After an unfortunate accident involving incorrectly applied hand brakes, a delegation from the Japanese Freight Railway Co. toured various American railroads to study their safety emphasis and enhance their own operations.
The delegation consisted of two ALTIMA Corp. and three JFR representatives: the head of IT, a rolling stock engineer and a track and infrastructure representative.
During their three-day tour, delegates visited Philadelphia, then traveled to Chicago for two days. The BRC provided a tour July 22.
Hugh Simon, superintendent mechanical, led the tour of the diesel shop and car repair facility. Delegates were shown everything from computerized billing to wheel defects.
“They have basically the same equipment, so they are interested in how we operate,” he said. “It went well. Our safety record impressed them.”
Pat Ameen, Amsted Rail Co. vice president industry relations, suggested the delegation visit BRC. He said its uniqueness helped him select it as a good place to include because it features car and diesel repair shops with a bi-directional hump.
“The delegation was quite impressed,” Ameen said. “They thoroughly enjoyed what they saw.”