With nearly three decades of service to the Belt, Joe Chacon starts a new chapter as digital media coordinator.

Having worked half of his career as a conductor and 12 years as a yardmaster, the longtime Operation Lifesaver volunteer’s mission will now revolve around his passion for safety.

“It lets me be creative,” Chacon said.

His responsibilities include producing videos, primarily for training. Many will be designed with new hires in mind, seeking to help prepare employees with no railroading background.

Chacon has completed multiple projects, including a recording of a town hall event and a special video celebrating the women at the Belt. He also produced a short documentary, “Insights to an Incident,” which chronicled a co-worker’s reflections. Chacon said the goal was to screen it for new hires so they can learn that every rule is in place for a reason, as noncompliance can lead to serious consequences.

He has produced several visual aids and desires to create a how-to video for each industry the Belt serves. There also will be pieces dedicated to mainline operation.

Chacon has dubbed his work “Training Reels,” which is meant to bring training wheels to mind. He also introduced a motto: “assisting you frame by frame.” Chacon intends to produce step-by-step instructions for basic tasks, such as operating a dual-control switch. He notes his work will extend to all departments.

“These short videos are a whole-company project,” he said. “Anyone and everyone has a right to suggest new ideas for the video channel.”

The videos eventually will have a home on a new platform.

“We’re thinking it might be a new Learning Management System,” Chacon said.

Conductor Paul Hesla recommended Chacon as a filmmaker to Superintendent of Safety Terry Hartwig. Chacon has more than 30 years of experience making films, having started with primitive analog equipment during childhood. His first editing work was performed using two VCRs. He’s come a long way since then, having won at an international film festival.

Teammates can contact Chacon with ideas at TrainingReels@
beltrailway.com.