Rail Safety Trainers Rely on Decades of Railroad Experience

Pictured (l-r): Rail safety trainers (l-r) Kenny Peters, T.D. Dawson, Lucas Conrad, and David Bailey.

The Watco Safe Performance Center (SPC) provides safety instruction for locomotive engineers and conductors, team members working in maintenance of way, and those working in railcar repair, as well as other safety and leadership training for all of Watco. In the first in a series of Dispatch articles since the center’s recent expansion, we’re introducing the trainers in the rail safety group.

“We have a very diverse staff with a lot of experience,” notes Travis Herod, senior vice president of environmental health and safety. “We have a really, really strong team here with experience and drive that’s off the charts.”

Lucas Conrad, senior rail safety manager, has worked at the center for seven years. On Conrad’s team are safety managers, T.D. Dawson, Kenny Peters, and David Bailey.

Lucas Conrad

Conrad is a 13-year industry veteran who teaches ground school for newly hired conductors. He joined the safety team in 2015 as a regional safety manager and stepped into his current role just a few months later after almost seven years as a conductor, engineer, and trainmaster at the South Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad. Besides training team members at the SPC, Conrad also helps produce the center’s training materials, which includes helping develop the resources to satisfy the Federal Railroad Administration’s requirements under its Part 234 Minimum Training Standards rule.

Like Conrad, Dawson and Peters came from Watco railroads to the training center. As newcomers to the safety center, they are currently floating between the conductor and engineer classes to learn the training material. Later, each will have a primary class to teach, while also being able to step in and help with the other class if needed. Bailey trains primarily locomotive engineers.

T.D. Dawson

Dawson joined Watco in 2014 as an engineer on the Birmingham Terminal Railway. His roles have been trainmaster, designated supervisor of locomotive engineers, and now manager of rail safety. He began his railroading career in 2006 with the Birmingham Southern Railroad. He had several roles and while he was a locomotive engineer, he assisted in the training of new team members. Later, as a trainmaster, he oversaw the training of team members on the book of rules. Dawson also had the opportunity to get Class I experience, working for two years as a road foreman of engines and a terminal trainmaster for Norfolk Southern.

Kenny Peters

A 12-year railroader, Peters’ experience includes eight years as a conductor, engineer, and trainmaster with CP and two Genesee & Wyoming railroads: Arizona Eastern Railway and the Kyle Railroad. He joined Watco in 2017 as a Wisconsin & Southern Railroad trainmaster prior to transitioning to the SPC in November 2021.

David Bailey

Bailey joined the SPC in 2021 after 25 years with CSX. He brings a variety of experiences to his training role: as a conductor, engineer, yardmaster, remote control operator, road foreman of engines, trainmaster, general car foreman, service center manager, manager of mechanical, and manager of train operations.

Last year, 335 team members trained at the SPC. Herod says they’re on track to train 500 in 2022.