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Northwestern University

Sandhouse Rail Group

Sandhouse Rail Group hosts meetings to connect active and veteran rail practitioners with students and academics interested in rail-related issues.

Click the event titles below for more information and/or event recordings (if available).

Upcoming & Archive

Northwestern University Transportation Center's Hagestad Sandhouse Rail Group and the Chicago Chapter of the Transportation Research Forum (TRF) invite you to attend a special, annual meeting at the  Metra Headquarters

  

Presentation by BNSF Railway

[Joint presentation with NUTC Seminar Series]

04/11/24 | 4:00 PM CT

Chambers Hall -  Ruan Conference Center | 600 Foster St. - Lower Level, Evanston, IL

 

Four Decades of Railroad Art – My Collecting Adventure

06/13/24 | 4:00 PM CT

Chambers Hall -  Ruan Conference Center | 600 Foster St. - Lower Level, Evanston, IL

 

2024

The Chicago Region and Beyond 2024 Commuter Railroad Update

02/28/24 | 12:00 PM CT

Metra Board Room, Metra Headquarters  - 13th Floor

  • James "Jim" Derwinski  - CEO & Executive Director, METRA; Chairman Emeritus, Commuter Railroad Coalition | Presentation
  • Mike NolandPresident/General Manager, South Shore Line (Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District); Chairman, Commuter Railroad Coalition | Presentation
  • Video 

2023

Sandhouse Annual Financial Presentation and Holiday Lunch

12/15/23 | 11:30am - 1:30pm CT

 

The Role of the Chicago Transportation Coordination Office and Rail Coordination in Chicago

11/28/23 | 12:00pm - 1:30pm CT | via Zoom Webinar

  • Leo Russell - Superintendent & Director, Chicago Transportation Coordination Office
  • Richard Mohorn, Superintendent & Deputy Director, Chicago Transportation Coordination Office/ Chicago Integrated Rail Operations Center 
  • View Presentation

 

The CREATE Program’s Forest Hill Junction Grade Separation

11/16/23

 

Improving Rail Safety and Transportation with Real World AI Applications

11/2/2023

 

2023: Perfect Storm, or Unique Opportunity?

05/16/2023

  • William C. Vantuono  - Editor-in-Chief, Railway Age 
  • Video

 

The Challenges Facing America’s Commuter Railroads - The Chicago Region 2023 and Beyond

02/17/2023

  • James "Jim" Derwinski  -CEO & Executive Director, METRA
  • Mike NolandPresident/General Manager, South Shore Line (Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District)
  • Video
  • Presentation

2022

A Very Sandhouse Christmas2022 - After Renaissance, Retreat – Now What?

12/13/2022

 

Ukraine’s Railway War: If you can’t send ammunition, give them a ride
04/19/2022

  • Henry Posner III - Chairman, Railroad Development Corportation (RDC)
  • Video
    Presentation

 

Long-Range Transit Planning in Disruptive Times: A view from NY
03/31/2022

  • Michael J. Shiffer, PhD. - Senior Vice President of Regional Planning, Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)
  • [No video or presentation available]

 

Metra and Commuter Rail into the Future
02/22/2022

2021

 

"Rails 2021: CP+KSU, CNI/TCI, the STB….plus REAL-RR bidness"
12/7/2021

  • Anthony B. Hatch | Senior Transportation Analyst & Financial Consultant, ABH Consulting 
  • Video
    Presentation

 

"CTA's RPM Project in 2021: Progress, Challenges and Milestones"
10/26/2021

  • Christopher Bushell, Senior Vice President, Chief RPM Officer, Chicago Transit Authority
    Graham Garfield, General Manager, RPM Operations & Communication Coordination, Chicago Transit Authority
  • Video
  • Presentation

 

"The Important Role of Railroads in Logistics Services"
06/23/2021

 

“The U.S. Railroads and COVID-19: Keeping Supply Chains Moving”
05/25/2021

  • Panel: Professor Joseph Schofer, John Gray, John Panzer
  • Moderator: Professor Hani Mahmassani
  •  Video

 

"Pardon Our Dust"
04/13/2021

  • Mike Noland - The South Shore Line (NICTD)

 

"Finding, Providing, and Executing Valuable Solutions: The Story of Short Line Rail"
03/23/2021

  • Stefan Loeb - Watco Companies, LLC

 

"Amtrak today: An opportunity for the industry to win or lose?"
02/23/2021 @ Zoom

  • Panel: Henry Posner III, Paul Vilter, Thomas Cornillie, Jim Mathews
  • Moderator: Professor Joseph Schofer

 

"My Metra: Metra's Outreach in Response to the Pandemic"
01/19/2021 @ Zoom

  • James Derwinski - Metra

2020

 

Christmas in Chicago, Virtually: Railroads in The Age of Disruption

12/08/2020 @ Zoom

  • Anthony Hatch - ABH Consulting

 

CTA's Red-Purple Modernization Project: Challenges for Rebuilding an Active Rail Line

11/10/2020 @ Zoom

  • Christopher Bushell - Chicago Transit Authority

 

Railways, Post-Pandemic: What Could the “New Normal” Look Like

10/13/2020 @ Zoom

  • William Vantuono - Railway Age

 

Federal Transportation Infrastructure Policy: How the Sausage Was Made (and How Passenger Trains Can Get a Piece)

04/16/2020 @ NUTC

  • Fritz Plous

 

Metra’s Strategic Plan for 2020 and beyond and Metra’s partnership with CREATE, Cook County and the State of Illinois on the 75th Street CIP

01/17/2020 @ Metra

  • Jim Derwinski, Bruce Marcheschi & Norm Carlson - Metra

2019

Sandhouse / TRF Annual Luncheon Meeting
12/10/2019 @ Maggiano's, Chicago

  • Anthony B. Hatch - ABH Consulting

 

Recent Developments and Current Issues Facing the National Rail Network: Thoughts on 10 Months at the Surface Transportation Board.
10/31/2019 @ NUTC

  • Martin Oberman - Surface Transportation Board


Trains… A less locomotive-centric look at railroad photography
09/12/2019 @ NUTC

  • George Hamlin - President, Hamlin Transportation Consulting

 

Metra: On Track to Excellency & Regional Vitality
05/09/2019 @ Metra

  • Jim Derwinski - Executive Director & Chief Executive Office
  • Chris Krakar - Chief Engineering Officer
  • Kevin McCann - Chief Mechanical Officer

2018

North American Freight Rail 2019: PSR-driven 'Renaissance 2' or Missed Opportunity?

12/04/2018

  • Anthony Hatch, ABH Consulting
Vision Systems & Automation in Rail

10/18/2018

  • Roger Martinez, Senior Product Owner, Visual Analytics, Wi-Tronix, LLC

 

Machine Learning, Industrial Analytics, and AI Outcomes in Rail and Beyond

06/07/2018

  • Joe Becker, Director, Center for Rail Excellence, Uptake Technologies
Wally Abbey visits Cincinnati Union Terminal

04/12/2018

  • George Hamlin, President, Hamlin Transportation Consultin
South Shore Railroad - A public private partnership that really works

03/20/2018

  • Andrew Fox, Managing Director, Anacostia Rail Holdings Company;
  • Eric T. Jakubowski, Chief Commercial Officer, Anacostia Rail Holdings Company
 
Operating & Capital Needs of Metra

01/16/2018

  • Jim Derwinski, METRA

2017

The Railroad Renaissance at 18: Alive but Challenged, Both External (trade), Internal (service/capex), and Possible (AV Trucks?)

12/05/2017

  • Anthony Hatch, ABH Consulting
A Tale of Two Stations:  Construction Challenges Associated with the New CTA Wilson and 95th Street Stations

10/05/2017

  • Chris Bushell, Chief Infrastructure Officer, Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)
Railroad Freight Traffic: What Went Wrong and Can It Be Fixed?

06/08/2017

  • Michael Blaszak, Attorney & Author
Rail/Air Competition in the New York-Chicago Market 1945-1970

04/27/2017

Forty Years as Railroad Counsel

03/28/2017

CHICAGO: America's Railroad Capital

02/16/2017

  • David Lassen, Associate Editor, Trains Magazine
  • Jim Wrinn, Editor, Trains Magazine
METRA: Looking Ahead to 2017 & Beyond
  • 01/19/2017
  • Donald A. Orseno, Executive Director/CEO, Metra
  • Bruce Marcheschi, Chief Engineering Officer, Metra
  • Lynnette H. Ciavarella, Senior Division Director, Strategic Capital Planning, Metra

2016

North American Freight Rail in the “Post-Coal” Era:  A Year One Report Card

12/06/2016
Anthony B. Hatch, Senior Transportation Consultant, ABH Consulting
Presentation slides

A Transportation Miracle

11/10/2016
Norman Carlson, Carlson Consulting International LLC

CTA Red and Purple Modernization (RMP): A Core Capacity Expansion

10/13/2016
Carole A. Morey, Chief Planning Officer, Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)
Presentation slides

Public-Private Partnership for Transportation Safety:  Case Studies in Air and Rail

10/06/2016
Laurence Audenaerd, Lead Engineer, Center for Advanced Aviation System Development, The MITRE Corporation
Presentation slides

Representations of Railroading

09/15/2016
Scott Lothes, President & Executive Director, Center for Railroad Photography & Art
Presentation slides

Life is Hard and the Train is Easy, along the South Shore Line

06/08/2016
Michael Noland, General Manager, NICTD
Donald Orseno, Executive Director, METRA

Delivering Private Intercity Passenger Rail Service in Florida

05/12/2016
Myles L. Tobin, Esq., General Counsel, All Aboard Florida

"By Rail Across Quebec to the Gaspe Peninsula” and “A Look at Changes in Railroad Signaling"

04/07/2016
George Hamlin, President, Hamlin Transportation Consulting

Modernizing Freight Rail Regulation: The 2015 Transportation Research Board Recommendation to Congress

02/25/2016
Ken Boyer, Professor of Economics, Michigan State University
Presentation slides

Metra: Building on the Successes of 2015 for the Future

01/20/2016
Don Orseno, Executive Director & CEO, Metra
Jim Derwinski, Chief Mechanical Officer, Metra
Bruce Marcheschi, Chief Engineer, Metra

2015

Railroad Renaissance: Dead or Alive?

12/09/2015
Anthony B. Hatch, Senior Transportation Analyst and Financial Consultant, ABH Consulting
Presentation slides

The Business Case for Higher Speed Freight Trains

11/12/2015
David Burns, Railroad Industrial Engineering Consultant
Presentation slides
FRA Report

Amtrak Blue Ribbon Panel Meeting

10/01/2015
Joseph Boardman, DePaul University
Photo album

Railway Study Association Program

09/16/2015
Michael Holden, President, Railway Study Association
Presentation slides
Ian Savage, Professor of Instruction, Northwestern University
Presenation slides
Joseph Schwieterman, Director, Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development, DePaul University
Presenation slides

Restricting Signals Ahead

06/25/2015
Ed Ellis, President, Iowa Pacific Holdings
Presentation slides

Market Development - Pre & Post Staggers

05/07/2015
Gene Harmon, CEO (Ret.), Speedlink Corp.
Presentation slides

Civil War Railroads

04/16/2015
John (Jack) Barriger, Trustee, John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library

Potholes or Tolls? Perspectives on Transportation Finance

02/26/2015
Joseph L. Schofer, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Associate Dean, McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, Northwestern University
Presentation slides

Metra and Create: Making a Difference in Chicago

01/22/2015
Donald A. Orseno, Executive Director, Metra
Bill Thompson, Program Manager, CREATE

2014

The Race is On! - Can Rails Restore Service & Confidence before...?

12/09/2014
Anthony B. Hatch, Consultant, ABH Consulting

American Railroads: Decline & Renaissance in the Twentieth Century

10/16/2014
Robert E. Gallamore, Principal, The Gallamore Group

A Personal Look at 50 Years of Railroad History

05/15/2014
George W. Hamlin, President, Hamlin Transportation Consulting

Building Consensus for CTA’s Red Line South Reconstruction Project

04/17/2014
Graham Garfield, General Manager of Customer Information, Chicago Transit Authority

Freight Rail Economic Development

03/30/2014
Libby Ogard, Consultant, Prime Focus, LLC

A Conversation with Don Orseno

01/14/2014
Donald A. Orseno, Interim Executive Director, Metra

2013

Looking Ahead to 2014 in the Railroad Industry

12/04/2013
Anthony B. Hatch, Senior Transportation Analyst & Financial Consultant, ABH Consulting

Santa Fe's 1951 Kansas City Flood

11/04/2013
John W. (Jack) Barriger, Trustee, John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library

One Man Wrecking Crew: How Ben Heineman Derailed the Rock Island-Union Pacific Merger

10/10/2013
Gregory Schneider, Professor of History, Emporia State University

Development of Strategic Plan & Research Agenda, National Cooperative Railroad Research Program

09/19/2013
Joseph L. Schofer, Associate Dean, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern Engineering

Passenger Trains on Freight Railroads: Truth is a Constant Casualty

07/16/2013
Don Phillips, Noted Transportation Journalist

CN's Acquisition of the EJE: The Story behind the Headlines

06/04/2013
Eric T. Jakubowski, Chief Commercial Officer, Anacostia Rail Holdings

Intermodal from Birth to Maturity

05/07/2013
Ron Sucik, Principal, RSE Consulting

Amtrak's Relations with its Host Railroads

04/08/2013
Paul Vilter, Assistant Vice President, Host Railroads Amtrak

The Value in Writing Railroad History

03/14/2013
H. Roger Grant, Kathryn & Calhoun Lemon Professsor of History, Clemson University

Chicago Transportation Coordination Office (CTCO) and CREATE - A Progess Report

02/21/2013
Dave Nelson, General Manager Operations, CTCO with CP
William Thompson, Create Railroad Program Manager, Association of American Railroads

The Enduring Legacy of the Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee Railway

01/24/2013
Norman Carlson, Chairman, Carlson Consulting International

2012

Transportation Trends and Investment Implications

12/17/2012
Christoper J. Ceraso, Director & Senior Equity Research Analyst, Credit Suisse, New York

A New Shortline Model

11/01/2012
Allan Roach, Senior Vice President of Business Development, Watco Corporation LLC
Stefan Loeb, Vice President of Business Development, Watco Companies LLC

State of Good Repair and Beyond: Analyzing Metra's 2013 Strategic Plan

10/18/2012
Alexander Clifford, Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer, METRA - Metrpolitan Rail Corporation
Don Orseno, Metra Chief Operations Officer
Joe Lorenzini, Metra Chief Engineering Officer

The Great Railroad Revolution: The History of Trains in America

09/27/2012
Christian Wolmar, Noted British Transport journalist

Chicago Regional Freight Planning: A 2012 Perspective

08/21/2012
Norman West, NEPA Principal Reviewer OECA, Region 5 US Environmental Protection Agency
Tom Murtha, Senior Planner, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning
Libby Ogard, Transportation, Trucking, Railroad Consultant and Contractor

The Arkansas and Missouri: 25 Years of Railroading in the Ozarks

07/26/2012
J. Reilly McCarren, Chairman of the Board, Arkansas Missouri Railroad

Forrest Gump of Railroading - 7 carriers and 27 years into my Railroad Odyssey

06/14/2012
David Arganbright, Vice President, Government Affairs RailAmerica, Inc.

Transportation Deregulation and Safety: A Retrospective and Reflection after 25 Years

05/03/2012
Multiple Speakers

Personal Perspective on the Last 15 Years of the Golden Empire

04/03/2012
Andrew Fox, President, Chicago South Shore & South Bend Railroad

Iowa Pacific Holdings, LLC – Newest Full Member of the AAR

03/20/2012
Ed Ellis, President, Iowa Pacific Holdings

Changing the Face of Logistics

02/23/2012
Michael M. Mullen, Vice Chairman, CenterPoint Properties

2011

Sandhouse Rail Group Luncheon Meeting: Transportation Trends and Investment Implications

12/07/2011
Chris Ceraso, Director & Senior Equity Research Analyst, Credit Suisse, New York

Iowa Interstate's Resurrection of the Rock

11/01/2011
Dennis Miller, President, Iowa Interstate Railroad, Ltd. 

Requiem for a Railroad: The Collapse of the Rock Island

10/06/2011
Gregory Schneider, Professor of History, Emporia State University

Recent Railroad Research at Northwestern

09/20/2011
Ian Savage, Professor of Economics
David Kosnik, Research Engineer, ITI

Current Issues Regarding Competition in the Railroad Industry

08/16/2011
Larry Kaufman, Noted Transportation Journalist, Consultant and Author

Government: Is it Helping or Hurting Planes, Trains & Trucks?

07/19/2011
Don Phillips, Noted Transportation Journalist 

CREATE - an Update

06/30/2011
William C. Thompson, CREATE Railroad Program Manager, Association of American Railroads

The Future State of High-Speed Rail in Illinois

04/29/2011
Joe Shacter, Director of Public & Intermodal Transportation, Illinois Department of Transportation
Karen Hudlund, Chief Counsel, Federal Railroad Administration

Buying Railroads

04/19/2011
Mark Hastings, Executive Vice President, Genesee & Wyoming, Inc. 

How to Maximize the Benefits from Your Railroad's Large Investment in Positive Train Control

03/15/2011
Steven R. Ditmeyer, Adjunct Professor, Railway Management Program, Michigan State University

Bridging the Next Century: An Overview of Metra Rail Engineering and Update on Metra Bridge Projects

02/10/2011
Joseph Lorenzini, Chief Engineering Officer, METRA

Is there a Future for the Passenger Train? Yes, No, Maybe!

01/27/2011
David Burns, Railroad Industrial Engineering Consultant

2010

Economic Update of Transportation/Rail Sector

12/9/2010
Professor Robert J. Gordon, Distinguished Northwestern Economist

Economic Consequences of Positive Train Control

09/13/2010
Carl Van Dyke & Rodney Case
Partners, Oliver Wyman's Global Surface and Transportation Practice

A Chicagoan’s Transportation Odyssey: Adventures in Planning for Automated Trains, Electric Buses and Smart Roadways in Vancouver

08/02/2010
Michael J. Shiffer, Ph. D., Vice President, Planning, Strategy & Technology, TransLink (South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority)

From Bankruptcy to Prosperity: A Half Century of Railroad History

07/13/2010
Larry Kaufman, Transportation Journalist, Consultant and Author

Pedestrian Rail Safety Symposium

06/22/2010
Ian Savage, Professor of Transportation and Economics, Northwestern University
Norman Carlson, Carlson Consulting International, LLC, Moderator, Transportation Center Sandhouse Rail Group

High Speed Rail in China...On or Off the Track?

05/25/2010
Dr. Hongchang Li, Beijing Jiaotong University

FRA Initiatives

04/13/2010
Joseph C. Szabo, Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration

Biomass as a Renewable Energy and the Implications for the North American Railroads

02/23/2010
Lee A. Clair, Partner, Norbridge

An Outlook for the North American Rail Car Fleet: The Rise... The Fall... The??

01/26/2010
Richard J. Kloster, FTR Consulting Group, Advanced Rail Equipment Solutions, Inc.

Beyond Transportation: The Economic Impact of Rail in Illinois

01/15/2010
Pat Quinn, Illinois Governor

2009

Transportation Industry Financial Update

12/01/2009
Anthony B. Hatch, ABH Consulting

Chicago to St. Louis – in an Hour and 52 Minutes

10/01/2009
Richard Harnish, Executive Director, Midwest High Speed Rail Coalition

Development of High Speed Rail on AMTRAK's Chicago Hub and Planning for New Services from Chicago

09/02/2009
Ray Lang, Senior Directory, Government Affairs, AMTRAK

NICTD Accomplishments, Trends in Ridership, Major Capital Projects and Future Plans

08/06/2009
Gerald Hanas, General Manager, Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD)

Lending Money to Small Railroads

06/23/2009
Robert W. Hart, Senior Vice President & Product, Deliver Sr. Officer-Credit Specialized Industries, Bank of America

Competition in the U.S. Freight Railroad Industry: Prices, Costs, Productivity & Capacity Constraints

05/21/2009
Joseph Swanson, Presient, Jos. Swanson & Co., Clinical Professor of Finance, Kellogg School of Management
John Hudson, Professor & Director, Geography Program, Associate Director, Environmental Sciences programs, Northwestern University

Engines of Change: Locomotives and Fuels of the Future

04/30/2009
Michael Iden, General Directory, Car & Locomotive Engineering, Union Pacific Railroad

Milwaukee Road Bankruptcy: Lessons Learned and Its Relevance to the Current Business Climate 

03/26/2009
Tom Power, Former CFO and CEO of the Milwaukee Road

The Future of Chinese Railways

02/19/2009
David Burns, Railroad Industrial Engineering Consultant

2008

Annual Financial Update of the Transportation Industry

12/04/2008
Adam Inselbuch, Managing Director, Investment Banking, Credit Suisse, New York

This Too Shall Pass

11/18/2008
Jim McClellan, Vice President, Woodside Consulting

Field Trip to Belt Railway of Chicago Clearing Yard

10/28/2008
Patrick J. O'Brien, President, Belt Railway of Chicago

Containerized Intermodal Goods Movement Assessment (CIGMA)' with special emphasis on the rail impacts of the study

09/16/2008
Ron Sucik, The Tioga Group

A discussion with the Sandhouse Rail Group of the Transportation Center

08/12/2008
David Rohal, SVP and COO, RailAmerica; President, Florida East Coast Railway

Recent Developments in North American Railroad Tank Car Safety

06/25/2008
Christopher P.L. Barkan, Associate Professor, George Krambles Faculty Fellow, Director - Railroad Engineering Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

What in the World Is Going On at the STB?

05/12/2008
William C. Sippel, Fletcher & Sippel LLC

The Intern and the CEO

04/09/2008
Tom Hoback, President & CEO, Indiana Railroad Company
Erin Cully, Student Intern

Proposed purchase of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railroad by the Canadian National

02/27/2008
Jim Kveradas, Director for Corporate Development for the CN

Emerging Technologies and Mass Transit Planning: Moving Bits to Move People

02/21/2008
Mike Shiffer, PhD, Clinical Associate Professor, University of Illinois, Chicago

Future of the Rail Carload Business: Loose-Car Railroading

01/28/2008
Mike Blazsak, Senior Counsel to Earth Tech, Inc. 

2007

The Rail Renaissance - Endangered??: A Financial Analysis of the Rail Industry

12/06/2007
Anthony Hatch, Independent Transportation Analyst & Consultant

Rail Freight Operations: A Brighter Future with ECP Brakes

11/08/2007
Tim Murphy, Senior Associate, Global Commercial Transportation, Booz Allen Hamilton

Labor looks at U.S. Railroads

10/23/2007
Frank Wilner, Director of Labor Relations at the United Transportation Union

Trains vs. Trucks - The Saga Continues

09/12/2007
Jim Giblin, Transportation Consultant

The New Normal: Restructuring the North American Transport Industry

07/25/2007
Lee Clair, Senior Partner, Norbridge, Inc. 

Experiences Advising the Iraqi Republic Railways

06/06/2007
Mark Hemphill, HDR Engineers

Construction and Plan Implementation of the World's Largest High Speed Rail Project

05/08/2007
Peter Turrel, Former Head of the Transportation Department for the Taiwan High Speed Rail Project

Transportation Policy and Politics

04/19/2007
Linda Morgan, Partner & Chair, Transportation Practice Group, Covington & Burling LLP, Washington, DC, Former Chair of the Interstate Commerce Commission and the Surface Transportation Board

The Transrapid Maglev System

03/28/2007
Reed Tanger, Transrapid International-USA, Kellogg School of Management, Class of 2007

An Alternative Vision for the Future of Rail

03/08/2007
Robert Pulliam, Tubular Rail Technology

The Next Generation: Alternative Technology to Supplement the Transportation System

01/10/2007
Bruce Dahnke, SkyTech Transportation

2006

Coal Transportation Issues and Opportunities

12/08/2006
Lee Clair, Senior Partner of Norbridge, Inc. 

Illinois High Speed Rail Track Project - Mazonia to Springfield (118 miles)

11/28/2006
Mike Garcia, Chief - Rail Engineering Unit, Illinois DOT

Swimming with the Giants in International Waters

10/03/2006
Rail Panel: Sandhouse Rail Group member Norm Carlson organized a panel of senior railroad executives to discuss the role railroads play in international logistics and the global economy.
Norm Carlson, Carlson Consulting International
Art Shoener, President & CEO, Kansas City Southern Railroad
Mort Fuller, Chairman & CEO, Genesse & Wyoming Railroad Co.
Tom Hoback, President & CEO, The Indiana Rail Road Company
Charles Swinburn, CEO, RailAmerica, Inc
Bob Gallamore, The Gallamore Group Former director of the Transportation Center

Reregulation: The Struggle for Prosperity

09/28/2006
Mike Blaszak, Chicago Attorney, Senior Counsel, Earth Tech, Inc. 

High Speed Passenger Trains on the Illinois Amtrak Network

08/14/2006
Rick Harnish, Executive Director, Midwest High Speed Rail Association

Transforming Innovation at the Illinois Central Electric

07/17/2006
Norm Carlson, Chairman, Carlson Consulting International, LLC.

Enduring Enterprise: The Development of the North American Railroad in the Twentieth Century

06/12/2006
Robert E. Gallamore, Former Director, Transportation Center

Update on Chicago's CREATE Program

05/10/2006
Earl Wacker, CSX Superintendent
Bill Thompson, Association of American Railroads CREATE Railroad Program Manager

National Transportation Policy and Intercity Rail Passenger Service

05/02/2006
David L. Gunn, Past President and CEO of Amtrak

The Star Line

03/22/2006
Phil Pasterak, Midwest Regional Manager of PB Transit and Rail Systems
David Kralik, New Start Project Leader- Star Line at Metra

Impact of Weight Limits on Small & Medium Railroads

02/13/2006
J. Reilly McCarren, Chairman of the Arkansas Missouri Railroad, and former President and CEO of the Wisconsin Central Railroad System

Trespassing and U.S. Railroads

01/17/2006
Ian Savage, Professor of Economics, Northwestern University

2005

A View from Wall Street

12/09/2005
Jim Valentine, Managing Director at Morgan Stanley

The Iron Horse and the Windy City

11/14/2005
David Young, Author and former transportation reporter for the Chicago Tribune

Optimization Approaches to Gang Schedulilng at BNSF

10/27/2005
Dr. Michael F. Gorman, School of Business, University of Dayton

Connecting Rail and Airports: Principles and Applications

09/30/2005
Steven D. Van Beek, Executive Vice President, Policy Airports Council International - North America

When the Railroad Leaves Town: Geographic Perspectives on Rail Line Abandonment

08/29/2005
Joe Schwieterman, Director, Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development

More on Railroad Mergers

07/15/2005
Michael Blaszak, Attorney

Railroad Routing Protocols: A Paradigm Shift for the Industry

06/24/2005
Eric Jakubowski, Director, Market Development, Canadian National Railways

Dark Territory-RDC's Long, Strange Trip to the Fringes of the Regional Railroad Movement

05/19/2005
Henry Posner III, Chairman, Railroad Development Corporation

The Metropolis Freight Plan: Delivering the Goods

04/22/2005
James C. LaBelle, Deputy Director, Chicago Metropolis 2020

A New Transportation Agenda for America in the Aftermath of 11 September 2001

03/15/2005
Tom Finkbiner, Chairman, President & CEO, Quality Distribution, Inc. 

The Future of Chicago Regional Freight Intermodal Yards: Site and Design Criteria

02/15/2005
Norman West, University of Illinois-Chicago

The North American Freight Car Market 2005

01/21/2005
David Burns

2004

Trucks vs. Trains: What Really Happened and Why

12/17/2004
James Giblin, Vice President, Transportation Consulting Services Corp. 

Create Mapping Project

11/09/2004
W. Robert Moore, HNTB
Earl Wacker, Superintendent, Chicago Transportation Coordination Office

Optimizing the Design of Hazardous Materials Vehicles

10/07/2004
Christopher Barkan, University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign

Wireless remote operating systems for locomotives and yard management

09/14/2004
Joe Noffsinger, GE Transportation Systems

Why Has Safety Improved at Rail-Highway Grade Crossings?

07/19/2004
Ian Savage, Associate Department Chair, Department of Economics, Northwestern University

Railroad Service Measurement

06/17/2004
William Harsh, Mercer Management Consulting

Planning the Western Terminal at O'Hare

05/17/2004
Mark Walbrun, Vice President Transystems

Observations of the Startup of the Montreal, Maine & Atlantic and Overseas Railroading

04/19/2004
Edward A. Burkhardt, President, Rail World, Inc.

The Business Benefits of PTC

04/13/2004
Randolph A. Resor, Vice President, Zeta-Tech Associates, Inc. 

Motor Carrier Hours of Service Regulation and Its Impact on Railroads

02/09/2004
Lee Clair, Senior Partner, Norbridge, Inc.

The Paradox of Rising Investment and Falling Value

01/09/2004
George Avery Grimes, PE, Univesity of Illinois, Railroad Engineering Program

2003

A View from Wall Street

12/12/2003
James J. Valentine, Managing Director, Morgan Stanley

The Economic Impact of Rail to the City of Chicago

11/13/2003
Andreas E. Aeppli & James A. Blair, Reebie Associates

The Business Plan Behind the Royal Canadian Pacific

10/20/2003
David Walker, Magaing Director, Royal Canadian Pacific

Current Operations of the Alameda Corridor

09/26/2003
Peter Gilbertson, President and CEO, Anacostia and Pacific Company, Inc. 

TTX-Provided Container Chassis Pool

08/20/2003
Thomas F. Wells, Senior Vice President - Fleet Management TTX

Rail and Truck Operations in the Alameda Corridor

07/23/2003
Richard R. Gill, Vice President
William E. Duvall, VP Facilities Design and Construction Management, Parsons Transportation Group, Inc. 

The 'Chicago Plan' Rail System

06/25/2003
Gregory N. Garrison, Superintendent, Chicago Transportation Coordination Office, Union Pacific Railroad

EMD's IntelliTrans Project

05/19/2003
Stephen Probst, Business Catalyst, LLC.

The National Corridors Initiative meeting in Washington

04/28/2003
James E. Coston, Managing Partner, Coston & Lichtman

The US Railway Supply Outlook

03/28/2003
Lee A. Clair, Senior Partner, Norbridge, Inc. 

Rail Industry Privitization in Great Britain

01/24/2003
Phillip G. Pasterak, P.E., PB Transit & Rail Systems, Inc. 

2002

Creative Applications of Technology in Railroads

12/10/2002
Thomas G. Hook, President and CEO, The Indiana Rail Road Company

Status of Line Extension and Merger with IMRL

11/22/2002
Lynn A. Anderson

Chicago Metropolis 2020: The Metropolis Plan

06/28/2002
James C. LaBelle, Senior Advisor, Chicago Metropolis 2020

Fatigue and Safety: The Economics of Market Choices, Public Policy, and Regulatory Enforcement

05/21/2002
Ian Savage, Department of Economics, Northwestern University

A View from Wall Street

04/11/2002
James J. Valentine, Managing Director, Morgan Stanley

Chicago Central Rail Hub

03/26/2002
Mark Walbrun, TransSystems

High Speed Rail to O'Hare

02/25/2002
Richard Harnish, Midwest High Speed Rail Coalition

Midwest High Speed Rail

01/28/2002
Michael W. Franke, Assistant Vice President - Amtrak

First meeting of the Sandhouse Rail Group

12/05/2001
Dr. Robert Galamore, Director, Transportation Center

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