Rail supplier news from AREMA, NRC, Railway Interchange, Cummins and LAN (April 8)

The American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) Educational Foundation has extended the application deadline for its Watford Fellowship initiative until April 15. The fellowship consists of two paid registrations to the 2016 Watford Conference in the Scandinavian region of Europe. The four-day conference, targeted for late October, includes presentations by attendees in all aspects of railway planning and design, with an emphasis on buildings, bridge and tunnel structures, and corporate identity. The fellowship was created in cooperation with the U.S. Committee to the Watford Group of International Railway Designers to provide an opportunity for aspiring rail employees to gain an international perspective of railroad design and operations, AREMA officials said in a press release. Interested parties can find more information on the AREMA Educational Foundation's website.

The National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association's (NRC) annual rail construction and maintenance equipment auction will take place April 14 at the Blackmon Auctions facility in Little Rock, Ark. All are welcome to attend the auction to bid on equipment, NRC officials said. Additionally, contractors, suppliers and railroads are invited to sell or donate equipment. For equipment sold, 1 percent of the buyer's premium and a 2 percent seller's fee goes to fund the NRC Safety, Training and Education Program, while the seller keeps the rest. For donated equipment, all the proceeds go to the program.

Railway Interchange has received the Excellence in Meetings, Events and Conventions Award from the Meet Minneapolis Convention and Visitors Association. The rail exhibition and technical conference was held Oct. 4-7, 2015, at the Minneapolis Convention Center. The event drew more than 9,000 registrants, making it the largest since Railway Interchange began in 2011.

Cummins Inc. has received Tier 4 locomotive certification for its QSK95 engine, making it the first single prime power engine certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. At 4,400 horsepower, the QSK95 achieves the highest output of any 16-cylinder high-speed diesel, and is capable of a top speed of 125 mph, Cummins officials said in a press release. Integrated selective catalytic reduction after-treatment makes the engine capable of achieving the Tier 4 emissions standards. The QSK95 powers Siemens' Charger diesel-electric passenger locomotives, which will be put into service by the departments of transportation in Illinois, California, Maryland and Washington.

Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam Inc. (LAN) has appointed Chris Masters vice president and transit leader in its transportation business group. In the role, he'll be responsible for expanding the firm's transit practice. Masters, who worked for LAN early in his career managing construction of light-rail programs, has 20 years of experience managing engineering, construction and complex capital improvement programs. He previously served as VP at Parsons Transportation Group, where he was responsible for the pursuit, development and delivery of rail and transit projects through North America. Before that, Masters served as assistant VP at Dallas Area Rapid Transit.