The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) has selected Gary Vaughn for the 2026 Schlosser Distinguished Service Award. He will be honored April 14, 2026, at the Association’s annual conference and exhibition in Minneapolis, Minn.
The award, named for former ASLRRA Chair Thomas L. Schlosser, is the highest individual honor bestowed by the Association, recognizing “long-term, significant service to the ASLRRA and the short line industry.”
“In his work with the Association’s Safety and Training (S&T) Committee, Vaughn advised numerous short line railroad employees,” ASLRRA reported Nov. 18. “Vaughn played a major role in developing many of the resources now used by ASLRRA members, including the templates for 49 CFR Part 243: Training, Qualification, and Oversight for Safety-Related Railroad Employees and templates for conductor certification and electronic devices.
“Beyond his service to ASLRRA, Vaughn provided the short line perspective on industry committees that were tasked with guiding regulations including the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC), many FRA working groups that helped develop new regulatory language, and served as the first ever short line chairman of the General Code of Operating Rules Committee.”
Bottom: Vaughn onstage at the 2010 Annual Conference with Mitch Harris, the current Chair of the S&T Committee who was Vice Chair at the time. (Photographs and Captions Courtesy of ASLRRA)
Vaughn’s approach to safety was rooted in his early experience as a railroader and as a volunteer firefighter and EMT, according to ASLRRA. Vaughn followed his father—a WWII veteran and railroader of 32 years—into railroading, and the two men worked together at the same tower in Michigan as operators and telegraphers.
Vaughn began his railroad career working for the Norfolk & Western Railway (N&W) while attending the University of Michigan. Following graduation and stints at N&W and Norfolk Southern, Vaughn made the move to the short line industry in 1996, first working for RailTex and Rail America in such roles as Operations Manager, Division Superintendent, General Manager, and Regional Safety Manager. In 2003, he joined Watco as Safety Director and began making his mark on the company’s safety performance, according to ASLRRA. During his 15-year-plus tenure, Watco achieved numerous year-over-year improved safety records and supported Vaughn’s work to both restructure the safety department and implement workplace safety education and awareness programs, the Association reported.
(Photograph and Caption Courtesy of ASLRRA)
Vaughn has also served as an Executive Board Member for Kansas Operation Lifesaver, as Vice Chairman of the Oklahoma Operation Lifesaver Executive Board, and was a Member of the Short Line Safety Institute’s (SLSI) first Board of Directors.
Vaughn retired from railroading in 2019.
“Gary has influenced a whole generation of industry professionals,” ASLRRA President Chuck Baker said. “His unwavering commitment to safety fueled the creation of critical resources for ASLRRA members, a very active Safety & Training Committee that continues to guide the Association’s work in this area, and innumerable contributions to the industry on regulatory issues. Gary’s service to ASLRRA has truly left the Association and the short line railroad industry in a better place.”
The Schlosser Distinguished Service Award is not Vaugn’s first ASLRRA honor; he also earned the inaugural Safety Professional of the Year Award in 2010.
Previous Thomas L. Schlosser Distinguished Service Award Honorees
- 2025: Edwin “Ed” McKechnie
- 2024: James A. Bowers
- 2023: Jack Dale Parliament
- 2022: Richard Timmons
- 2021: Carl Belke
- 2019: Peter Gilbertson
- 2018: Mort Fuller
- 2017: Gary Griswell
- 2016: George Betke
- 2015: Keith Hartwell
- 2014: Judy Petry
- 2013: Mike Ogborn
- 2012: Tom Schlosser
