Put several hundred representatives of short line and regional railroads in one place with a group of NRE representatives and you’ve got the makings of some beautiful business relationships. NRE has a long history with the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA).
So, you can understand when Mike Zerafa, AVP of North American Sales and Business Development for NRE, says, “The ASLRRA Convention has always been one that NRE looks forward to every year,” and why he smiles when he says it.
The ASLRRA represents the entrepreneurial owners and operators of about 600 short line and regional railroads throughout North American. Their membership also includes more than 400 companies that provide goods and services to the short line industry. NRE is a proud member of the ASLRRA.
Don’t let that word “short” fool you. Short line railroads operate 50,000 miles of track or nearly 40 percent of the national railroad network. They operate in nearly every state, often providing the first-mile/last-mile connection between farmers and manufacturers and the ultimate consumer.
“NRE is a key supplier to this market segment, offering a one-stop shop,” Zerafa said. “NRE offers locomotive-service capability, a large selection of rebuildable components to ship from stock, as well as the largest used locomotive inventory for sale or lease, in four-and six-axle models.”
NRE will be well represented at the upcoming ASLRRA 2018 Connections Convention in Nashville April 7-10. President and CEO Steven Beal will lead the NRE convention team. Key account managers that cover the short line and regional railroads and industrial accounts will be in attendance, as well as Richard Elgin, Senior Technical Specialist, and John Lockhart, Director of Field Services.
“Short line and regional railroads are important to NRE,” Zerafa said. “The ASLRRA convention is an opportunity to see many of NRE’s customers, some with hundreds of locomotives and some with one or two. It’s also an opportunity to show some of NRE’s very own products.”
This year, NRE will showcase its NFORCE system, developed using the latest microprocessor technology and designed to upgrade aging locomotives to modern performance levels. The system controls locomotive systems, improving adhesion and reliability and offering better diagnostics capability. Also on display will be NRE’s Low Oil Consumption Power Assemblies.
NRE’s EMD® Power Assembly offerings include new or remanufactured heads, liners, and pistons for 567, 645, and 710 engines, manufactured in NRE’s Hagerstown, MD, facility, using castings poured by the NRE foundry in Weston, WV. All components are built to OEM or better specifications.
“These are produced with precision manufacturing, one-hundred percent in house from foundry to machining, right here in the USA,” Zerafa said.
In addition to more than 230 companies that will be represented in the trade show, the ASLRRA 2018 Connections Convention will include featured speakers, 35-45 individual breakout sessions covering a wide variety of rail industry topics, and lots of opportunities to network. ASLRRA serves its membership through results-oriented representation in Washington, D.C., and delivers a wide range of industry services and professional development opportunities including training, meetings and conferences. For more information, visit http://www.aslrra.org.