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When you have lived in the same area for a long time, you get to know how things flow around you.  You know generally from which direction the storms come from, and if you are outside on a hot, humid, sunny day, you usually take a look in that direction to make sure that thunderstorms are not on their way.  Things are not that much different on the political horizon for the short lines, and there might be a couple of clouds forming in that familiar location.Our old friends Senators Schumer of New York and Blumenthal of Connecticut have dropped S.

I have written many times in the past about how much attention to detail makes a difference in providing service to others.  With that goes showing that you are actually paying attention to what you are doing, and not just going through the paces.  Unfortunately, I have two recent examples of how not paying attention to what you are doing makes you come off looking like an idiot.First one comes from the school system where my children attend school.  More specifically, the transportation department for the school system.  One of our neighbors has two sons, one is a ju

A couple of weeks ago I was with our esteemed editor in chief in Orlando for the site visit for next year’s ASLRRA Connections, and we got started talking about the things that business travelers do differently than the average traveler, and at some point in the conversation she said “you know, maybe it’s time for a blog on travel tips.”  Not being one to ignore a suggestion by the boss, here we go:1.

August in Washington is traditionally a quiet time. Not this year, however. (Just ask President Obama, who is trying to vacation amid tense domestic and international situations).Late summer has also been a busy time for the corner offices of two major railroad trade associations. Both

At this point you probably have seen the announcement from the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association about their new president.  Some of you are probably saying that it is going to be a big change for the ASLRRA, but I really am believing that this is really the final act in a path of change that Rich Timmons has had them on for the last twelve years.Saying that the ASLRRA of 2014 is

I just returned from a site inspection in Orlando for next year’s American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association’s annual convention (ASLRRA 2015 Connections).  It’s an easy trip from the Mid-Atlantic, although my flights both ways were sold-out and packed with kids, parents and grandparents visiting Mickey, Minnie & Goofy and other nearby attractions.If you aren’t familiar with the term site inspection, it’s pretty much what it sounds like.

It seems that life these days is made up of the spaces in between when we work, and with all of the constant communication that goes on those spaces keep getting smaller.  In my life, I haven’t helped things by being in a position that essentially has me on call 24 hours a day, and the fact that I am a one man band with my own company that has me acting in a customer service role all the time.  In the early days of SDS I also travelled a lot, so my time at home was limited.  I have been very fortunate to have a wonderfully understanding wife who allowed me to do these

As I mentioned in my last blog, I was at the NS Short Line Meeting in Roanoke, and like most meetings of this type, we were wined and dined, spoken to by members of NS senior management about all sorts of topics, and numerous meetings took place with market managers about business, old, current, and new.  There was something, though, that a number of us who had been attending the meeting for a long time noticed, and that was that there were a significant number of young people at the meeting.So why is this

Is St. Paul the new Chicago? Earlier this year when the railroad industry was criticized for delayed rail shipments, top executives cited the unusually harsh winter conditions, difficult operating conditions and blamed Chicago, in particular.It’s July now and the rail industry is still dealing with slowdowns in the Midwest for grain shipments.

With all of the travelling I do I rent probably a dozen different cars in a year.  Now I understand that the basics of driving are basically the same no matter what car you are in, but each car has its own little nuances. For example, last week I was in Virginia at the NS Short Line Meeting, and I had a Lincoln MKZ, which is the Lincoln version of the Ford Fusion, which happens to be what my wife drives.

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