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2009
Midwest Regional & Shortline Railroad Annual Conference
Ruttger's Sugar Lake Lodge - Cohasset, MN
July 12, 13, & 14, 2009
On behalf of the Minnesota Regional Railroads Association, we would like to thank everyone for attending the conference at the beautiful Ruttger's Sugar Lake Lodge, in Cohasset (Grand Rapids) Minnesota.
This year's gathering was another great success. Attendance was great and the weather cooperated beautifully. Cool jazz opened the night with Cold Water Hot Club Trio. The entertainment was well received during the opening reception and dinner Sunday evening. Area State Representative Loren Solberg (D-Grand Rapids) welcomed the group at the start of the 23rd annual conference the next morning. Attendees had a wonderful opportunity to discuss the future of rail across the nation with the Wall Street analyst Anthony "Tony" Hatch's perspective. Everyone received a better feel for the State Rail Plan through a presentation from Thomas Sorel, the Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Transportation, as well as his team of qualified individuals, Bill Gardner, Susan Aylesworth and Janelle Collier. State representative Mike Beard (R-Shakopee) was available and discussed issues relating to the legislature and transportation. Panel discussions and break out presentations received great reviews. The last full day of events concluded with a taste of France and a Bastille day celebration featuring Milwaukee's Best Female vocalist, Robin Pluer and special guest.
Below you will find pictures of the events and links to the presentations from our various panelists. And last, but not least, thanks to everyone who filled out the evaluation forms. Your input helps us craft future conferences. This year's winner of the $50 cash prize was Rich Franck from Twin Cities and Western Railroad.
Again, on behalf of all the members of the MRRA, we would like to thank everyone for helping make this conference a great success. We hope to see you next year!
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Photo Captions
- Anthony B. Hatch - abh consulting, New York, NY offered an analyst's perspective of "America's Railroad Renaissance".
- MN\DOT Commissioner Tom Sorel during his presentation on "Minnesota's Transportation Future and the Role of Railroads."
- Lee Miller - Arthur Chapman Ketterling, Smetak & Pilkala - presented his "Loaded with Liability- Railcar Loading and Unloading Injuries" topic during one of the breakout sessions.
- Patrick Dorin, PhD offered a glimpse into "Passenger & Freight Interface - New Problems and Possibilities" at one of the breakout sessions.
- John Smullen, Federal Railroad Administration explains "Safety First - Hours of Service and FRA Updates" during a breakout session.
- Dave Christenson, MN\DOT's State Rail Plan Project manager addresses a "New Beginning" in the comprehensive Statewide Freight and Passenger Rail Plan.
- Andreas Aeppli, Cambridge Systematics, Inc., during his presentation and additional information on the statewide rail plan.
- Honoring us with a special Bastille Day celebration are two of Milwaukee's Best - Robin Pluer and special guest.
- John Gray - Senior VP, Policy and Economics, Association of American Railroads with his very informative presentation on "US Railroads and the Obama Administration."
- Bill Gardner - Director, Office of Freight Railroads and Waterways, MN\DOT presenting his always entertaining rail office updates.
- Susan Aylesworth, Manager, Rail Administration, MN\DOT discussing crossing requirements.
- Janelle Collier, Manager MRSI Program, MN\DOT discussing program requirements.
- "2010 Legislative Session Analysis - Lawmakers and Lobbyists' Panel" featuring John Apitz of Messerli & Kramer
- "2010 Legislative Session Analysis - Lawmakers and Lobbyists' Panel" featuring Amber Backhaus of Leonard Street & Deinard
- "2010 Legislative Session Analysis - Lawmakers and Lobbyists' Panel" featuring Rep. Mike Beard – Lead GOP, House Transportation Finance and Policy Division.
- Conference wrap-up.
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| Title |
Author |
| "America's Railroad Renaissance" |
Anthony B. Hatch
abh consulting |
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| "Loaded with Liability - Railcar Loading and Unloading Injuries" |
Lee Miller
Arthur Chapman Law |
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| "A New Day in America - US Railroads and the Obama Administration" |
John Gray
Assn. of American Railroads |
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| "Minnesota's Comprehensive Statewide Freight and Passenger Rail Plan - A New Beginning" |
Dave Christenson - Mn\DOT
Andreas Aeppli - Cambridge Systematics, Inc. |
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Once again, we would like to extend an extra special thanks to the following companies, firms and organizations for their financial support of the 2009 MRRA conference...
Event Sponsors
- BNSF Railway
- CN
- Canadian Pacific Railway
- Railworks Track Systems - Lakeville, Minnesota
- Leonard Street & Deinard - Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Messerli & Kramer, PA - Saint Paul, Minnesota
- Union Pacific Railroad
Golf Sponsors
- American Surface Lines - Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Aspen Equipment - Bloomington, Minnesota
- Loram Maintenance of Way - Hamel, Minnesota
- Messerli & Kramer - Minneapolis/Saint Paul, Minnesota
- Northern Lines Railway - Saint Cloud, Minnesota
- Northern Metal Recycling - Saint Cloud, Minnesota
- Railworks Track Systems - Lakeville, Minnesota
- Thompson Industries, Inc. - Indianapolis, Indiana
- Transportation Certification Services/Rail Temps Inc. - Overland Park, Kansas
- Twin Cities & Western Railroad - Glencoe, Minnesota
General Sponsors
- Aspen Equipment Company - Bloomington, Minnesota
- Ed Robinson, CPA - Arden Hills, Minnesota
- Holland M-BAR-D - Hot Springs, Arkansas
- LA COLO, LLC - Geneseo, Illinois
- Northern Plains Rail Services - Fordville, North Dakota
- Railworks Track Systems - Lakeville, Minnesota
- Short Elliott Hendrickson, Inc. - Saint Paul, Minnesota
- Thompson Industries, Inc. - Indianapolis, Indiana
Exhibitors
- American Surface Lines - Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Dakota County Technical College - Rosemount, Minnesota
- Loram Maintenance of Way - Hamel, Minnesota
- Pinnacle Engineering- Maple Grove, Minnesota
- Transportation Certification Services, Inc. - Overland Park, Kansas
- TKDA - Saint Paul, Minnesota
- TRICO TC/WIND - Litchfield, Minnesota
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