NRC’s annual auction a success
Written by jrood
The NRC's Annual Railroad Construction and Maintenance Equipment Auction was held on Thursday, April 26 at the RailWorks/E&L Paving and Construction facility in La Porte, Ind. The auction was a success with nearly $500,000 of equipment auctioned to on-site and online bidders.
RailWorks Corporate Equipment Manager, Buck Giese, NRC’s Vice Chairman, Bill Dorris and Ed and Carole Loniewski of E&L were the hosts. The rail yard had recently been renovated by E&L and Blackmon Auctions ran the proceedings.
Dozens of consignors sold more than 200 pieces of rail construction equipment to dozens of bidders. Auctioned items ranged from pallets of spare parts to adzers, air compressors, backhoes, cranes, hi-rail trucks, hydraulic rail pullers, rail threaders, rail saws, speed swings, spike drivers, tampers and welders. NRC notes that prices were solid, with the typical auction surprises on both the high and the low side, but overall were reasonable and reflected a healthy market for used railroad construction and maintenance equipment.
Along with consignments from dozens of contractors, suppliers and railroads, equipment donations to the NRC auction this year came from Balfour Beatty Rail, Delta Railroad Construction and Nordco. 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. The NRC says it greatly appreciates these contractors and suppliers for recognizing the importance of this opportunity and making a true investment in railroad contractor safety.
The auction also raised funds for the Catholic Children’s Home in Alton, Ill., in honor of the late Daniel Brown who passed away on April 21, 2012. Brown owned and operated Brown Railroad Equipment in Mitchell, Ill., for 35 years. He was known and respected throughout the rail construction and maintenance equipment industry. The NRC, along with Balfour Beatty Rail, Blackmon Auctions, Delta Railroad Construction, E&L Paving, Nordco and RailWorks say they are privileged to honor Brown with this donation.
To start making plans to consign or donate equipment for the 2013 NRC Auction next spring call the NRC office at 202-715-1247.
