Crossties is published for users and producers of treated wood crossties.
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TACT US ADVERTISE RTA EVENT CALENDAR Stella-Jones Corp. Wheeler Lumber Railway Tie Association Nisus Corporation CROSSTIES • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 3 Volume 94, Number 5 • January/February 2015 On The Cover: Pg. 11 The U.S. economy is improving, which is increasing Americans' spending power and helping freight railroads invest more in capital expenditure projects such as railroad track and ties. But other factors, such as falling crude oil prices, are having an impact on tie demand. Learn more about the various factors affecting tie demand for 2015 in our cover story on page 11. The Good, The Bad & The Oily: The Factors Driving The 2015 Tie Market CROSSTIES (ISSN S0097-4536) (USPS# 949600) is published bi-monthly (six times per year) by Covey Com mu ni ca tions Corp. in as- sociation with the Railway Tie Association (RTA). All rights reserved. Neither RTA nor Covey Communications Corp. assume any re - spon si bil i ty for state ments made or opinions expressed by members or others in articles appearing in this publication. CROSSTIES readers include all active members of RTA plus other individuals and institutions interested in the treated wood crosstie and related in- dustries. Individual subscriptions are available for $35 per year. Subscriptions, advertising rates and other data can be obtained by writing or calling Covey Com mu ni ca tions Corp., P. O. Box 2267, Gulf Shores, AL 36547, (251) 968-5300. Information on membership in RTA is available by contacting the Railway Tie Association, 115 Commerce Dr., Ste. C, Fayetteville, GA 30214, (770) 460-5553. Periodical Postage paid at Gulf Shores, AL and other entry locations. Copyright 2015. POSTMASTER: Please send change of address form #3579 to the Railway Tie Association, 115 Commerce Dr., Ste. C, Fayetteville, GA 30214. Crossties Published jointly by: Covey Communications Corp. P. O. Box 2267 Gulf Shores, AL 36547 (251) 968-5300 • FAX (251) 968-4532 & The Railway Tie Association 115 Commerce Dr., Ste. C Fayetteville, GA 30214 (770) 460-5553 • FAX (770) 460-5573 www.rta.org • ties@rta.org J. Talty O'Connor Publisher • Kristen S. McIntosh Editor • Kelly S. Williams Graphic Designer • Stephanie Eckman Advertising Traffic Coordinator RAILWAY TIE ASSOCIATION Executive Committee PRESIDENT Kenneth E. Dailey Stella-Jones Corp. • FIRST VICE PRESIDENT Timothy R. Ries Koppers Inc. • Frank S. Beal Beal Lumber Co., Inc. • Jeffrey C. Broadfoot Natural Wood Solutions, LLC • Kevin D. Hicks Union Pacific Railroad • Jeffrey L. Parrett Wheeler Lumber, LLC • Michael L. Pourney Gross & Janes Co. • Andrew J. Thompson Red River Valley & Western Railroad • Jon M. Zillioux Norfolk Southern Corp. • RTA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR James C. Gauntt • RTA ADMINISTRATOR Deborah L. Corallo S P E C I A L R E P O R T S Make Plans Today To Attend RTA's Summer Field Trip & Tie Grading Seminar RTA has announced the dates of its 2015 Summer Field Trip and Crosstie Grad- ing Seminar, both of which will be held in the Birmingham, Ala., area. Make your plans to attend today! Sawmill Focus: Coalition Says USDA Will Not Pursue Hardwood Checkoff Program Proposal After reviewing more than 950 comments about the proposed Hardwood Checkoff published in the Federal Register Nov. 13, 2013, the USDA's Agricul- tural Marketing Service (AMS) has elected not to proceed further on the proposal. Other articles in the Sawmill Focus special section address the ash borer and RTA's 2015 plans to advance the hardwood industry. RTA Members Make Strong Showing At NRC Conference Numerous RTA members were on hand in Fort Lauderdale in January at the 2015 edition of the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Associa- tion's Conference. Check out the photos on pages 9 and 10. Short Line Association Shares Major Goals For 2015 The new president of the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Associa- tion provides a preview of the major goals of the association for 2015. Topping the list is extension of the 45G Short Line Rehabilitation Tax Credit for 2015. R&D;: Developing Test Methods For Assessing Performance Attributes Of Railroad Ties A research paper originally presented at the RTA Conference in Orlando last fall offers insight into the efforts being made to develop test methods for assessing performance attributes of railroad ties. News Scope......................4 Tie Trends......................20 Regular Departments 4 9 9 14 16 C O N T E N T S iTek stries