Railroad-related non-profit organizations are typically dedicated to preservation and educating others about the past. One such non-profit, however, is focused on the future of railroading and rail preservation: Next Generation Railroaders (NGR).
Bridging the Gap, Passing the Torch
The future of both industries depends on the next generation, but transferring knowledge and passion isn’t always straightforward.
“When someone either leaves the industry, passes away or has a change in career, all that knowledge base has always been going with them,” said Next Generation Railroaders Vice President and Treasurer Hanna Brooks. “There’s a pretty big disparity between folks who are 18 to 45, and folks who lie above that age range. But we also see similar disparities regarding gender, race, and ability.”
These concerns brought together industry professionals a couple of years ago to discuss the future of the workforce and volunteer base. These discussions coincided with specific episodes of The Roundhouse podcast, which covers a wide range of railroad-related topics, such as sexism and succession planning in rail preservation. Podcast creator and host Nick Ozorak was also part of the talks and serves as NGR’s president.
Through these conversations, the group wondered: How can railroading knowledge and interest be effectively passed down to the next generation? The answer, they believe, lies in creating a welcoming space where young individuals can learn, network, and pursue their own path in railroading and rail preservation with an enthusiastic mindset.
NGR was incorporated as a Pennsylvania-based non-profit on Sept. 13, 2023. The organization made its public debut during the January 2024 Amherst Hobby Show, using its soft launch to build relationships with other individuals and organizations. Now, a year later, NGR is ready to roll.
The First Steps
NGR’s initial programs will begin in early March. Monthly webinars, called Virtual Mentor Deep Dives, will be available at no cost when signing up on the NGR website. These 45-minute sessions will be recorded and later archived in the organization’s educational database for future reference.
“We’ll be taking a topic that can be daunting in some regards, such as OSHA safety violations, and bring them down to a place where we can have a moderated conversation [by NGR members] in which a mentee starts ‘downloading’ that part of the mentor’s brain,” said Brooks.
The webinars also emphasize relationship-building. A diverse group of mentors will share expertise, and offer attendees networking opportunities and guidance.
“People new to the industry will be getting exposure to influential members of the industry, allowing mentees to begin forming their own network,” said Brooks. “Critically, it provides context for who to contact about a question or opportunity. As we start having these webinars and exploring topics, now you’ll have point people you can go and contact.”
NGR officials have been blown away by the support and excitement from those in the industries so far. “We get emails all the time saying, ‘Hey, I had this really awesome internship and so badly want to distribute it to a broader audience of people who are interested,’” said Brooks. “We’ve been really impressed by the drive and passion that we’ve seen from people. Then there’s respecting and making sure that what we give back to them is worthwhile and that there is good within it.”
Next Steps for Next Generation Railroaders
Looking ahead to 2025, NGR has a three-event lineup of programs planned. In addition to the Virtual Mentor Deep Dives, NGR plans to host virtual “coffee hour” networking sessions and small-group mentoring with one mentor to five mentees.
“We envision [the third program] like a database where we chat about those shared spaces that we’re interested in and push the learning on a more 1:1 level,” Brooks explained. “Kind of what’s been traditionally done in the rail yard by passing along that information and connectivity.”
These programs aim to pave the way for future live events featuring hands-on activities at selected facilities. With a focus on the future, NGR will be seeking input from both the previous and next generations of railroaders.
“We want people to tell us what they want,” she said. “We want to be serving both mentors and mentees. We’re only seven people [on the board of directors], we can’t possibly know all of the ways that would benefit the industries for us to exist and teach. More perspectives are always good.”
Visit Next Generation Railroaders website for more information and how to take part as a mentor or mentee.
