ALL ABOARDPublished for the employees of the Alaska Railroad Corporation

June 2004

Inside:History Moment........................................ 7 ARRC Program Wins Award ............... 5Policy on Special Orders ......................... 4 Internet Insight-Things to Know .......... 6New Hires and Service Awards. .............. 2 Rail Cars in Alaska ............................. 8Spotlight Awards ...................................... 2 Run for Women 2004 .......................... 9

Governor Frank H. Murkowski andAlaska Railroad Corporation Chairman JohnE. Binkley signed into law SB 31 and SB 395,two bills that make progress towards a railroadto Canada, connecting the North Americanrailway system. The bill signings took placeat Moose Creek south of North Pole with the“Spirit of Delta Junction” in the backgroundfor the event.

“This is an important first step to openingAlaska’s vital resources,” said Chairman JohnE. Binkley. “These bills allow the railroad tocontinue its commitment to unify Alaskacommunities. The first link is to Delta Junctionand then on to Canada.”

SB 31, introduced by Sen. John Cowdery,allows for the delineation of a transportationcorridor between the existing rail corridor andthe Alaska/Canada border. In addition, the bill

allows the Alaska Railroad to investigate theextension of the railroad to Canada, to connectwith the North American railway system. SB 395, introduced by the Rules Committeeatthe request of Sen. Gene Therriault, authorizesthe Alaska Railroad to extend its rail line to FortGreely, and to issue bonds to finance the cost of

Governor Frank Murkowski and Chairman JohnE. Binkley ride to a bill signing ceremony aboard

the “Spirit of Delta Junction.”

Governor Signs Railroad Bills

(See Page 7, Railroad Bills)

No matter how much improvement a teammakes when it comes to safety, you’re nevercompletely done. A surge in employee injuriesas the summer season started up is a trueconfirmation of that fact.

In the two months since April 15, 12 ARRCemployees have been hurt on the job —accounting for 70 percent of all injuriessustained this year. Moreover, two-thirds ofthose injuries have been sustained by new orseasonal-rehired workers.

This summer “spike” in injuries andincidents shows up in different forms every year,and we’ve had varying success dealing withthe specific issues.

For example, operating rules violations —authority violations, mishandled switches, etc.— used to make up a substantial part of theseasonal spike. Those numbers have beendriven down over three years through bettertraining, implementation, and supervision.

However, with other types of incidents

Drive Down the Summer “Spike”by Ernie Piper, Asst. V.P. of Health, Safety, and Environment

(See Page 6, Summer Spike)

All Aboard • page 2

June 2004

Michael Willoya Passenger OperationsWilliam Monbleau Bridges & BuildingsStephen Greenough MechanicalRodney Oehler Bridges & BuildingsKaren Smith On Board ServicesLucas Bergstrom MaintenanceJoseph Streff II MaintenanceJoseph Vickrey MaintenanceWarren Woodland MaintenanceBarbara Graham Passenger OperationsYevette Lancaster Project ManagementChristopher Griffith TransportationMatthew Hazlett TransportationGarry Heimrich TransportationEthan Henderson TransportationAlan Szewczyk Passenger OperationsDenise Hibbeln Reservations & TicketingRyan Andrew On Board ServicesHeidi Bronczyk On Board ServicesKatrina Howe On Board ServicesEdward Johnstone Jr. On Board ServicesJustin Laufer On Board ServicesJacky Lookingland On Board ServicesKate McDevitt On Board ServicesMegan Metcalf On Board ServicesRebecca Price On Board ServicesBrianne Purcella On Board ServicesSabina Seeberger On Board ServicesSamantha Strunk On Board ServicesColin Vanderhoff On Board ServicesMichael Zlatkovsky On Board ServicesAmy Beckley On Board ServicesRebecca Bye On Board ServicesScott Curry On Board ServicesKaleb Gibertoni On Board ServicesOlivia Horine On Board ServicesBonnie Irving On Board ServicesMathew Mund On Board ServicesHeather Apperson On Board ServicesAimee Carnahan On Board ServicesBrittany Casey On Board ServicesRyan Dieckgraeff On Board ServicesShontele Kelsoe On Board ServicesAmber O’Brikis On Board ServicesMark Carling MaintenanceBrandon Dianoski MaintenanceBrian Hafferman MaintenanceMichael Helbig MaintenanceDawn Snow MechanicalNathan Wilson Bridges & Buildings

New Hires May 2004“Spotlight” onseveral exemplaryemployees

The railroad recently presented several employees witha Spotlight Award. These awards recognize exceptionalservice, job performance and professional development.Congratulations to the following:

Glenn Liptak, Locomotive Machinist, discovered acritical defect in locomotive piston lubrication tubes. Thisfinding has likely saved the Alaska Railroad thousands ofdollars, and prevented equipment damage and customerservice interruptions just as ARRC began ramping up for thebusy summer season.

Christine Turner, Payroll Technician, for achieving anAssociates degree in Accounting from the University ofAlaska Anchorage. We Commend Christine’s commitmentto enhance her professional education despite a demandingschedule at the Railroad.

Nicole Baldrige, Administrative Assistant, spent manyhours verifying and validating accounting errors discoveredon a crossing project for the Municipality of Anchorage. Herattention to detail, not only pinpointed the problem, but alsoprevented what could have been a public relations disasterfor the Alaska Railroad.

The following members of our Telecommunications teamworked a collective 7.5 years injury free. This is an impressiveaccomplishment and one of the reasons the Alaska Railroadwas recently recognized with an E.H. Harriman Rail SafetyAward, marking continuous improvement in safetyperformance. This extended history of injury free workreflects positively on the whole company and sets a powerfulexample for fellow employees. The Telecommunicationsteam is as follows:

Mo Waterman TechnicianGene Vicere TechnicianJim Lemke TechnicianScott Langley TechnicianMark Mastre TechnicianAl Townsend Work LeaderBart Browning Supervisor Telecom

All Aboard • page 3

June 2004

Service Awards for June 2004

New Arrivals

1 Year

Eugene Kuykendall MechanicalShannon McBride Signaling &

TelecommunicationsScott Vietmeier Signaling &

TelecommunicationsPerry Robbins MechanicalGail Edwards Signaling &

TelecommunicationsCharissa Feltman Markets, Sales &

Services

5 Years

Jeff Debroeck MaintenanceBaron Shouck MechanicalArchie Card MechanicalTommy Farrow Signaling &

TelecommunicationsChristopher Cramer TransportationThomas Beer Maintenance

10 Years

Stewart Stackhouse MechanicalDavid Harris Transportation

20 Years

Clifford Giles Maintenance

25 Years

Kathy Lewis Real Estate

30 Years

Duane Kauke Transportation

Lee Thompson and his wife Karen who alongwith their daughter Madison, welcome daughter numbertwo, another beautiful baby girl. Reagan ElizabethThompson was born on June 10 at 6:33 a.m., 6lbs., 9oz.

(L to R) George Naser, Heavy Equipment Mechanic,Frank O’Meara, Heavy Equipment Mechanic and Matt

Glynn, V.P. and Chief Operating Officer at Frank’sgoing away recognition.

Frank O’Meara is retiring from the ARRC with overfive years as a Heavy Equipment Mechanic. We all wishFrank the best in his retirement.

Bill Hightower, Locomotive Engineer, is honored for 30years of service with the Alaska Railroad.

Around the Yard

All Aboard • page 4

June 2004

The Alaska Railroad Corporation has a new policyregarding ordering any special order office supply items.The following questions and answers will help clarify specialoffice product orders and the proper protocol for initiating arequest.

1) We are supposed to do a release against one ofthree Blankets?

Use blanket purchase order 20078 for all office supplies.Do not mix paper, toner and office supplies on 1-order.End User departments are responsible for special orders.

2) What are the Corporate Express blankets for?20078 - office supplies20077 - toner (Purchasing will handle)20022 - paper (Purchasing Will handle)Purchasing will continue to do toner and paper.Only use BPO 20078 - office supplies.

3) Are you supposed to do the release when youdo the order?

Our experience is that it is easier to place the order onthe Internet, and wait for the invoice to come in and thenprocess the BPO to PO against 20078 for office supplies.That way you can compare the prices to your order andmake sure that the invoice matches the BPO to PO. Pleasereference the invoice number in the line description of theBPO to PO.

Note: There is a Corp Express website to do theordering on, that does not appear to be getting used.

If you need training for on-line ordering, from CorporateExpress’ website please call Tom Burkwist at X2630,Danielle Wood at the number above, or Althea Clapp atX2612. If you need assistance with the BPO to PO pleasecall Althea Clapp at X2612 or Tom Burkwist at X2630 andwe will be happy to provide you with training.

Tips - if you get an error message regarding accountcodes being split - go to VIEWS, Accounts, this means thatyour center & GL information has not been input. Each POline must have account coding.

Remember once your BPO to PO is complete, movethe status on the header from “Created” to approved, andthen issued. The BPO to PO is not complete until the PO isin issued status.

4) What about special order items for officesupplies?

Each end user department shall be responsible forordering its own special office supplies items that are notstored in the supply rooms and produce its own BPO to POwhen the invoices come in with the supplies. Small officefurniture should be purchased through Danielle Wood, whocan be reached at 907-786-5159.

If you have any other question, call Purchasing ManagerAlthea S. Clapp, C.P.M at ext. 2612.

New Policy for Special Orders

Recently a small group of Alaska railroad employeesmet at the Millennium Hotel in Anchorage to revive aprogram that has been around the Railroad since the early1990s.

With the help of several initial members, and three veryknowledgeable and talented teachers—Tim Kauffman, SamBrooks and Roger Solomon—Peer Support is alive and wellat the Alaska Railroad Corporation.

Peer Support is a program that puts in place a networkof individuals who are willing to be available in times ofcrisis. If you or someone you know is experiencing difficultyor suffering trauma at home or at work following a criticalaccident or incident, we are here to help.

We lend an ear, offer help to work through the trauma,provide a shoulder to cry on, or even make some chickensoup if that is what you need. We can also refer you to anagency that can help when we cannot.

Everything that is said is kept in the strictest ofconfidence. That is our number one Peer Support promiseto you. Many who were previously involved in the program,and our three teachers, highly recommend the programsaying that, “It is proven and it works!”

The Peer Support program is wholeheartedly supportedby the Alaska Railroad Corporation and by the many unionson the Railroad. However, it is not a company or Union run

Peer Support-Here for all of usby Peer Suport Group

By Althea Clapp, C.P.M., Purchasing Manager

(SeePage 5, Peer Support)

All Aboard • page 5

June 2004

program. It is an employee run program.When we get together, it is not as represented or non-

represented, it is as employees. We are employees helpingemployees. Just as the name implies, Peer Support providessupport for and from our peers, our brothers and sisters of theAlaska Railroad.

The nine new member employees from various crafts, inboth labor and management, learned the finer points of PeerSupport. The new members are as follows:

Rocky Murrill MOWLynn Reitz Transportation-Original MemberDerek Winchester Heavy EquipmentLarry Carbaugh TransportationJefferi Felton Track LaborCheryl Chynovsky OperationsStephan Kester Train Dispatcher

Tom Kendall TransportationKrista Aumick Mech Department

Those of us who attended the two-day class were verygrateful and thankful to Mr. Kauffman, Mr. Brooks and Mr.Solomon for giving us such a wonderfully informative andhelpful class.

There are plans for another class to be held sometimein January 2005. If you are interested in becoming a memberof the Peer Support Team, or just want to attend because itcan be beneficial for you personally, please contact any oneof the names listed above.

A more complete list of names can be found on ourintranet page. Our plan is to build a web page specificallyfor Peer Support. The more people interested, the morethis program can be successful. Peer Support is here for allof us.

Peer Support (Continue from Page 4, Peer Support)

The Armed Services YMCA recently presented PatGamble, President and CEO of the Alaska RailroadCorporation, with its first Chairman’s Board GivingRoundtable Award at its annual board meeting last month.Gamble and the Alaska Railroad were recognized for making$186,000 in train fare available to military families in Alaskaduring 2003.

“I am honored that we have been recognized by theArmed Services YMCA board,” said Gamble. “Theprograms that Alaska Railroad provides to junior-enlistedpersonnel and their families helps to make their experiencehere in Alaska affordable and very memorable. It’s a wayto say thanks.

The Award recognizes Armed Services YMCA boardmembers who excelled during the previous year infundraising through personal gifts, individual solicitation orcorporate solicitation.

As part of the Armed Services YMCA of Alaska’s “Yon Rails” program, the Alaska Railroad offerscomplementary, space available rail transportation to militaryfamilies, as well as discounted tours, activities and lodgingfor recreational getaways. Participants may travel in Alaskafrom Anchorage to Denali, Talkeetna, Seward and Whittier,or from Fairbanks to Denali and Anchorage. Priority ticketsare given to singles and younger single-parent families ingrades E-6 and below, as well as dependent spouses ofdeployed members.

“General Gamble’s dedication and generouscontributions to this program have greatly improved thequality of life of servicemen/women and their families inAlaska,” said Frank Gallo, national executive director ofthe Armed Services YMCA. “Time and time again, hegraciously offers his resources to help bring militaryfamilies together, which is one of the most important thingswe do at the Armed Services YMCA. We are delightedto acknowledge him and the Alaska Railroad with thisaward.”

Gamble was also credited with forming a localrelationship between the Armed Services YMCA ofAlaska and First Book, a national nonprofit organization

that provides children with theirfirst new book. This nationalrelationship has beenmaintained since 1998,distributing more than 1.5million new books. Gamblemade the program possible inAlaska by providingtransportation through theRailroad for 78,000 books,which were distributed to 60different schools andorganizations in the state.

“Y on Rails” Program Brings Home Award

All Aboard • page 6

June 2004

4

Internet Insight – Things to KnowOne of the new features in GroupWise 6.5 is to apply a

colored category to your mail to help sort and keep track ofmail.

Categories provide you with a way to organize your items.You can assign a category to any item, including contacts.You create and add categories and can give each categoryan identifying color. The colors display in the Item List and inthe Calendar

Four default categories (Follow-Up, Low Priority,Personal, and Urgent) are available for you to immediatelyassign to items. You can modify and delete them if you choose,as well as continue to create new categories.

To assign a category to a mail item:Right-click an item in your Mailbox or Calendar > click

the category.The 10 most recently used categories are available from

this right-click menu. (If you have not yet used categories,they are displayed alphabetically.)

You can filter on categories by using the Show menunext to the Filter icon (looks like two joined gray circles in themain mail viewing area). You can add a Category columnheading and sort your Item List by category. When you clickon this icon, you will be able to select a category from thedrop-down menu for your review (or reset it if you have set afilter previously). The filter only works in current view of theMailbox or Cabinet folders. If you typically file things intomultiple folders, you may need to use the GroupWise Findfeature to search for all items of a particular category. Youcan save a “Find” as a folder and use it again and again.Below are instructions on how to setup a Find to search for aCategory and save the search as a folder for future use.

In order to find a Category - you have to do an AdvancedFind

Click on Tools > Find (or Click on the Magnifying glass)to start the Find

Click on the button “Advanced Find” located in thebottom right corner

In the first field you want to select “Category” as thesearch type;

Click on the Down-Arrow to see the drop-down list,you’ll need to click on “All Fields” to select Category forthe first time. (Afterwards, GroupWise will keep it in thedrop-down list for future reference)

Leave the equal sign (=) as your next selection criteria,and then click on the category bar to select which categorytype you want to find. You need to double-click on thecategory you want to search on to have it pop into theselection box.

If you want to find multiple categories, you would select“AND” from the next option bar, and repeat the above steps.

Click on OK to close your selection criteria then; Click on OK to start the Find process.You will get a new Window called “GroupWise find

Results” with your results displayed in the window.If you want to save the folder for re-use there is an icon

(looks like a folder with an arrow & a magnifying glass), orselect Save As A Folder from the FILE menu. This willbring up a cabinet view for you to position and name thenew find folder into your Cabinet. When a Find is saved asa folder, it will process the search every time you click onthe folder.

decreasing, injuries stand out like, well — a sore thumb.Injuries usually make up about a quarter of all incidents,but this spring, it has rocketed up to about 40 percent.

Situational awareness — knowing where you are,what’s going on around you, and where your risks lie — isat the core of avoiding injury. For new or rehiredemployees, picking up on the tell-tale signs of impendingtrouble is sometimes slower than it would normally be.

For example, a new employee got a hand smashed ina coach door, and a call-back brakeman caught a thumb inpinch point on a locomotive door. Both injuries causedenough damage to be reportable to the FRA, and one

required the employee to be on light duty for two weeks.Employee safety teams have fanned out on the railroad to

help raise awareness and re-enforce training through the endof June. Lynn Reitz, a veteran switchman and conductor, hasbeen appointed as a safety coordinator for this period forTransportation, following in the footsteps of Maintenance ofWay’s successful safety coordinator program over the past threeyears.

Keep an eye on those returning employees, offer help tonew hires, and manage your own personal space as a “safetyzone” and we can drive injuries down even further than wehave over the past five.

Summer Spike (continued from page 1)

GroupWise 6.5 – Categories and Find Features

June 2004

the extension. The Department of the Army would pay forthe annual debt service on the bonds. The bill allows therailroad to extend its mainline track from the Moose CreekRichardson Highway crossing to Delta Junction/Ft. Greely,an 80-mile extension. An additional spur of 15 miles fromFlag Hill to the Blair Lakes Military Training Area also willbe constructed.

Infrastructure is key to economic development andresource development,” said Murkowski. “Myadministration is working hard to ensure that we have theinfrastructure necessary to support the high-paying jobscritical to Alaska’s future and these bills do that. The visionof a rail connection from Alaska to the rail system in NorthAmerica is one step closer.”

The extension would provide year-round transportationsupport for the Strategic Missile Defense Command forcesand the Stryker Brigade combat teams; allow port-to-rail-to-range service that will enhance Alaska as a world classjoint/combined training location; permit commuter rail and

flexible freight service between Delta Junction/Ft. Greelyand Fairbanks; and create significant economicopportunity for development in the Delta Junction region.

History Moment: ARRC bucks trend byincreasing passenger equipment

When AMTRAK took over operation ofintercity passenger train routes by May of 1971,most of the private railroads in the United Stateshad discontinued passenger service. Buckingthat trend, the Alaska Railroad began addingpassenger equipment to accommodate agrowing number of visitors and residentswanting to ride the train. Much of thisequipment had become surplus for the freight-only railroads. Pictured above, in the ARRCEmployee newspaper’s January-February 1972edition, is a “new” vistadome coach. This carwas purchased, along with30 other cars of varioustypes, from Union PacificRailroad in 1971. Thepassenger coach wentinto service in May 1972and remains in servicetoday.

Photo from the Railbelt Reporter, one of the first Alaska Railroadnewsletters that went out to ARRC employees. The caption reads, “One ofour four new vistadome coaches repainted and ready for 1972 passenger

service, an exciting addition to railroading in Alaska.”

The Governor signs SB 31 and SB 395 as dignitaries watch.

Railroad Bills: Railroad to Study Expansion(Continued from page 1)

All Aboard • page 7

Speeder heading north toAnchorage.

Rocky Murrill, Manager, Maintenance Planningtakes a moment to talk with, “Speeder,” leader

Hank Brown.Custom Speeder at Anderson

Memorial Tunnel.

Steve Love, District Roadmaster/District 3 anda rider outside Anderson Memorial Tunnel.

Speeders lined up at Portage.

Riding acrossPortage Flats.

A different type of railfan came to Alaskarecently...those with their own Railcars also knownas “Speeders.”

North American RailCar OperatorsAssociation in association with Wilderness Toursoffered a, “Alaska by Rail,” excursion. Exploring 1020miles on the Alaska Railroad from Seward to Fairbankswith one-day layovers in Seward, Denali, andFairbanks. The 10-day tour started on June 7.

Touring the GreatlandJune 2004

All Aboard • page 8

This year’s Run forWomen had over 4,000participants. Volunteers fromthe Alaska Railroad were onhand to pass out water tothose participants one-mileinto the race. The AlaskaRailroad is a Platinum Sponsorof the Run for Women.

Thank you to all theARRC volunteers for set-up,clean-up and supporting thisyear’s race.

Run for Women 2004: Water Station One

Jack Vossen, Inventory ControlManager braves the sea of runners

to hand out water.

Wendy Lindskoog, Director of ExternalAffairs and Jim Seeberger, Director,

Transportation Services prepare watercups for runners.

The calm before the storm. WaterStation One ready for action.

Sharron DeMiero, ReneeRasmussen, Jack Vossen, andMia Cain wait for the runners to

round 9th and E st.

Sydney Cain and Nancy Nakjua hand out the last ofthe water to the back of the pack.

Christie Kearney and daughter Dorothy wait for the lastof the runners.

June 2004

All Aboard • page 9

Alaska Railroad CorporationP.O. Box 107500Anchorage, AK 99510-7500

PRSRT STDUS POSTAGE

PAIDANCHORAGE, AKPERMIT #500

June 2004

Tour de Alaska

A lone railcar crosses the bridge heading north towards Anchorage. A group of railfans in their personal rail cars,or “speeders” toured our great state via the rails of the Alaska Railroad. More photos on Page 8.