We're immersed in freight rail data and technology at Railinc. The work we do every day supports critical industry operations and helps to ensure railroads, car owners and others have access to the data they need, when they need it.
But while we have expertise in many areas of rail operations and technologies, most of us never actually see a train while working at our PCs or meeting with our teams.
That's why we send a group of 10 employees to Atlanta, Ga., every quarter for two days of training at CSX Corp.'s Railroad Education and Development Institute (REDI).
Adjacent to Tilford Yard, REDI is CSX's primary education center. The railroad trains the majority of its new employees there, including conductors, locomotive engineers, yardmasters and management trainees.
"Freight rail is a complex business, and we only see part of industry through our work at Railinc," said Chief Financial Officer Yates Parker, who attended training in February. "These trips to CSX REDI give us a chance to see firsthand what railroad employees do and help our people see that their work has a real impact on the movement of freight in North America."
Railinc CFO Yates Parker in front of a CSX locomotive.
Training Connects Employees with Industry
CSX instructors lead Railinc employees through classroom sessions on topics such as safety and railroad signage. The training includes practice time in CSX's locomotive simulator, close-up looks at damaged wheelets and tours of the repair shop, where employees can catch a glimpse of the equipment ID tags that are part of the Component Tracking initiative that is supported by Railinc.
There are also some hands-on activities in the rail yard. Railinc employees get to drive a railroad spike, give the hang test a try and flip a manual switch.
Railinc employees get a firsthand look at worn wheelsets.
To understand the physical requirements of railroad work, Railinc employees
participate in a hang test, which simulates hanging from a ladder
on the side of a railcar for more than four minutes.
At CSX REDI, Railinc employees get to try out the locomotive
simulators used to train future engineers.
A Railinc employee drives a railroad spike at CSX REDI.
"It's so easy for us, working in the office, to think of our projects simply as data in/data out," said Alicia Goldberg, a business analyst who attended training in May. "Going through the training, driving that railroad spike, really made me feel like part of the industry. It's something every Railinc employee should take advantage of."
The trip helped Reggie Ealey, a senior software developer who went to CSX REDI in 2014, connect the development work he does with what happens in a rail yard.
"Experiencing how a railroad works and bringing that back to the office was fulfilling," he said. "I know now that the projects I work on here are used by the industry. How cool is that?"
Visit the Railinc Flickr page to see more pictures from Railinc trips to CSX REDI.
—Railinc Corporate Communications