Rail Transportation Division

The Rail Transportation Division is one of the oldest and most active of ASME's 37 Divisions & Subdivisions. Founded in 1920 as the Railroad Division promoting mechanical engineering applications to railroading, it later became the Rail Transportation Division to reflect its concern with rail rapid transit as well as conventional intercity freight and passenger railroading.

Through over eight decades, the Rail Transportation Division and its members have been in the thick of technological developments that have shaped railroading--the development of super power steam locomotives and their eclipse by the diesel--electrics; experiments with turbine and other new locomotive types; the first streamlined passenger trains of the 30's and the metro-liner trains of the 60's; the present development of larger, heavier freight cars, unit bulk commodity trains, intermodal trains, and the technological problems they have brought.

As the nation becomes more conscious of the value of railroads in the dawning era of energy scarcity, interest in the Rail Transportation Division is growing. The Division encourages technical research and development to improve railroad rolling equipment, to publish technical papers dealing with this work, and to provide a forum where railroad mechanical engineers can exchange ideas and discuss common problems.

Featured Events

JRC 2024 Joint Rail Conference
Intelligent Railroading
University of South Carolina
Columbia, SC

Past Events
Joint Rail Conference (JRC 2023)
April 11 – 13, 2023
Baltimore, MD

JRC 2021 Virtual Conference
April 20 – 21

To view other events that may be of interest, please visit the ASME Calendar of Events.

Division Level Awards

• Distinguished Service Award
• Rail Transportation Award

Division History

• David G. Blaine Biography
• David G. Blaine Oral History

Division Tributes & Interviews

• Thomas Harley - Oral History
• Grant H. Arrasmith
• Joe Van Overveen
• Geoffrey W. Cope
• V. Terry Hawthorne
• Charles M. Smith
• Robert W. Radford

Nominations link for processing Divisions Awards
Unit Awards

Brian Donohue
Chair | July 2023 - June 2024

Steve Dedmon
Manager, Division Affairs

Barbara Zlatnik
Staff Contact

Links to helpful online resources related to the division are below. If you have suggestions for other resources, please contact the division chair or ASME staff.

• ASME Landmarks Program
  Landmarks, sites and collections of historic importance to mechanical engineering are designated by ASME through its History and Heritage Landmarks Program.

Organizations

• Association of American Railroads (AAR)
• Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)
• Federal Transit Administration (FTA)
• Transportation Technology Center, Inc.
• IEEE Vehicular Technology Society
• American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA)
• Railway Engineering-Maintenance Suppliers Association
• American Bearing Manufacturers Association (ABMA)
• ASCE Transportation and Development Institute