NRC sets auction record in 2014

Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor
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The National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association, Inc.'s (NRC) Annual Railroad Construction and Maintenance Equipment Auction was held on May 1 at the Quality Track Equipment facility in Austinburg, Ohio, and set a record of $1 million of equipment auctioned to on-site and online bidders.

 

Quality Track Equipment, a division of Delta Railroad Construction, hosted the event at their newly-opened rehab facility and Thomas Blackmon, Jr., of Blackmon Auctions and his team did an outstanding job of running the auction proceedings, said the NRC.

Consignors sold around 250 pieces of rail construction equipment to dozens of bidders from all over the United States, Canada and Mexico. Auctioned items ranged from pallets of spare parts to backhoes, ballast regulators, grapples, hi-rail trucks, rail heaters, rail threaders, rail saws, speed swings, spike drivers and pullers, tampers and trailers. High-profile pieces auctioned included a 7700 Tamper and a TRIPP tie remover/inserter. Equipment prices were competitive, with the typical auction surprises on both the high and the low side, but overall were reasonable and reflected a healthy market for used and rehabilitated railroad construction and maintenance equipment.

Along with consignments from dozens of contractors, suppliers and railroads, equipment donations to the NRC Auction this year were a backhoe from Balfour Beatty Rail and a hi-rail trailer and light plant tower from Delta Railroad Construction. Funds from these donations will go to the NRC Safety & Education Training program, which will allow the NRC to continually strengthen its efforts to ensure the safety of everyone in the rail industry.

 

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