ASLRRA reveals 2025 Hall of Fame inductees

The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) yesterday announced its 2025 class of inductees to the Short Line Railroad Industry Hall of Fame. Ron Batory, K. Earl Durden (posthumously) and Henry Posner III will be honored April 8 at the ASLRRA annual conference and exhibition in Denver.

“This year’s inductees ... are a unique class of leaders — three individuals who not only transformed small railroads into significant economic contributors, but each in their own way advanced the industry through dedicated leadership and advocacy,” said ASLRRA President Chuck Baker in a press release.

Batory spent five decades working for railroads prior to his 2018 nomination to be the 14th administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration. He began his rail career in a union craft position for the Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad Co., and progressed through management roles at several other railroads before joining the Belt Railway Co. of Chicago. There, he oversaw the implementation of numerous safety, service and financial performance records. Those accomplishments led to his appointment in 1998 as president and CEO of the Consolidated Rail Corp. (Conrail), a position he held until he joined the FRA, ASLRRA officials said. Since the end of his tenure as FRA administrator in 2021, Batory has continued to serve in advisory roles. In December 2024, Batory joined Amtrak's board.

Durden, who died in 2010 at the age of 73, was a short line owner. He was foundational in the development of the ASLRRA, supporting the merger of the American Short Line Railroad Association and Regional Railroads of America in 1997. Durden chaired the joint organization for many years, ASLRRA officials said, and worked tirelessly to get the first 45G short-line tax credit passed by Congress. He founded the Rail Management Corp. and Rail Switching Services Inc., as well as owned and operated 16 short lines across the United States. 

Posner formed Railroad Development Corp. (RDC) in 1987 with Bob Pietrandrea, making initial investments in Iowa Interstate Railroad Ltd. and Argentina’s Urquiza Railway. Now, the portfolio includes freight and passenger businesses in the United States, France, Germany and Peru, ASLRRA officials said. Posner serves on the Transportation Research Board’s agriculture and food transportation committee, and the Surface Transportation Board’s passenger-rail advisory committee, of which he is co-chair. He also is a faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University, emeritus trustee and former president of the Winchester Thurston school, and a board member of the Independent School Chairperson’s Association.

More information on each inductee can be found here.