Introduction to Railroad Engineering and Operations

This course provides a broad yet detailed overview of the railroad industry, including its history, infrastructure, and operational systems. Participants will explore key topics such as track structure, special trackwork, bridges, signals, and operations planning, with a focus on both design and maintenance. Whether you're a consultant, engineer, agency staff member, or supplier, this course equips you with the technical fluency to contribute effectively to rail projects and operations.

• Consultants, contractors, and suppliers working on rail-related projects.
• Local, state, and federal officials involved in transportation planning or oversight.
• Railroad employees and transit agency staff seeking a technical introduction to rail systems.

Railroad Industry Overview

• Introduction to the world of freight, transit, inter-city passenger, high-speed and other rail.
• History/railroad facts
• Track network
• Train types/car types
• Industry trade groups
• Regulatory agencies

Track Structure

Learn in detail the importance and standard practices of all aspects of the track structure beginning with the importance of drainage and subballast up to the top-of-rail for a variety of applications and situations.

• Drainage
• Subballast
• Ballast
• Ties
• Rail
• Special trackwork: turnouts, frogs, and other

Track Alignment

• Design and maintenance characteristics
• Track gauge
• Vertical alignment
• Horizontal alignment
• Track stiffness
• Clearances
• Design Criteria
• Difference between rail and highway, freight and transit

Special Trackwork

• Turnouts and Switches
• Frogs
• Crossovers and Diamonds
• Guardrails

Bridges and Structures

• Bridge types
• Design loadings
• Bridge ratings
• Inspections and FRA 237 Bridge Management

Signals

• Block signal systems
• Track circuits
• Aspects and indications
• Positive train control

Operations Planning  & Scheduling

• Track Charts
• Signaling and train movements
• Modeling
• Stringlines
• Operations class exercise

Jeff Keating

Jeff Keating, PE is currently a Senior Project Manager-Rail with WSP in Chicago with 44 years of experience in the design, construction and maintenance of rail transit and railroad projects. He has been employed by Class 1 railroads, a transit agency, a contractor and as a consultant.  He has held senior engineering and project management roles in dozens of transit, rail, and highway projects throughout the United States and has experience in program management, project management and quality management. 

Michael Loehr

Michael J. Loehr, PE, is the Global Technology Leader at U.S. Rail & Transit for Jacobs Engineering in Richmond, Virgina. Loehr leads the development of innovative and cost-effective designs for rail and transit practice projects throughout the United States and assists project managers and project teams in response to specific client needs and project requirements. He has more than 44 years of extensive engineering, design, and construction experience on a wide variety of railroad industry projects, including 10 years with Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail), and 34 years of consulting. His expertise and insight have been developed through his work on passenger rail facilities, high speed rail projects, freight rail installations, railway bridges, commercial and industrial sites, and highways. He has worked on projects throughout North America as well as Indonesia, China, Jamaica, Africa, and the Middle East. 

Peter Schierloh

Peter Schierloh, PE, is a seasoned railroad bridge engineer with over two decades of experience in the field. He currently serves as a Project Engineer at SW Bridge Engineers, LLC in DeForest, Wisconsin, a role he has held since the firm’s inception in 2007. Peter specializes in the inspection, design, and rating of railroad bridges across the United States. Prior to this, he worked with E80 Plus Constructors, LLC, managing railroad bridge construction projects. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Michigan Technological University in 1996. Peter is a licensed Professional Engineer in multiple states and actively contributes to the industry as a member of AREMA Committee 10.