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New Jersey Transit’s Nicole Pratt and Caltrain’s John Cockle have won free first-round “scholarships” from Progressive Railroading to attend portions of Wheel/Rail Interaction ’09, which will be held May 4-7 at the Chicago Marriott O'Hare.

Chief at rail operations for NJ Transit, Pratt will attend the Rail Transit Seminar on May 4; manager of rail operations for Caltrain, Cockle will attend the Heavy Haul Seminar on May 6 and 7. Both will receive a free pass to the Principles Course on May 5 courtesy of the event’s Presenting Sponsor Progressive Railroading.

A second round of scholarship awards will be held on March 31. Progressive Railroading is accepting entries for free passes to the Rail Transit Seminar and Heavy Haul Seminar. Entries for the Rail Transit Seminar Scholarship competition are available online at http://wheel-rail-seminars.com/seminars/wheel_rail_09/1-RT/scholarship_pr_e4.htm; entries for the Heavy Haul Seminar Scholarship competition are available at http://wheel-rail-seminars.com/seminars/wheel_rail_09/3-HH/scholarship_pr_e4.htm.

The Rail Transit Seminar is devoted to examining wheel/rail and vehicle/track interaction on light rail and subway operations. The seminar will include presentations from experts in vehicle/track dynamics, noise and vibration, wheel/rail profile design and maintenance, and friction management.

Now in its 15th year, the Heavy Haul Seminar is devoted to examining wheel/rail and vehicle/track interaction on heavy-haul freight and shared-track passenger systems. The seminar will offer the latest information on new and existing technologies, and ways to improve wheel/rail interaction on freight and passenger railways.

Designed for both Rail Transit and Heavy Haul seminar attendees, the Principles Course aims to provide an in-depth examination of the primary aspects of wheel/rail and vehicle/track interaction. Drawing from both theory and practical application, the course will cover wheel truing strategy, rail metallurgy, ultrasonic testing, thermal rail stresses and other key topics.

For more information on Wheel/Rail Interaction ’09, log onto www.wheel-rail-seminars.com.