above and beyond the federal requirements. Our crews strive to not only meet, but exceed these standards and requirements. Additionally, each of our lines has geographically specific safety protocols, reflecting the physical characteristics of each line and/or industry.

We strive to keep safety front of mind for all of our employees. We have a full-time Safety Coordinator; an active Safety Committee; an Employee Suggestion Group that presents safety suggestions on behalf of all employees; a proactive, daily feedback process for employees to voice concerns and considerations; a positive reinforcement program to recognize and encourage safe working; and we offer a variety of trainings that are health and safety related. We keep these programs in place to make sure we aren’t missing any opportunities to make our employees safer - which leads me to scheduling.

Scheduling

While we schedule our operations according to the staffing and production needs of our customers, we also make sure this scheduling affords a safe home/work balance for our employees. Yes - federal hours of service regulations technically allow train and engine service folks to serve 12 hour shifts, but I am proud to say that we do not subject our employees to a constant “12 hours on, 12 hours off” schedule. We want them to have lives outside of their work. We want them to be able to coach their children’s teams. We want them to be able to watch a movie with their families at night. We understand the importance of non-work related activities, and that happiness outside of work is vital to emotional, psychological, and physical well-being. Further, we believe minimizing the stress of over-work is a vital contributor to safer and more successful operations.

Success

Success can be measured in many ways, but I think one of our strongest indicators is the feedback we receive from our employees. When employees are actively engaged and submitting positive feedback regarding their coworkers, it is truly exciting. Below is a sampling of some of the topics of the positive reports we have received from our employees (about their coworkers):

• catching missing placards on HAZMAT railcars.

• catching safety issues at different sidings/locations that can then be fixed before anything happens.

• stopping the train to put out a brush fire (adjacent to the railroad) that the train crew encountered.

• making quick and safe emergency repairs.

• stepping up to help other departments.

• stopping the train safely when approaching hazardous situations.

• providing great mentorship to fellow employees.

The last point, mentorship, is particularly rewarding. When I hear about the way our employees are taking the initiative to be leaders and encourage their coworkers, I know we are doing something right, and I’m a part of a great team.

The Future & Gratefulness

We are grateful to our employees for putting safety first, prioritizing our customers’ needs, going over and beyond in their work each and every day, and supporting one another. It is because of this team that our company is seen as an elite company in Pennsylvania – a reputation well deserved. This reputation provides a strong foundation for the growth we anticipate in the coming years. I cannot say it enough - Thank you!

Notes from Marketing
These guys are really out there!

Out There

No - that doesn’t mean we are strange! (Although our wives and kids might beg to differ…)

Marketing the railroad and our services is a multi-faceted task and requires us to be “out there”! What do we actually mean by that? In addition to our normal job of meeting and visiting customers, other (and sometimes much more distant) we conduct a great deal of business travel - trips for various meetings and events with/for related businesses and industries, chambers of commerce, industrial and economic development groups, and others.

For example, so far in 2023, we have attended the Philadelphia Traffic Club’s annual dinner; the Pittsburgh Traffic Club’s annual dinner; the special Norfolk Southern (NS) short line meeting near Charleston, SC; the Pennsylvania Anthracite Council annual meeting; and various chamber events, the most noteworthy being legislative breakfast events, held in the region we serve.

We will also be attending the following, upcoming spring events: the American Short Line & Regional Railroad Association (ALSRRA) Annual Convention in New Orleans, LA; the North East Association of Rail Shippers (NEARS) Spring Meeting in Newport, RI; and the NS Annual Short Line Meeting in Atlanta, GA.

We won’t be stopping there! We will participate in and attend more events this fall. Stay tuned to read more about them in later editions of On Track.

While these events can be enjoyable, there is long distance travel, at times, and the extended time away from home can add up. However, this is a necessary part of marketing our company that has yielded great benefits to our organization and for our customers.

Thankfully, we are both blessed with very understanding families that support us being away on business travel while promoting our railroad company and services. You are saints, Wendi and Amber, and for that we are grateful.

So, rest assured that our marketing team is “out there”, somewhere, making connections and promoting our customers and business.

Notes from Maintenance of Way
Christmas is over; it is time for a different kind of tree trimming.

In early February, our Maintenance of Way teamed-up with contractor K.W. Reese to cut and remove obstructing and fouling trees from the railroad right of way on our Juniata Valley Railroad (JVRR).

In total, the crews cut and removed trees along four miles of the Burnham Branch and roughly a half mile’s worth on the Maitland Branch.

This work improved crew visibility approaching railroad crossings. The State Route 322 crossing, the most prominent crossing on this line, was most critical due to the fact that it intersects a major highway.

Thank you to K.W. Reese for helping us make such quick and effective work of this tree trimming project!

Our Railroad Family

Penn State Altoona Rail Transportation Engineering

The Penn State Altoona Rail Transportation Engineering (RTE) was looking for tie plates and spikes for a project they were working on in their program. Our Maintenance of Way team donated to this project and made sure they had everything they needed.

If you were ever thinking about getting into RTE, Penn State has the program for you!

If you are not interested in enrolling in such a program, but you are interested in supporting this program, you can donate to give scholarships to, and fund research for, future students! We are honored to have worked with the SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority (JRA) to initiate scholarships for this program in the memory of John P. Conrad, PE. John was a long-standing, reputable, brilliant, and beloved bridge engineer for the JRA.

Donate to the John P. Conrad Rail Transportation Research Award or John P. Conrad Rail Transportation Engineering Research Fund at Penn State Altoona, by clicking here!

In the Community

Employees In the Community - Fighting for Our Environment

We love to hear about the great things our employees are doing outside of work. Look at the litter clean-up some of our employees did with a small group of friends. They picked-up 30, 30-gallon bags of garbage over an eighth mile stretch of highway! Awesome job!

Tartaglia Railroad Services
’Tis the Season!

Approaching the close of the first quarter, it makes it pretty official - we are moving into track construction season! We have a talented and experienced team at Tartaglia Railroad Services that is ready to get to work for you!

Drop us a line, and let us know what kind of track project you are looking to accomplish. We are confident you will be impressed with our competitive pricing and quality work.

Contact us today!

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