Welcome to the American Railroading Podcast! In this Fun Rail Excursions episode our host Don Walsh is joined by guest Mary Jo Naschke, Director of Marketing for the Galveston Railroad Museum in Galveston, TX. Together they discuss the history of Galveston as a major port city in a young and growing United States in the 1800’s and the vital importance the railroad played in Galveston and beyond in the southwest United States. They also go through all the wonderful exhibits at the museum, the education offered, the beautiful venues available, their upcoming events as the holidays approach, and much more. Tune in to this episode to gain valuable insights and broaden your understanding of American Railroading! You can find this episode and more on the American Railroading Podcast's official website at www.AmericanRailroading.net , and watch our YouTube Channel at the link below. Welcome aboard!

KEY POINTS:

• The American Railroading Podcast remains in the Top 10% of all podcasts globally, now downloaded in 55 countries around the world!
• The podcast has experienced incredible growth in the last month, including a 200% increase in audio and video downloads!
• Founded in 1838, Galveston, an island port city in Texas, quickly became the major hub for trade and immigration for not only Texas, but the entire southwest United States.
• Galveston was the home of the first operating railroad in Texas, founded in 1850.
• After the devastating hurricane of 1900 that damaged nearly every building on Galveston island and took thousands of lives, the railroad bridge was the only bridge that remained standing that connected the island of Galveston to Houston.
• Founded in 1982 by Mary Moody, supported by the Moody Foundation, the Galveston Railroad Museum was created to preserve the history of railroading in Galveston and the effect it had on Texas and beyond.
• Don and Mary Jo go through all the wonderful exhibits, many of which are interactive; the education the museum offers all ages, which includes college internships; the venues on site for weddings, birthdays and corporate events; and the rail hotel which you can stay at on-site.
• The museum has several upcoming events which include ghost tours, The Ghostly Feather interactive mystery, the Rail Baron’s Ball which is an evening of fundraising that includes amazing silent and live auction items, and The Polar Express which actually leaves the station and requires pajamas and a love for hot chocolate.
• Please submit your favorite veteran of our U.S. Armed Forces currently in or retired from the rail industry for our 3rd Annual – American Railroading Podcast - Honor our Heroes Award, sponsored by our friends at Boots for Troops in Tomball, TX. by 09/12/25. Details given in the episode.
• If you like what we do, please leave us a 5-Star Review!

LINKS MENTIONED:

https://www.americanrailroading.net

https://www.therevolutionrailgroup.com

https://www.youtube.com/@americanrailroadingpodcast

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dwalshX

https://www.enviroserve.com

https://www.galvestonrrmuseum.org

Welcome to the American Railroading Podcast! In this episode our host Don Walsh is joined by guest Tom DeLafosse, SVP of Quality and Regulatory Compliance for Salco Products. Together they do a deep dive into tank car regulations, rulings and pending rulings such as HM-216b, HM-265 and HM-264, including the history of the industry before these regulations and rulings, the reasoning behind the creation of them, and their current as well as potential future impact on car owners, repair shops and shippers. They also take a brief moment to discuss the history of Salco Products and A. Stucki. Tune in to this episode to gain valuable insights and broaden your understanding of American Railroading! You can find this episode and more on the American Railroading Podcast's official website at www.AmericanRailroading.net , and watch our YouTube Channel at the link below. Welcome aboard!

KEY POINTS:

• The American Railroading Podcast remains in the Top 10% of all podcasts globally, now downloaded in 53 countries around the world!
• The podcast has experienced incredible growth in the last month, including a 300% increase in audio and video downloads!
• Tom has 50 years of experience in the railcar industry in quality assurance, design, repair and inspection of railroad tank cars.
• Don trained under Tom for his Level II NDT certifications in 1998, shortly after he entered the industry.
• Today there are approximately 2 million registered railcars in the U.S. national fleet, of which 22% (or 440,000) are tank cars, all of which require HM-216b qualification at regular intervals.
• Tom and Don discuss the challenges tank car certified repair shops face today, and some of the potential causes for lengthy shop cycle times.
• Tom gives his very detailed thoughts on the pending ruling HM-265, as well as his opinion of the potential pros and cons.
• Don provides a final update from PHMSA on HM-264.
• Please submit your favorite veteran of our U.S. Armed Forces currently in or retired from the rail industry for our 3rd Annual – American Railroading Podcast - Honor our Heroes Award, sponsored by our friends at Boots for Troops in Tomball, TX. by 09/12/25. Details given in the episode.
• If you like what we do, please leave us a 5-Star Review!

LINKS MENTIONED:

https://www.americanrailroading.net

https://www.therevolutionrailgroup.com

https://www.youtube.com/@americanrailroadingpodcast

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dwalshX

https://www.enviroserve.com

https://www.salcoproducts.com

https://www.stucki.com

Welcome to the American Railroading Podcast! In this episode our host Don Walsh is joined by guest Kate Suprenuk, President of Leasing & Manufacturing at Union Tank Car (UTLX) & Procor. Together they discuss the current state of the new tank car market, the tank car leasing market, and they touch on the history of Union Tank Car Company, formed in 1891 by Standard Oil Company founded by John D. Rockefeller. Tune in to this episode to gain valuable insights and broaden your understanding of American Railroading! You can find this episode and more on the American Railroading Podcast's official website at www.AmericanRailroading.net , and watch our YouTube Channel at the link below. Welcome aboard!

KEY POINTS:

• The American Railroading Podcast remains in the Top 10% of all podcasts globally, now downloaded in 52 countries around the world!
• The podcast has experienced incredible growth in the last year, including a 137% increase in video views on our YouTube channel!
• In 1891 the Union Tank Car Company (originally named the Union Tank Line) is formed by Standard Oil Company, to operate their tank car fleet.
• Tank cars have evolved greatly over the years from the first generation created in 1865, which was comprised of a flat car with two wooden barrels.
• Of the many factors affecting the new tank car market, interest rates are a major factor.
• The parent company of UTLX and Procor, Marmon Holdings, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway Company, is comprised of 11 industry groups and over 30,000 team members, 6,000 of whom are in the rail industry.
• The Marmon Motor Company won the inaugural Indy 500 in 1911 with the Marmon Wasp.
• You can now submit your nomination for our 3rd Annual – American Railroading Podcast - Honor our Heroes Award, sponsored by our friends at Boots for Troops in Tomball, TX. Details given in the episode.
• If you like what we do, please leave us a 5-Star Review!

LINKS MENTIONED:

https://www.americanrailroading.net

https://www.therevolutionrailgroup.com

https://www.youtube.com/@americanrailroadingpodcast

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dwalshX

https://www.enviroserve.com

https://www.utlx.com

https://www.procor.com

https://www.marmon.com