Introduction to Railroad Engineering and Operations

Railroad Industry Overview

• Introduction to the world of freight, transit, inter-city passenger, high-speed and other rail.
• History/railroad facts
• Track network
• Train types/car types
• Industry trade groups
• Regulatory agencies

Track Structure

Learn in detail the importance and standard practices of all aspects of the track structure beginning with the importance of drainage and subballast up to the top-of-rail for a variety of applications and situations.

• Drainage
• Subballast
• Ballast
• Ties
• Rail
• Special trackwork: turnouts, frogs, and other

Track Alignment

• Design and maintenance characteristics
• Track gauge
• Vertical alignment
• Horizontal alignment
• Track stiffness
• Clearances
• Design Criteria
• Difference between rail and highway, freight and transit

Special Trackwork

• Turnouts and Switches
• Frogs
• Crossovers and Diamonds
• Guardrails

Bridges and Structures

• Bridge types
• Design loadings
• Bridge ratings
• Inspections and FRA 237 Bridge Management

Signals

• Block signal systems
• Track circuits
• Aspects and indications
• Positive train control

Operations Planning  & Scheduling

• Track Charts
• Signaling and train movements
• Modeling
• Stringlines
• Operations class exercise

Event Dates/Times:

• 11/17/2025  9:00am - 5:00pm Central Time
• 11/18/2025  9:00am - 5:00pm Central Time

This is a HyFlex (in-person and online) taught course. Your registration is for one teaching platform only: in-person or online. Please be prepared to attend all days, either in person or online. Please contact us if you have any questions or need to make a change. 

Registration confirmation will guide students through accessing the Canvas course site.

Students will create and log in to the Canvas course site with a NetID. Course assets, including instructional materials, participation certificates, and course evaluations, will be available to all students through the Canvas course site.

The course materials are all digital and only available on the Canvas course website. 

Online attendees will access sessions via the Zoom web conferencing platform. The Zoom link will be provided a few days before the course.

Please watch the email address that you provided during registration for release dates and pre-course information. 

• Program Director

  Dave Peterson

• Instructors

  Michael Loehr

  Global Technology Leader - Transit & Rail, Track & Civil Engineering and Chief Engineer Rail & Transit ¿ North America

  Michael J. Loehr, PE, is the Global Technology Leader at U.S. Rail & Transit for Jacobs Engineering in Richmond, Virgina. Loehr leads the development of innovative and cost-effective designs for rail and transit practice projects throughout the United States and assists project managers and project teams in response to specific client needs and project requirements. He has more than 44 years of extensive engineering, design, and construction experience on a wide variety of railroad industry projects, including 10 years with Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail), and 34 years of consulting. His expertise and insight have been developed through his work on passenger rail facilities, high speed rail projects, freight rail installations, railway bridges, commercial and industrial sites, and highways. He has worked on projects throughout North America as well as Indonesia, China, Jamaica, Africa, and the Middle East. 

  Jeff Keating

  Senior Engineering Manager, Rail & Transit

  Jeff Keating, PE is currently a Senior Project Manager-Rail with WSP in Chicago with 44 years of experience in the design, construction and maintenance of rail transit and railroad projects. He has been employed by Class 1 railroads, a transit agency, a contractor and as a consultant.  He has held senior engineering and project management roles in dozens of transit, rail, and highway projects throughout the United States and has experience in program management, project management and quality management. 

  Peter Schierloh

  Senior Design Engineer

  Peter Schierloh, PE, is a seasoned railroad bridge engineer with over two decades of experience in the field. He currently serves as a Project Engineer at SW Bridge Engineers, LLC in DeForest, Wisconsin, a role he has held since the firm’s inception in 2007. Peter specializes in the inspection, design, and rating of railroad bridges across the United States. Prior to this, he worked with E80 Plus Constructors, LLC, managing railroad bridge construction projects. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Michigan Technological University in 1996. Peter is a licensed Professional Engineer in multiple states and actively contributes to the industry as a member of AREMA Committee 10.

If you are planning to attend an Interdisciplinary Professional Programs course, payment is required at the time of registration. Below are the payment options:

Pay by Credit Card

Enroll online and pay by credit card.

• Search for the course on the website and then click on the Enroll Now button from the course webpage.
• Enter all necessary course attendee information and payment information on the course enrollment page.
• You will receive an email to confirm successful enrollment and payment.

Enroll over the phone and pay by credit card.

• Call CERC Registrations at 608-262-2451.
• Provide the registrations representative with:
  • the course name, dates, and/or course number.
  • the necessary course attendee information and payment information.
• You will receive either a mailed document or an email to confirm successful enrollment payment.

Pay by Check

Mail in a completed registration form and check payable to UW Madison.

• Fill out a registration form (found either in the back of the course brochure you received in the mail or here).
• Prepare a check, made payable to UW Madison.
• Mail the registration form and check to: CERC Registrations 21 N Park St, Ste 7101 Madison, WI 53715
• You will receive either a mailed document or an email to confirm successful enrollment and payment.

Pay by Purchase Order

• Request Purchase Order information from interpro@union.wisc.edu
  • If a fee quote is needed, contact custserv@interpro.wisc.edu first
• You will receive an invoice from UW–Madison Business Services for payment, usually within 3–5 business days

Military

If using SF-182 form, please call our registration number at 608-262-2451 or email interpro@union.wisc.edu for details and instructions.

Event Cancellation

We reserve the right to cancel a course due to insufficient enrollment or unforeseen events. If we cancel a course, participants will be notified via email or phone and will be given the option for a full refund or to transfer their registration and any fees paid to another course. We are not responsible for non-refundable plane tickets, hotel reservations, and other travel related expenses. For enrollee Course Cancellation, refer to notes on course page.

If you cannot attend, please notify us no later than one week before your course begins, and we will refund your fee. Cancellations received after this date and no-shows are subject to a $150 administrative fee. You may enroll a substitute at any time before the course starts.