NewsletteR9304 New LaGrange Rd., Suite 200

Louisville, Kentucky 40242E-mail: rssi@rssi.org

Railway Systems Suppliers, Inc.Phone: 502-327-7774Fax: 502-327-0541

Donald F. Remaley, Executive Director Spring, 2004

Stay in Tune with the Future

2004

The east/west rotation of our annual C&S Exhibition takes us to Nashville, Tennessee for the 2004 event. The Exhibition, our 44thannual event and the fourth under our new “all together” format, will be held Wednesday, May 19th through Thursday, May 20th in theRyman Exhibit Hall of the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center. The opening reception and dinner will take place on Tuesdayevening May 18th in the Delta Ballroom beginning at 5:30 PM.

The American Railway Engineering & Maintenance Association (AREMA) will hold their first annual C&S Technical Conference inconjunction with the RSSI C&S Exhibition. The AREMA C&S Technical Conference will take place on Monday and Tuesday, May 17th and18th. (See separate article inside).

Several new suppliers have become members of RSSI since the 2003 exhibition and will be showing their products and services at theNashville show. To date, over 120 exhibitors have reserved over 280 booth spaces. With a little over two months remaining until “showtime” we are anticipating that 2004 will be one of the largest exhibitions ever. Undoubtedly, several new products and services will maketheir debut at this year’s exhibition, further enhancing the technology explosion that has occurred in the C&S segment of the industry over

educational experience.

The membership of RSSI extends their sincere thanks and appreciation to our CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern communicationand signal counterparts for serving as co-hosts for the 2004 exhibition in Nashville.

Meeting Space

Again this year, we are offering complimentary meetingspace at the Opryland Hotel to RSSI member companies,railroad, transit and government agences for privatecompany meetings. Note that no entertainment is permittedin these rooms. The complimentary space will be availableon Monday, May 17th (all day), Tuesday, May 18th (morningonly) or Friday, May 21st (all day). Please call the RSSIoffice at 502.327.7774 for details and reservations.

RSSI Granted SeatOn Railway Supply Institute Board

In November, 2003 the Railway Supply Institute (RSI) grantedRSSI a seat on the RSI Board of Directors as a full votingmember. The RSSI Board of Directors at their meeting onNovember 7th accepted the invitation. Bob DeMarco in hiscapacity as President will represent RSSI on the RSI Boardof Directors for 2004.

Don’t Be Left Out of the Loop!

The RSSI office is depending ever increasingly on electronicmail to convey information to our members. Not only is thisstep being taken to reduce operating costs; but, moreimportantly, to provide important information to our membersin a more timely manner.

In the very near future, the RSSI Newsletter will be providedto each Voting Representative via electronic mail. Therefore,all Voting Representatives (or those person wishing toreceive future correspondence from RSSI) are encouragedto provide their e-mail address to the RSSI office.

This will be the final printed issue of the Newsletter. In thefuture, the Newsletter will appear on the RSSI website. Ane-mail newsletter alert will be sent to all recipients for whichwe have e-mail addresses. Be certain your e-mail addressis on our list. Sign-up to receive the electronic newsletteralert via our web site www.rssi.org.

10East Corp. ERICO Inc. National Electric Gate Co. Safetran Systems Corp.

A.M. Signal Systems Ltd. ESRI National Railway Supply, Inc. SAFT

AAA Sales & Engineering, Inc. Fabricated Metals North American Signal, Inc. Shel-Bar Electronic Ind. Ltd.

Advanced Signal Technologies, LLC Fastrax Industries, Inc. Okonite Company, The SHM Systems

AF Comm Supply G&B Specialties, Inc. PATCO Industries Inc. Siemens Transportation Systems

Alstom Signaling Inc. GETS Global Signaling Pencell Plastics SignalMasters, Inc.

AR Concepts GELcore Penta Corporation Southern Technologies Corp.

ARINC General Signals, Inc. Phoenix Contact Inc. Southwest Signal Engineering

ARMS, Inc. GNB Technologies PHW Inc. Stanley Hydraulic Tools

Arthur N. Ulrich Company Grablock, Inc. Pocket List of Railroad Officials Synertech Moulded Products

Avtec Grafoplast Wiremarkers, Inc. Power Engineering Inds. TDH Solutions Inc.

Balfour Beatty Rail, Inc. Hanning & Kahl, L.P. Premier Custom Trough TiefenBach

Bender, Inc. Harger Lightning & Grounding Primus Electronics Time Code Consultants Inc.

C3 Trans Systems LLC Hertz Equipment Rental Corp. Progress Rail Services/Lincoln Ind. Times Microwave Systems

Cable USA Hovey Industries Ltd. Progressive Railroading Magazine Trackside Service Inc.

Carson Industries LLC Huber+Suhner PTMW, Inc. Trainyard Tech, LLC

Cattron-Theimeg, Inc. Interrail Signal Quantum Engineering Transtector Systems

Cembre Inc. J&A Industries, Inc. Rail Development Group Twin City Signal, Inc.

Comet Industries Kenwood USA Corp.; Comm. Division Rail Systems Solutions, Inc. Twinco Manufacturing Co. Inc.

Commercial Electronics Corp. KYOCERA Solar, Inc. Railroad Controls Limited Ultra-Tech Enterprises, Inc.

Communication Equipment Specialists, Inc. L&W Industries Rails Company Union Switch & Signal

Control Chief Corp. Larry McGee Co. Railtech, LLC VAE Nortrak Ltd.

Crossing Safety Technology LLC Lat-Lon, LLC Railware, Inc. VELCORP/GEMS

Custom Steel Manufacturing Ltd. LEM U.S.A., Inc. Railway Age Wabtec Railway Electronics

Danella Rental Systems, Inc. Lightguard Systems Railway Equipment Co. WAGO Corporation

Dialight Corporation LJK Companies Retlif Testing Laboratories Weidmuller

Digital Concepts, Inc. Mass Transit Magazine Ritron Inc. Western Towers

Dixie Precast Inc. MEC Rail RM Star Inc. Western-Cullen-Hayes Inc.

Draka USA Meteor Communications Corp. S&C Distribution Co. Wilmore Electronics Company, Inc.

ECT International, Inc. Microwave Data Systems SafeCrossings

RSSI 2004 C&S ExhibitionPreliminary Exhibitors List

Railway Systems Suppliers, Inc.9304 New LaGrange Road, Suite 200Louisville, KY 40242

recent years. This, along with the first annual AREMA C&S Technical Conference, should make your attendance an interesting and

AREMA C&S Technical Conference

The AREMA C&S Technical Conference will be held May 16-18at the Opryland Hotel and Convention Center in conjunctionwith the 2004 RSSI C&S Exhibition. The technical conference,the first sponsored by AREMA dedicated exclusively tocommunication and signal issues, should be of great interestto all attendees.

AREMA is preparing an exciting program! A panel of Senior levelC&S leaders will discuss a wide range of relevant topics asthey pertain to safety, service and improved efficiencies. OnTuesday, May 18, there will be a “Best Practice Forum”.Attendees will be able to interact with presenters anddemonstrators to learn and share their best practices.

Separate registration is required for the technical conference.For details contact AREMA at 301.459.3200 or visit the AREMAweb site at www.arema.org.

RSSI Scholarship Program

The RSSI Board of Directors is proud of the scholarshipprogram that they have created. The first scholarships wereawarded in 1991 and since then thirty-one students, whoare either children or grandchildren of member companyemployees, have been awarded scholarships. Fourteen ofthem have maintained the requirements to keep theirscholarships for the full four years, including the four whowill graduate in 2004.

In 2004, with four winners completing their four years, weintend to, once again, award four scholarships to gifted anddeserving students. The competition has become startlingin recent years and in the 2003 competition, we had twoapplicants who had achieved perfect SAT scores. At onetime, such an achievement was unheard of but is indicativeof the quality of students emerging from our school systemstoday. We seem to read how the quality of education isdeteriorating in our great country but RSSI can witness tojust the opposite with our observation of the gifted and hardworking applicants for our scholarships.

Awards are based upon the following ten point system:SAT/ACT scores, Transcript and School Profile, Letters ofRecommendation, Essay, Leadership, Initiatives, SpecialHonors, Goals, Extracurricular Activities and Preparation.These criteria parallel the admissions procedures of theuniversities and colleges also having a lot of competitionfor college entrance. The judging is done by twoprofessionals from acadamia and our own ExecutiveDirector.

The awards themselves consist of $2,000 per year payabledirectly to the student . To keep their scholarship from yearto year, they must maintain a 3.0 average and continue tocomplete a year’s requirements for each year of collegeattendance.

Last year, we had 62 applicants and hope that thecompetition continues at that level for each year to come. Ifyou have someone in your family that is eligible, we hopethat you will encourage them to apply before the deadline ofMay 1st.

Where Are They Now?

The following individuals have recently completed their termas recipients of the RSSI Scholarship. The following is asynopsis of “where they are today”.

Nick Ulrich:

Nick graduated from Miami University, Oxford, OH, in May2001. He earned a B.S. in Finance and Accounting, summacum laude.

Upon graduation, Nick accepted a position with Stout RisiusRoss, Inc., a financial advisory services firm, in Chicago.He joined the firm’s Investment Banking Group as anAnalyst. As a member of the Investment Banking Group,Nick was involved in mergers & acquisitions advisoryservices in a variety of industries, including manufacturingand steel. Nick was promoted to Senior Analyst in June2003. In October 2003, Nick left the firm to move back toColumbus, Ohio, in order to be closer to his family.

Currently, Nick is an Associate with Stonehenge Partners,Inc., in Columbus, Ohio. Stonehenge is a private equityfund that manages $325 million in private equity andsubordinated debt commitments.

Rachel A. Fautz:

Rachel graduated from the University of Louisville in 2003.She majored in History with a concentration in socialsciences, and graduated Magna Cum Laude.

Rachel is currently enrolled in the Masters program in PublicAdministration at the University of Louisville, her focus is onNon Profit Management.

Upon completion of the Masters program, Rachel hopes towork with either historic homes or museums (to utilize herundergraduate degree) or with an organization that workstoward the care, preservation, rescue, or adoption of animals(such as the Humane Society, which is where she volunteersweekly).

RSSI Nashville 2004Schedule

Monday, May 17th:8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. AREMA C&S Technical Conference8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Private Railroad Meetings

Tuesday, May 18th:7:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. RSSI Exhibitor Set-Up8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. AREMA C&S Technical Conference8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Private Railroad Meetings10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. RSSI Registration Desk Open3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. RSSI Annual Membership Meeting5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. RSSI Opening Reception - Delta “A” Foyer6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. RSSI Opening Dinner - Delta “A’ Ballroom

Wednesday, May 19th:7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. RSSI Registration Desk Open8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. RSSI Exhibition Open8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Buffet Breakfast11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Buffet Lunch5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Beer, Wine, and Soft Drinks6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Buffet Dinner

Thursday, May 20th:7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. RSSI Registration Desk Open8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. RSSI Exhibition Open8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Buffet Breakfast11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Buffet Lunch4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Beer, Wine, Soft Drinks and Snacks6:00 p.m. RSSI Exhibition Closes6:30 p.m. Exhibitor Tear-Down

Friday, May 21st:7:00 a.m. - 12 Noon Exhibitor Tear-Down & Move-Out8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Private Railroad Meetings

Zip Code Survey

All Voting Representatives of RSSI U.S. member companieswill, in the near future, receive a request to provide zip codeinformation relative to facility locations and employee home zipcodes. This extremely important effort is being done to furtherenhance the Railway Supply Institute (RSI) legislative efforts byexpanding their representation base. Among the many issueson the RSI legislative agenda is the reauthorization of TEA-21which includes such topics as funding for grade crossing safetyimprovements and rail transit funding. RSSI, with over 210 U.S.member companies, is one of the largest members of RSI andtherefore can make a significant contribution to their legislativeeffort in terms of the numerous voting districts represented bymember facilities and employees.

Please give this request a high priority. Note that all informationprovided is held in strict confidence. This legislation ultimatelyeffects you - please participate.

AREMA 2004 C&S Technical ConferenceMay 17-18, 2004

Preliminary Conference Program(Note: Seperate Registration is Required)

Sunday, May 16, 2004:Noon - 4:00 p.m. AREMA Registration

Monday, May 17, 2004:7:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. AREMA Registration7:00 - 8:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast8:00 a.m. General Session8:00 - 8:05 a.m. Opening Remarks & Safety Briefing8:05 - 8:10 a.m. Invocation8:10 - 8:20 a.m. President’s Comments8:20 - 8:25 a.m. RSSI Greeting8:25 - 8:35 a.m. Headquarters Report8:35 - 8:55 a.m. FRA Report8:55 - 9:15 a.m. FCC Update9:15 - 9:35 a.m. AAR Update & Report9:35 - 10:00 a.m. Coffee Break10:00 - 10:45 a.m. Committee Reports10:45 a.m. - Noon C&S Industry Leaders Panel DiscussionNoon - 1:30 p.m. “Key Ideas” Roundtable Buffet Luncheon1:30 - 2:00 p.m. Break2:00 - 3:05 p.m. Breakout Sessions

Session #1:• Radio Telephony Integration• Mitigating the Low Level Lightning

Threat to Wayside Signal SystemsSession #2:• A Practical Risk & Safety

Assessment Methodology forSafety-Critical Systems

• Special Features of ProcessorBased Interlockings Design forCommuter Rail Operations on theLIRR

3:05 - 3:30 p.m. Break & Audience shifts between rooms3:30 - 4:35 p.m. Breakout Sessions: (repeat of above)6:00 - 8:00 p.m. President’s Reception

Tuesday, May 18, 2004:7:00 - Noon AREMA Registration7:00 - 8:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast8:00 - 9:05 a.m. Breakout Sessions

Session #3:• Microlock II Broken Rail Detection

Sleep Mode• Power System & Railroad

Electromagnetic CompatibilitySession #4:• Latest Developments in Switch

Machine Technology & ElectronicCircuit Controller Applications

• Railway Battery Capacity9:05 - 9:30 a.m. Break & Audience shifts between rooms9:30 - 10:35 a.m. Breakout Sessions: (repeat of above)10:35 - 11:00 a.m. Break11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Best Practice Demonstrations with

Buffet Lunch2:00 - 2:30 p.m. Break2:30 - 3:00 p.m. SDR: The Holy Grail for Interoperability3:00 - 3:30 p.m. CPR’s S&C Strategy - A Plan to Improve

Safety, Service and Efficiencies3:30 - 4:00 p.m. Report on Monday “Key Ideas”

Luncheon Results