I N T R O D U C T I O N

Practical Guide to Railway

Engineering

Introduction

I was at work when I answered my phone to hear an enthusiastic chorus talking into
the speakerphone. It was AREMA Committee 24, Education and Training, the group
responsible for this book. I was unable to attend the meeting in New Orleans, so they
called to check up on me and to clarify a minor point or maybe it was to gloat about
the good time they were having, good friends can be that way. Among other things,
we discussed how we would acknowledge the hard work of all the people that made
this book possible. I suggested that we include some acknowledgements in the
introduction. The group started laughing. It became apparent what I had just done.
You see, if you are a member of this committee, it is quite likely that if you come up
with an idea or suggest something, you may be tagged with that task. I sealed my fate
twofold. I made the suggestion and I wasn’t at the meeting to defend myself. It is
much less bothersome to assign somebody something if they do not have the
opportunity to say no. Actually, I am honored. It has been a pleasure to serve on
Committee 24 and be associated with such an extraordinary group of railroaders.

There is the thought, sometimes deserved, that if you wish to accomplish nothing,
form a committee. I can assure you, this is not the case here. We sometimes spin our
wheels, but we more than make up the time by burning the midnight oil to get the job
done. What separates an ineffective committee and this one is leadership.

This book is an outgrowth of a dream. It started with Charley Chambers, our past
committee chairman and visionary of this project. This project has been Charley’s
dream for years. It was Charley that convinced us that the industry needed a “Railroad
101” course.

You see, a few years ago, we as a committee were musing about the future of the
railway industry that we all love so much. We agreed the future was strong, but it had
changed since we hired on. How could our committee address the problem created by
railway downsizing that has reduced the large engineering departments, allowing the
consultants to fill the void. We wanted to address the lack of mentoring available for
those young civil engineers who were finding employment in the industry through
consultants. How do we ramp up young talent in today’s environment that doesn’t

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allow for the long on the job training orientation into railway engineering that most of
us received from our mentors?

We met in Kansas and formed an outline for a course. We then met in Calgary and
detailed the outline. We then met in Chicago and revisited our outline. You see the
challenge was not finding enough information, but to decide all the information that
we would cut out so as to not overwhelm the participants. Trimming is not an easy
task by a committee. All the stakeholders had something that they held to dearly and
thought was too important to cut. From that, the project evolved. We knew that there
was so much good information that we would need to put it in a book of some sort.
Our first thought was a short manual as an introduction to the railroad industry, sort of
a pocketbook. As you can see by the size, you would need big pockets. We wanted to
help you get started on the right foot - you be the judge.

The good leadership continued when Joe Riley became our Committee 24 Chairman.
Joe has made the Practical Guide to Railway Engineering possible by using his most
effective managerial tool - GUILT. The names you see that have contributed to each
and every chapter in this comprehensive book got the job done because they believed
in the project and they didn’t want to let Joe down. We know how hard he works and
felt that we should at least contribute a fraction of his efforts. Without Joe’s
determination, I don’t think this monumental task would have ever been completed.

But, it really was the collective efforts of the committee and friends of the committee,
fifty people representing well over 1200 years of railroad experience contributed to this
book. Even with all their expertise, they all drew from the knowledge and experience
of so many more of their mentors and peers. I don’t believe you will find another
book quite like it.

There is so much you can learn about railroading. You don’t need to know it all at
once, you just need to know that our industry has so much to offer and that the
learning journey is challenging and rewarding. Along that journey, you will meet and
collaborate with talented, dedicated people, who will be more than happy to share their
knowledge - just as we have in our journey to put together this guide. Enjoy the
reading.

With but a casual browsing of the topics covered in this book, one is struck by the
interrelationships that exist between the various disciplines that make up railway
engineering. The railway engineer of today must take a systems approach to any design
task. Every project has stakeholders with needs that must be identified and addressed
if the project is to be successful. It is essential that today’s railway engineer has a basic
understanding of track, ROW & roadway, drainage, structures, signals and
communications, environmental permitting, and in some cases, electrical traction and
passenger, transit & high speed rail – regardless of his or her special expertise.
Although no one can be an expert in all fields, to not give consideration to these other
elements in any project is an invitation to disaster. Chapter 13 provides several actual

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case studies built into a committee-designed template that the engineer could utilize to
help identify critical stakeholder issues. A web page under the Committee 24 page
([Link]) has been established to offer a library of similar project surveys. You
are invited to submit additional successful and even unsuccessful project surveys within
the template form to help build the library for the benefit of the industry.

It seems appropriate that this book should be dedicated to someone. As a Committee,

we would like to dedicate this book to Charley Chambers. Charley Chambers is what
this book is all about. Charley has experienced both sides of the equation; first as a
field engineer for the Milwaukee Road, several years working for a railroad contractor
in Oregon, then as Assistant Chief Engineer for Montana Rail Link, a stint as a railroad
construction estimator for Morrison Knudsen to his present position as Vice President
for Hanson-Wilson, Inc. Charley represents the quintessence of railway engineering.
He is a railway engineer’s engineer. For over 30 years, Charley has labored on behalf of
Committee 24. It was Charley, who as Committee Chairman, successfully melded
together the former Roadmasters’ Training Committee (representing for the most part
mid-level experienced field supervisors) with the core engineers from AREA
Committee 24 Education and academia from the leading Transportation Engineering
universities in North America. This was not an easy task to do, but with grace,
persistence and the ability to organize effectively, he forged this diverse and sometimes
contentious group into the effective organization that Committee 24 is today. Charley,
it is with pride and pleasure that Committee 24 fulfills your dream.

If you decide or already have decided to make a career in the railroad industry, I can
assure you that you will hear fantastic stories and in no time at all you will have your
own adventures to share with the fraternity of railroaders.

As a person that has inspected and maintained a railway infrastructure for thirty years, I
would like to leave you with this. While it is important to finish a project on time and
under budget, that accomplishment will be forgotten shortly after the ribbon cutting
ceremony. You will be remembered for the quality of the work.

Remember what you design, someone must maintain!

Bill Ross

Manager

Kootenay Valley Railway

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