Rail Transportation Division
Rail Transportation Division (RTD) promotes mechanical engineering applications to railroading and rail rapid transit as well as conventional intercity freight and passenger railroading.
About
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.
Events
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
April 20 – 21
JRC 2021 Virtual Conference
April 20 – 21
To view other events that may be of interest, please visit the ASME Calendar of Events.
Make your plans now to join us in Baltimore, April 11 -13, at the premier technical event for all rail transportation disciplines.
Registration is open!
Don’t miss this opportunity to hear the latest research for rail safety, planning, design, manufacturing, financing and operations.
2023 Joint Rail Conference
Abstracts are limited to a minimum of 400 words and a maximum of 650 words, text only. Paper submittal is encouraged but not required. Interested authors will be notified of abstract acceptance in early November.
JRC 2024 will be returning to the standard conference paper submission process. Conference paper submissions will be due December 4th, 2023 and will undergo the peer-review process. Publication of papers in conference proceedings requires author attendance and presentation at the conference in Columbia, SC.
Learn more including detailed track descriptions
Honors & Awards
Division Level Awards
Division 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
Leadership
Brian Donohue
Chair | July 2023 - June 2024
Steve Dedmon
Manager, Division Affairs
Barbara Zlatnik
Staff Contact
Links
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