Content provided in partnership with

Transportation Industry

The NRC railroad equipment auction

Railway Track and Structures, May, 2005 by Rick Ebersold

The second annual NRC Railroad Contracting Equipment Auction was held on March 31, 2005, at the Herzog Contracting Corp. equipment yard across the Missouri River from St. Joseph, Mo., in Elwood, Kan. To call the auction a success would be a gross understatement.

More than 300 pieces of equipment sold. Those items included units such as tampers, regulators, tie handlers, scarifiers, inspection and crew trucks, speed swings, spikers and one Little Giant truck crane, plus hi-rail gear, cwr rollers, hydraulic tools and power units. The total proceeds from these items exceeded $500,000, with the highest item selling for $35,000.

Most Popular Articles in Business: Research and Markets : Tesco Plc - SWOT Framework Analysis; Do Us a Flavor - Ben & Jerry's Issues a Call for Euphoric New Flavors; eBay made easy: ready to start an eBay business? These 5 simple steps will ...; Katrina's lawsuit surge: a legal battle to force insurers to pay for flood ...; Wal-Mart's newest distribution center opened last month near the southwest ...; More »

Blackmon Auctions, Inc., conducted the auction again this year and performed admirably. They started the activities exactly at 9:00 AM as advertised and concluded at 1:00 PM. A crowd of 150 people attended the auction with 105 registered bidders from 26 states and three countries. The large crowd of serious buyers, coupled with the professionalism and experience of Blackmon auctioneers, had a direct and most positive impact on the event.

The NRC auction committee chairman, Dan Samford, who is the vice president of equipment for Herzog, and his committee members Josh Kimsey of RailWorks and Joel Frank of Progress Rail, did a great job in organizing the event and soliciting consigned equipment. Shop superintendent Bert Ross and his crew worked diligently to receive, arrange and load out that equipment, in addition to performing their normal duties. I congratulate and sincerely thank all of them for their hard work, which contributed to the success of this year's auction.

Local barbecue caterer Keith's BBQ was on-site serving his specialties, as well as drinks, donuts, etc. The NRC received a 12-gauge Browning "Gold Hunter" shotgun as a donated gift from Thomas McGee, L.C., to be raffled to registered buyers. Each registrant received one ticket for the drawing, as well as having the option to buy additional chances for cash. The shotgun was a huge hit and this raffle will be a staple of future NRC auctions. Many thanks to NRC member company Thomas McGee. The lucky winner whose ticket was drawn after the conclusion of the auction was Gary Fossum, G.A. Fossum & Associates of Lennox, S.D. Congratulations, Gary!

The evening prior to the auction many of the attendees met at Houlihan's Pub, a local restaurant, for a social hour(s). Cocktails and food were provided by the following companies: FCM Rail, Fleet Body Equipment, Hertz Equipment Rental Corp., L.B. Foster Company, RailWorks and Herzog Contracting Corp. A good time was had by all, as new acquaintances were made and many long-time friends revisited the good old days.

For the first time, railroads committed equipment to the auction this year. The Florida East Coast consigned several pieces and received a fair price. Also, the FEC purchased other items.

The BNSF Railway donated five pieces of equipment to the auction with the proceeds dedicated to NRC Employee Safety and Training programs. I commend the BNSF for recognizing the value of NRC member contractors and promoting their training and safety. This is, in my opinion, a true and viable partnership between an owner and contractors as all parties benefit from increased resources for safety and training. On behalf of the NRC, its Board of Directors and the members, thank you BNSF very much for your generous contribution and foresight. As chairman, I hope that we can expand this partnership effort next year to include other railroads.

Speaking of next year, the auction will be held in Granite City, Ill., across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, Mo. The date will be Thursday, March 30, 2006. Joel Frank of Progress Rail is the 2006 committee chairman and I know he is already planning the details for another successful auction. In only two years, the event has not only been tremendously successful, but has transformed from an NRC Equipment Auction to a railroad-industry-wide auction hosted by the NRC. Start making plans now for your equipment sale and purchasing needs for next year.

Many more people than I have mentioned contributed a great deal of their time and effort over the past two-plus years to implement the original idea of an auction and to implement it so successfully. To them I extend my appreciation for jobs remarkably well done.

Rick Ebersold

Chairman

The National Railroad Construction & Maintenance Association, Inc.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

122 C Street, N. W. Suite 850

Washington D. C. 20001

Tel: 202-715-2920

Fax: 202-318-0867

www.nrcma.org

Transportation Industry

The NRC railroad equipment auction

Railway Track and Structures, May, 2005 by Rick Ebersold

Find Research Guides for:

Find Featured Titles for: Reference

Most Popular Articles in Business

Most Popular Publications in Business