|
|
|
| Norfolk Southern Corporation | Volume 3, Issue 7, July 2003 |
Tunnel exercise tests
|
 The drill at Cumberland Gap involved NS employees, emergency responders and contractors. |
By all appearances, the drill seemed realistic. Orange paint outlined where the spilled material might lie. Emergency responders used equipment they would use in an actual emergency. Diagrams of the accident site were drawn.
Stiner said the location was ideal for the simulation. "The size of the tunnel allowed observers to easily see what was happening and take notes and photographs, while the cars restricted the responders' access to the site," he said. "We learned a lot about responding to incidents in a confined space from the mine rescue teams that participated."
The 3,672-foot tunnel starts in Tennessee, runs underneath the southwestern corner of Virginia and ends in Kentucky. Groups from all three states participated in the simulation. Because of the remote location, responders learned how to deal with localities with limited resources. Stiner said the simulation brought together some groups for the first time, enabling them to see what types of resources each could bring to the situation.
Other lessons learned included how to handle limited access and visibility around derailed equipment in a tunnel. The group also developed different ways of air sampling and monitoring to ensure the responders' safety.
"It was a good learning experience for all of those involved in the drill," Stiner said. "All of the agencies and contractors were very happy with how things went."
Norfolk Southern's service improvements under the Thoroughbred Operating Plan have earned the company three service awards from customers Toyota and Coors.
Toyota Logistics Services recognized NS with two awards.
Toyota awarded NS its Logistics Excellence Award for superior quality performance among rail carriers. Among the criteria for selecting the winner is damage-free delivery of Toyota's vehicles to the marketplace. NS' record for defect-free delivery during 2002 was 99.81percent. Since Toyota began presenting the award in 1996, NS has won five times.
In addition, NS received Toyota's on-time performance award for transportation service. This is the second time the company has won this award.
Significantly improved transit times from Coors Brewing Company's Shenandoah, Va., plant to local distribution centers earned Norfolk Southern the brewer's Transportation Supplier of the Year award for 2002. This is the first time NS has won the award.
"With the improvements we made through TOP, we reduced inbound and outbound transit times by 30 percent," said Brady Anderson, marketing director. "By doing that, Coors product freshness is improved as well."
Anderson accepted the award at a supplier forum at Coors headquarters in Golden, Colo.
NS was among Coors' top four suppliers in 2002.
Norfolk Southern's System Teamwork and Responsibility Training policy, or START, is undergoing modifications that will be applicable to yardmasters, engineers and train service employees. The modifications were developed in cooperation with representatives of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers (BLE) and the United Transportation Union (UTU).
By involving local union officials in the process, START provides a collaborative environment that focuses on corrective education and training in order to improve safety and customer service. Vice President Labor Relations Mark MacMahon said, "The enhancements to the process, which include a new employee development phase, will place an even greater emphasis on employee training and education."
Pate King, UTU general chairman and START oversight committee member, said, "After three years, we have seen a significant change in how discipline is handled on NS, and we have learned a lot in this time period. We have applied the know-ledge learned to improve the system even more."
"The new employee development phase will allow the supervisors, in cooperation with local chairmen, to identify those employees who need additional training. By working together, the local chairman and local supervisor can help create safer and better employees for the future instead of just focusing on punishment for past mistakes,"said Willard Knight, BLE general chairman and START oversight committee member.
Tony Ingram, vice president transportation operations, said, "The goals of the policy have not changed since it was implemented in 2000, but we have modified the process through suggestions from the general chairmen. The modifications are designed to improve the cooperation at the local level between labor and management with a greater focus on education and employee development."
Delbert Strunk, UTU general chairman, said, "START's main purpose is to train and teach employees how to be responsible and safe on the job. Safety and going home at the end of the day is something that my members and their families consider their number one priority."
The transportation and labor relations departments are holding field meetings with local chairmen and local supervisors to explain the policy's enhancements.
Randy Bowman, senior metallurgical engineer, Tim Drake, chief engineer line maintenance east, and Robert Blank, director research and testing, won the Best Paper Award at the International Heavy Haul Association Specialist Technical Session held in Dallas.
As railroads increased axle loads for bulk commodities to provide more competitive and efficient transportation, the IHHA solicited ways to address the effects of the extra weight on railroad infrastructures. Members of IHHA include Class I railroads and railroads from countries such as South Africa, Russia, China, Canada and Australia.
"Adapting Track Maintenance Practices for Heavy Haul on Norfolk Southern" beat 16 other papers in the infrastructure category. The paper discusses the signs of track degradation and offers strategies for managing heavy haul operations from a maintenance perspective.
Ten students received college scholarships as part of Norfolk Southern's annual scholarship program. Ten of the recipients are sons or daughters of NS employees.
The company awards merit, achievement and special scholarships. National Merit Scholarship Corporation, an independent, nonprofit organization, administers the program. NMSC identifies talented high school students and aids as many as possible in obtaining college educations. It handles the selection of NS winners and the administration of awards.
Norfolk Southern Special Scholarship winners are:
Derek R. Bankieris, son of Atlanta C&S manager Gus Bankieris and Jan Bankieris, a graduate of Fayette County High School. He will attend Georgia Institute of Technology.
Zachary L. Cass, son of Knoxville, Tenn., engineer David Cass and Cynthia Cass, a graduate of Gibbs High School. He will attend the University of Tennessee.
Douglas S. Cloud, son of Bellevue, Ohio, clerk Stephen Cloud and Cynthia Cloud, a graduate of Bellevue High School. He will attend Ohio University.
Elizabeth A. Cochran, daughter of Norfolk service design manager Jesse Cochran and Marcia Cochran, a graduate of Hickory High School. She will attend the University of Virginia.
Monica L. Ingram, daughter of Irondale, Pa., yardmaster Mark Ingram and Pam Ingram, a graduate of Oxford High School. She will attend Samford University.
Melissa A. Lambert, daughter of Conway, Pa., engineer Ronald Lambert and Beth Lambert, a graduate of Freedom Area High School. She will attend West Virginia Wesleyan College.
Jerold M. Stasulis, son of Norfolk assistant market manager Steven Stasulis and Kathleen Stasulis, a graduate of Ocean Lakes High School. He will attend the University of Virginia.
Norfolk Southern Merit Scholarship winners are:
Rachel R. Rowell, daughter of Chattanooga, Tenn., conductor James Rowell and Kenda Rowell, a graduate of Girls Preparatory School. She will attend Virginia Tech University.
Matthew B. Turbyfill, son of Roanoke IT director John Turbyfill and LeAnn Turbyfill, a graduate of Salem High School. He will attend Haverford College.
Kimberly G. Watts, daughter of Danville, Va., conductor Woodrow Watts and Debra Watts, a graduate of Lincoln County High School. She will attend Eastern Kentucky University.
Erin Gardner
Penn State University
Erin Gardner, daughter of Altoona, Pa., engineer George Gardner, won a Norfolk Southern Merit Scholarship in 2001. She just completed her sophomore year at Penn State University, where she is majoring in civil engineering.
Aside from studying, Erin is an active member of the Women in Engineering Girl Scouts Program. She and other female engineering students volunteer as mentors for Girl Scouts. Erin also helps organize a dance marathon that is the largest student-run philanthropy in the world. It raised more than $3.6 million this year to benefit pediatric cancer patients.
Erin said she would not have been able to afford tuition without the scholarship. She said, "I felt honored and extremely grateful to win the scholarship."
Thomas Key
Auburn University
When Robert and Brenda Key, engineer and clerk in Selma, Ala., had twins, they knew it would be challenging paying double for everything, especially college tuition. "We were scared to death about sending two to college," Brenda said.
Their son, Thomas, made things easier by winning a Norfolk Southern Special Scholarship last year. He just completed his first year studying materials engineering at Auburn University. Thomas said he is thankful for the $1,000 scholarship that allowed his parents to spend more money toward his sister's education.
"My father has always been so adamant about my sister and me going to college," he said. "I'm sure he would've found a way to send us, but this money makes things a lot easier."
Owens Corning named Triple Crown Services Company its "North America 2002 Intermodal Carrier of the Year." It was one of three awards presented to Triple Crown during Owens Corning's annual recognition ceremony held at its headquarters in Toledo, Ohio.
As Carrier of the Year, Triple Crown was honored for demonstrating the ability to bring value and service to Owens Corning through superior, on-time performance and for 15 years of service excellence.
Awards also were presented to Triple Crown's dispatch operations team and to Susan Morgan, senior national accounts specialist, for outstanding service excellence.
Massey Energy Company, an NS customer, recently opened a train museum in Matewan, W.Va. The Matewan Depot Replica and Museum is a replica of a Norfolk & Western passenger train station that once stood in the town.
The museum is part of the state's coal heritage roads project that is designed to preserve the memories of the coal industry in the state. It features exhibits on the history of the town, including the Hatfield and McCoy feud and the Matewan Massacre. The museum also has pictures of old coal operations and railroads. Norfolk Southern donated a telegraph table and a ticket window from a former N&W station.
Tim Hensley, an Amtrak employee and a consultant for the project, called the museum a "Smithsonian-quality replica."
"The site will give the state another tourism site," Hensley said. "Tourism is the fastest growing segment of West Virginia's economy."
He said Don Blankenship, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Massey Energy, grew up near Matewan. Blankenship decided to create a museum because he wanted to give something back to his community.
A unique part of Norfolk Southern's heritage will be preserved and displayed when the O. Winston Link Museum opens later this year in Roanoke.
The museum highlights the final days of steam motive power on NS' predecessor Norfolk and Western Railway, as seen through the world's largest collection of Link photographs - some 275 - as well as related artifacts and displays. A commercial photographer with an artful style, Link spent five years documenting NW trains in the late 1950s as the U.S. steam era came to a close.
The museum will be housed in the renovated NW passenger station and is a partnership of the History Museum and Historical Society of Western Virginia and Center in the Square.
For information about supporting the museum, see www.linkmuseum.org or contact Development Director Matt Johnson at 540-857-4394 or info@history-museum.org. The NS Foundation can match eligible contributions from NS employees and retirees. Instructions and request forms for the Matching Gifts Program are available on the NS Web site through both the Employee Resource Center and the Retiree's Page.
Norfolk Southern redesigned its World Wide Web site (www.nscorp.com), with an increased focus on customers.
The site includes prominent links on the home page to each of the company's major business units. The intermodal section features improved navigation and new content that helps customers quickly get the information they need to use NS' freight transportation services.
The home page also provides quick access to the company's intranet-base Employee Resource Center. There, employees can make changes to some of their personal information, learn more about benefits or enroll in online courses. Employees also may file a resume, job preferences and sign up for the company's new management test battery. These must be completed to gain promotion into or within management jobs under NS' improved promotion process.
Redesigning the Web site is the first phase in a project to make it easier for customers to conduct business with NS. Eventually, customers will be able to launch e-business applications directly from their own customized NS home pages.
The redesign enhances the site's existing features, which include accessNS, a suite of applications that gives customers immediate access to a wide range of real-time data about shipments, from planning to final delivery. The site also provides financial reports, the latest news about NS and general information about the company.