advertisement

---

Norfolk Southern Railway not only maintained a stranglehold on the rail industry’s top safety award last month, a NS carman took home the highest individual safety honor.

The Class I received the E.H. Harriman Memorial Safety Awards’ Group A gold for the 18th-straight year and Kenneth Cheek won the 2007 Harold F. Hammond Award. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) presented the awards on May 17.

CSX Transportation took the silver and BNSF Railway Co. grabbed the bronze in the Group A category, which recognizes railroads whose employees worked a combined 15 million hours or more last year.

In Group B (between 4 million and 15 million manhours), Kansas City Southern Railway Co. (KCSR) won gold; Canadian Pacific Railway, silver; and MTA Long Island Rail Road, bronze. In Group C (less than 4 million manhours), Florida East Coast Railway took the gold, Central Oregon & Pacific Railroad took silver and BNSF’s suburban Chicago operation took bronze.

The Group S&T (switching and terminal) winners are the Birmingham Southern Railroad, gold; Conrail, silver; and Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis, bronze.

The AAR also presented certificates of commendation to Canadian National Railway Co. (U.S. operations), KCSR, the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District and Birmingham Southern Railroad.

The late Mary W. Harriman founded the awards in 1913 to memorialize her husband, railroad pioneer Edward H. Harriman.

And the Hammond goes to...
Meanwhile, NS’ Cheek won the Hammond award, which recognizes a rail employee for outstanding safety achievement.

A 36-year railroading veteran, Cheek was instrumental in correcting more than 200 safety deficiencies and potential hazards, according to his nomination. He also coordinated joint safety meetings with manufacturers, conducted high school health and safety classes, and headed numerous safety committees.

The AAR presented Hammond certificates of commendation to James Armstrong, a Central Oregon & Pacific Railroad locomotive engineer; Pat Bevier, a CSXT locomotive engineer; Martin Jones, a BNSF electrician; Tim Kelly, a Union Pacific Railroad foreman general; Timothy Morris, a Canadian Pacific Railway conductor; Timothy Parker, a CN track inspector; Dale Virts, a Montana Rail Link carman; Wes Wilkins, an Amtrak track foreman; and late KCS locomotive engineer Barry Wilkinson.

Established in 1986, the award is named after the late Harold F. Hammond, who served as president of the Transportation Association of America and chairman of the Harriman awards selection committee.