Railcar Technical Services Association (RTSA)

RTSA (formerly MARTS) is the organization dedicated to the freight car maintenance professional. Our mission is to provide a value-added forum for sharing railcar customer maintenance needs through new technology, practical experience and best practices with the purpose of improving profitability.  RTSA provides its members with a solid knowledge and understanding of railcar maintenance.

The 2019 conference will be one of our most exciting with a full agenda covering current issues critical to every railcar maintenance professional, presented by speakers who are on the leading edge of today’s technology and regulations. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet and share your thoughts with your peers from all segments of the railcar maintenance arena.

Sunday, September 22

3:30 PM – 4:30 PM

RTSA Board of Directors Meeting

This meeting is open to RTSA Board Members only.

4:30 PM – 4:45 PM

RTSA Annual Business Meeting

This meeting is open all RTSA Members.

Monday, September 23

9:00 AM – 9:45 AM

Railcar Repair Committee Presentations Session 1

AAR M-1002 – Who Should Apply and How

This session will provide valuable information to tank car owners, manufacturers, repair shops, and component suppliers engaged in the design, fabrication, manufacture, repair, and assembly of tank cars, tank car tank components, service equipment, and closures. The track will focus on AAR’s Circular CPC-1338, with respect to new and revised definitions and facility certification. The discussion will also respond to questions that have arisen since issuance of the circular.

• Speaker: Matt Forister, Transportation Technology Center, Inc.

AAR M-1003 – Who Should Apply and How 

This presentation will describe AAR Specification for Quality Assurance, M-1003. The specification applies to new, reconditioned, repaired, modified, requalified, and secondhand materials and products for use in North American Railway Interchange Service. The provisions of M-1003 are mandatory when referenced in the Field Manual of the AAR Interchange Rules, AAR Circular Letter or in the AAR standard describing the requirements of the product or service being supplied.

• Speaker: Don Guillen, Transportation Technology Center, Inc.

Session Sponsor: Randall Thomure, Director of Regulatory Affairs & Safety, Railway Supply Institute

10:00 AM – 10:45 AM

Railcar Repair Committee Presentations Session 2

D15.1 Welder Performance Certification Requirements

This seminar will break down the requirements for performance certification of welders to AWS D15.1. Topics will include:

*Certification to Material, Process, Position, and Filler Metal.

*6-month Maintenance and Recertification Requirements

*Requirements for NDT and Destructive Testing of Coupons

*Retesting Requirements for Failed Performance Tests

• Speaker: John Killion, Manager, Welding Processes, Union Tank Car Company

Session Sponsor: Randall Thomure, Director of Regulatory Affairs & Safety, Railway Supply Institute

11:00 AM – 11:35 AM

Railcar Repair Committee Presentations Session 3

Safe Railcar Jacking and Lifting Procedures

This session will provide attendees an overview of the key elements that must be considered prior to and during the process of jacking a railcar to ensure the work is performed in a safe manner for all employees in and around the work area. The program will cover items such as site safety inspection, environmental conditions, personal protective equipment, recommended tools and equipment, and best practices.

• Speaker: Andrew Schaffer, President, Plant Division, Rescar

Sponsor: Randall Thomure, Director of Regulatory Affairs & Safety, Railway Supply Institute

1:45 PM – 2:30 PM

Interchange Rules Panel

The Interchange Rules Panel will allow members of the Arbitration and Rules Committee and the Car Repair Billing Committee to speak on current topics impacting the industry, as well as to afford the opportunity for the audience to pose questions and receive responses for both the Field and Office Manuals of the AAR Interchange Rules. All in attendance should come prepared with your inquiries for the panel.

• Speaker: James Williams, Norfolk Southern RR
• Speaker: Gary Nelson, Sidney & Lowe RR
• Speaker: Jeremy Luna, Kansas City Southern RR
• Speaker: Rick Koenig, Union Tank Car Company
• Speaker: Heidi Dyser, Union Pacific Railroad

Session Sponsor: Nichole Fimple, Executive Director Rules & Standards, Association of American Railroads

2:45 PM – 3:30 PM

Hi-Tech Methods for Railcar Maintenance

This session will include updates on the current focus of the industry’s Asset Health Strategic Initiative. Topics covered will include onboard & wayside condition & performance monitoring, component tracking, bad actor car identification, detector quality monitoring, multi-level M&R pool billing, and End-of-Train telemetry device management.

Leveraging the Investment in PTC

• Speaker: Kevin Stokes, Director Telecom & PTC Comms, CSX Transportation

Big Data for Small Rail 

TTX Company is applying innovative data science solutions to railcar maintenance for their fleet of 220k railcars. They are developing machine learning models and advanced analytics techniques to tackle tough business challenges, automate processes and drive business value across the organization. This presentation will provide an introductory overview of machine learning and provide a foundational context for how the data science work at TTX has helped them evolve their business processes and enhance decision making.

• Speaker: Kristina Chambers, TTX Company

Session Sponsor: Kim Bowling, Mechanical Operations, CSX Transportation

3:45 PM- 5:00 PM

AAR Asset Health Initiative

This session will include updates on the current focus of the industry’s Asset Health Strategic Initiative. Topics covered will include: onboard & wayside condition & performance monitoring, component tracking, bad actor car identification, detector quality monitoring, multi-level M&R pool billing, and End-of-Train telemetry device management.

• Speaker: James Williams, Director Car Administration, Norfolk Southern Corporation
• Speaker: Darrell Iler, Senior Manager Mechanical, Canadian National Railway Company
• Speaker: Bo Thompson, Director Asset Health, Association of American Railroads
• Speaker: David Summey, Director Asset Services, Railinc Corporation

Session Sponsor: Pat Ameen, Vice President, Industry Relations, Amsted Rail Company

Tuesday, September 24

9:45 AM – 10:30 AM

Tank Car Technical Standards Session 1

AAR CPC-1338: Implementation of Chapter 1 & Appendix B

During this session, participants will learn about the AAR facility certification requirements as outlined in Appendix B of the AAR’s Manual of Standards and Recommended Practices, Section C, Part III, Specifications for Tank Cars. The program will focus on the types of facilities that require AAR certification and how each facility must demonstrate compliance with both the AAR quality assurance and technical certifications. Topics include proposed CPC-1232, “Solicitation of Comments for Appendix B and Associated Chapter 1 Definitions of AAR Manual of Standards and Recommended Practices (MSRP), Section C Part III, Specifications for Tank Cars (M-1002).”

• Speaker: Matthew Forister, Assistant Director, Tank Car/Hazmat Safety, AAR

Sponsor: James Rader, Vice President, Greenbrier Management Services

10:45 AM – 11:30 AM

Tank Car Technical Standards Session 2

RSI-100 Product Certification Standard

The focus of this session is on a developing RSI Standard, RSI-100, addressing Product Quality Certification. The Standard will make available the fundamentals of product certification as a means to provide confidence that products acquired from an AAR non-certified facility conform to a specified quality requirement. The basis of the Standard follows ISO-17067, “Conformity Assessment — Fundamentals of Product Certification and Guidelines for Product Certification Schemes,” and ASA-100, “Aviation Suppliers Association: Quality System Standard.” The Standard places structure into the product certification process based on the level of complexity of the manufactured product.

• Speaker: John Byrne, Vice Chairman, Committee on Tank Cars, Railway Supply Institute

Sponsor: James Rader, Vice President, Greenbrier Management Services

12:30 PM – 1:15 PM

TTCI Technical Presentations Session 1

Research and Technology Update

For more than 80 years, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) has maintained a steadfast commitment to research and development for its members. In its current form, the program is called the AAR Strategic Research Initiatives (SRI) program. The primary objectives for the SRI program have remained constant and are aimed strategically to enhance the safety, reliability, and efficiency of rail operations. A critical cross-cutting initiative in the SRI program is the Facility for Accelerated Service Testing (FAST). Launched in 1976, FAST operates up to 140-million gross tons per year on a durability test bed for railroad track, rail vehicles, and their component parts. At FAST, a 17,600-ton, full-scale train, comprising 3 SD-70 locomotives and 110, 315,000-pound cars, operates at 40 mph over a 2.7 miles of track termed the High Tonnage Loop (HTL). In addition to ongoing testing at FAST, this presentation will highlight several of the AAR Strategic Research Initiatives.

Most of the AAR’s research is performed at the Transportation Technology Center (TTC) which is a federal laboratory and proving ground facility located near Pueblo, CO. The TTC facility is operated by the Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI), which is a wholly owned subsidiary of the AAR.

• Speaker: Lisa A. Stabler, President, Transportation Technology Center, Inc.

Access to AAR Rules and Standards

Session Information Coming

• Speaker: David L. Cackovic, Transportation Technology Center, Inc.

Session Sponsor: David Cackovic, Assistant Vice President and Chief, Technical Standards and Inspections, TTCI

1:30 PM – 2:15 PM

TTCI Technical Presentations Session 2

Review of Wheel/Axle Specification Changes

Cameron Lonsdale will present a review of significant wheel/axle specification changes over the years, including information on historical wheel failure trends going back into the 70’s.

• Speaker: Cameron Lonsdale, Standard Steel

AAR Equipment Engineering Committee Update

Jon Hannafious will provide an update on EEC activities as well as describing EEC efforts to respond to regulations on retroreflective sheeting on freight cars and locomotives.

The AAR Equipment Engineering Committee (EEC) develops and maintains design and operation standards for freight cars and their components. EEC also serves as the oversight committee for the operations of all AAR Committees who handle freight car components including the Braking Systems Committee, the Wheels-Axles-Bearings & Lubrication Committee, the Coupling System & Truck Castings Committee, and the Specially Equipped Freight Car Committee. All components included on AAR Interchange approved freight cars (for other than tank car tanks themselves), fall under the guidance of the EEC, though most components are approved indirectly through the reporting committees.

• Speaker: Jon Hannafious, Transportation Technology Center, Inc.

Session Sponsor: David Cackovic, Assistant Vice President and Chief, Technical Standards and Inspections, TTCI

2:30 PM – 3:15 PM

Protective Coatings Committee Session 1

Measuring and Managing Blast Operations

Speaker: Joe Craig, Blast Services Inc.

Reducing Your Costs in Blasting Processes

Speaker: Brian Kenimer, BlastOne

Focus on AAR Coating Shop Audits

This session will provide valuable information to tank car owners, manufacturers, repair shops, and component suppliers engaged in the design, fabrication, manufacture, repair, and assembly of tank cars, tank car tank components, service equipment, and closures. The track will focus on AAR’s Circular CPC-1338, with respect to new and revised definitions and facility certification. The discussion will also respond to questions that have arisen since issuance of the circular.

• Speaker: Maria Betti, GATX
• Speaker: Jim Molnar, UTLX
• Speaker: Matthew Forister, AAR

Session Sponsor: James R. Molnar, Manager R&D, Union Tank Car Company

3:30 PM – 4:15 PM Protective Coatings Committee Session 2

Panel: Decontamination Before Coating After Unlined Crude Oil and Other Services– A Practical Discussion

• Panelists:
  Ed Zaharias, Sponge-Jet
  Brian Kenimer, BlastOne
  John Myers, Carboline
  Jay Grove, GATX
  Steve Martin, Quala
• Moderator: Ken Campbell, AkzoNobel

Session Sponsor: James R. Molnar, Manager R&D, Union Tank Car Company