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Editor: Tom Guins September 2020 Dear ASME RTD Members,

As we face unprecedented times, I would like to take this opportunity to say hello and provide an update of the ASME Rail Transportation Division (RTD).

Did you know that the RTD was one of the original eight divisions within ASME? Now, there are almost forty divisions within ASME that share the same mission to advance engineering for the benefit of humanity while adhering to its core values. The core values are: embracing integrity, ethical conduct, diversity, respect the dignity and culture of all people; nurturing and treasuring the environment and our natural and man-made resources; facilitating the development, dissemination and application of engineering knowledge; promoting the benefits of continuing education and of engineering education; respecting and document engineering history while continually embracing change; and promoting the technical and societal contributions of engineers.

As ASME members and volunteers, engineers have the opportunity to access a community of colleagues, keep up with the latest technical trends, and give back to the profession. The RTD shares technical information primarily through the annual Joint Rail Conference (JRC). The JRC is an international premier technical event in the U.S.A. which includes all discipline for freight and passenger rail transportation; mechanical, electrical, civil, and systems engineering, as well as rail safety, planning, design, manufacturing, financing, operations, and management.

Should COVID-19 pandemic be under control, the 100th anniversary of the RTD and JRC will be celebrated on April 19 – 21, 2021 at the St. Louis Union Station Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton, St. Louis, MO. Contingency plans are in the works should a face to face meeting not be possible.

The RTD and JRC committee along with the AMSE staff are working to organize the conference. We have a lot more work to do to make the 100th JRC a success and are asking for your help. A larger attendee rate at JRC provides greater opportunities to share and learn about new technologies and grow the community. You can help by promoting ASME and the conference by simply mentioning and distributing information to your friends within the industry and colleges; contributing and/or reviewing expert technical content and volunteering your time by joining the committee to serve as a voice of the engineering community. If you know of any young engineers starting in the rail industry this is a perfect opportunity to introduce them to the JRC, new rail technologies and/or attend the Data Science workshop presented by Alstom.

I look forward to seeing you, my peers and colleagues, at the conference to converse on the technical topics we all are passionate about and to catch up on our daily lives. Sincerely,

Giuseppe Sammartino, PE ASME RTD Chair

Rail Transportation Division Newsletter

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Call for Papers!

JRC 2021 is the major, multidisciplinary railroad conference encompassing all aspects of rail transportation

and engineering research.

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Abstracts are limited to a maximum of 400 words. Paper submittal is encouraged but not

required. Interested authors will be notified of abstract acceptance and conference papers will

be peer-reviewed. Publication of papers in conference proceedings requires attendance

and presentation at the conference please. The ASME Rail Transportation Division is

offering a limited number of conference scholarships for both undergraduates and graduate

students. For specific details and questions regarding the scholarship program, please

contact Dr. Mehdi Ahmadian, ASME RTD Scholarship Committee Chair, at

asme.rtd.scholar@gmail.com.

Topics:

1. Railroad Infrastructure Engineering

Design, engineering, and construction of

track, bridge structures and grade

crossings; Geotechnical engineering of

track substructure and right-of-way; Best

practices and advances in technology for

the inspection and maintenance of the

railroad infrastructure.

2. Rail Equipment Engineering

Motive power technology; vehicle/track

interaction; wheels, couplers, components,

and other equipment; rolling stock design,

manufacturing, materials, and

maintenance.

3. Signal and Train Control Engineering

Systems integration; track and wayside

components; equipment components;

positive train control; interoperability, and

microprocessor control.

4. Service Quality and Operations

Research

Service availability and reliability; capacity

models; impacts of aging equipment on

service quality; transport mode integration,

especially with high-speed rail; passenger

information systems and reservation

systems; freight railroad network

optimization; asset planning; train

scheduling.

7. Energy Efficiency and Sustainability

Energy conservation, efficiency and

storage; modeling; hybrid vehicles;

emissions reduction and control;

alternative energy sources.

8. Urban Passenger Rail Transport

Investigations, insights, innovations, and

implementations in all aspects of urban

passenger rail transport.

9. Electrification

Catenary and third rail design; materials;

efficiency; electrification approaches;

design for high speeds; electromagnetic

compatibility (EMC); corrosion control;

load flow simulation; energy savings

storage devices; regenerative braking;

smart electrical supply.

10. Vehicle Track Interaction

Wheel/rail contact; best practices in testing

methods and modeling; tools; passenger

and freight applications.

11. Railroad History

Notable structures, equipment, facilities,

events and people of historical interest to

the railroad engineering community.

12. New Technologies

System health monitoring, diagnostics,

and prognostics; cloud technologies; data

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5. Planning and Development

Project management, planning &

financing; new start and expansion;

transit-oriented development; service

planning; environmental impact; workforce

development.

6. Safety and Security

System safety approaches; safety data

mgt; risk analysis; accident avoidance,

survivability, and investigation; operations

safety; human factors; safety

improvements; hazmat risk mgt; security

assurance; emergency preparedness and

response.

analytics, engines, mining, and

management; business intelligence;

autonomy; internet of things; machine

learning; high-speed rail; and hyperloop.

Due to the cancellation of the JRC2020 conference, authors who previously submitted an

accepted technical publication or presentation only submission to the 2020 conference will

have the opportunity to present their work at the 2021 conference. To confirm your

participation, you will need to submit an abstract to the current JRC2021 conference using

the paper type "2020 Presentations". This applies to both accepted technical papers and

presentations only. Use the specific 2020 presentation option to avoid your paper undergoing

review again. NOTE: Any submission under this special paper type that is found not to be a

JRC2020 accepted presentation will be converted to a JRC2021 presentation only

submission and is subject to the vetting process - please visit here. For any website or paper-

related questions, please contact Lori Lee, Web Tool and Conference Paper Support, at

toolboxhelp@asme.org. For any conference-related or logistical questions, contact Mary

Jakubowski, Conference Manager, at jakubowskim@asme.org. If any questions about topics,

abstracts, tracks, or any other program-related inquiries, please contact Dave Schlesinger,

Technical Program Chair, dave.schlesinger@parsons.com.

Deadline for Abstract Submission is September 14, 2020.

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers®

( ASME® )

080620 - 20511

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WE NEED YOU! Sponsor & Exhibitor Options for 2021 are Available Now! Sponsorships and Exhibitors help support the conference and keep registration fees from increasing! Several options are available from conference table-top display exhibits to student sponsorships as well as many others. Please click on the link below for more information: https://event.asme.org/Events/media/library/resources/jrc/JRC-2021-Sponsor-Prospectus.pdf Purchases can be made through our registration portal when it goes live. For any questions or to make a purchase, please contact Mary Jakubowski at jakubowskim@asme.org or Ron Golembiewski at RGolembiewski@Wabtec.com. Please consider one of the options available for 2021. Thank you.

Registered participants are invited to propose solutions to the Grand Challenge Competition to and present their idea to a panel or group of industry experts. The goal of this competition is to spark new ideas, innovations, and approaches to solving a relevant issue affecting the railroad industry.

Contestants will present their idea during the conference luncheon. The contestants will be allowed a limited time to present their idea using a single PowerPoint slide. Contestants may present as individuals or as a team of three people at most.

The winner of the competition will receive a prize of $500. Competition winner will also be recognized at the conference banquet dinner.

The 2021 JRC Grand Challenge question:

We have been witnessing increasingly rapid advances in the rail industry during the past 100 years. What would you expect railroading to look like in order to remain competitive and economically, socially, and environmentally relevant in light of the rapid technological evolutions, social and economic changes, and even pandemics such as COVID-19? SAVE THESE DATES

JOINT RAIL CONFERENCES

2021 JRC: - April 19-21, 2021 St. Louis MO. 2022 JRC: - Dates TBD. Baltimore, MD 2023 JRC: - Dates TBD. Columbia, SC 2024 JRC: - Dates TBD. VA Tech, Blacksburg, VA

Grand Challenge

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Roger D. Sims, age 76, passed away suddenly on October 31, 2019. He was born on June 30, 1943 in Chicago, IL to Linda and Roy Sims. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Patricia (nee Laube) and his brother Dennis Sims. Daughter Kathryn (Dan) Johnson and children Zachary and Valerie; Daughter Rebecca Sims (Randall Wilson) and children Hope and Blake; Son Steven (Rene) Sims and children Anthony, Emylee, Alexander, Elizabeth, and Lauren. His family was the core of his life.

Education: Luther High School South, Chicago, Valparaiso University College of Engineering, BSCE, 1965, Indiana University, MBA, 1991. Work: Pullman-Standard, started in 1965, Thrall Car Company, Sims Professional Engineers, 1983-present. Service organizations: Munster School Board, Boy Scouts, Indiana High Speed Rail Association, Rotary: Member of Munster Rotary for 25 years served as District Governor of Northern Indiana 2015-2016, worked on many international Rotary projects. He was a 53-year member of Griffith Lutheran Church, serving the church at many levels, expressing his

faith by singing in the choir and teaching adult Bible class.

Roger was active in ASME and held several offices in the Rail Transportation Division, serving as Chair in 2006-07. He performed an annual audit of the RTD financial records for many years, Roger was a friend and respected colleague to all who knew him in the railroad industry.

Roger had avid interests in travel, golf, boating and skiing. He loved introducing himself and making connections with anyone. He was blessed to have so many close friends and colleagues in his life.

Chair: Giuseppe Sammartino gsammartino@ctlgroup.com Secretary: Mehdi Ahmadian ahmadian@vt.edu Chair Technical Program: Milad Hosseinpour mhp@vt.edu Chair Publicity: Ronald Golembiewski rgolembiewski@wabtec.com Mgr. of Divisional Affairs: Sam Williams williams5759@gmail.com ASME PROGRAM MANAGER Mary Jakubowski - jakubowskim@asme.org

IN MEMORIAM: Roger D. Sims

1943-2019

ASME RAIL TRANSPORTATION DIVISION EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS

JULY 1, 2018 -- JUNE 30, 2019