The Trains staff is off to the Railway Interchange show Sunday-Tuesday in Minneapolis. It’s the big biennial North American trade show. About 10,000 people will show up. Think of it as a state fair for railroaders. Think of it as the toy store for the industry. You can join us for a live look Sunday from 1-4 p.m. and Monday from 1-4:30 p.m. with our Trains livestreaming camera at http://trn.trains.com/interchange/.
Meanwhile, here are 10 things we look forward to at the event.
1. The rolling stock show. Plenty of shiny new locomotives and no-graffiti freight cars.
2. Tier 4 locomotives from General Electric and Electro-Motive Diesel. This is EMD’s Tier 4 debut so let’s hope there’s cake and balloons.
3. The best new on-track piece of equipment. I figure it will look something like the lunar lander on flanged wheels.
4. The preview for InnoTrans 2016 the world’s largest railroad trade show in Berlin next September. That is one show that never misses a beat.
5. If any of the devices that the Europeans came up with for InnoTrans 2014 make it to Railway Interchange 2015. Most fascinating to us in Berlin last year: the robotic switch point inspection machine.
6. Most unique souvenir gift. We’ve seen everything from flashlights, neckties, and shot glasses to lunchboxes and man purses emblazoned with logos and websites.
7. Whether the PTC vendor booths engender admiration or anger. Or if wild parties break out should Congress extend the deadline.
8. Top executives. Some years are flush with them. Other years, it’s quiet. Who will be there this year from the Big Class I railroads, regionals, and short lines.
9. Presentations about big infrastructure projects. The one we’re most interested in at the moment: CSX’s Virginia Avenue Tunnel project, because it’s one big hole in the nation’s capital.
10. News about the next Railway Interchange, set for Indianapolis in 2017. Will Indy be able to offer on-track display space?
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