The Institution of Railway Signal Engineers-North American Section (IRSE-NAS) held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Technical Tour during Railway Interchange 2025 in Indianapolis, marking three days of educational presentations, knowledge sharing, professional development, and networking, including outreach across the North American continent.
The AGM opened with a welcome address from IRSE President Bogdan Godziejewski, followed by a “State of the Section” presentation by Section Chair Chad Baker MIRSE, highlighting a 15% year-over-year membership growth and a strong outlook for 2025 and beyond.
Section Elections results were announced during the meeting, with the re-election of incumbents to two-year 2025 – 2027 terms:
- Chad Baker, HDR Engineering – Section Chair.
- John Spellman, P.E., JSEC – Section Vice Chair.
- Stuart Maddock, C.Eng., Network Rail Consulting – Section Committee Member.
- Caleb Srp, Signal Training Solutions – Section Committee Member.
The Section also celebrated the professional achievements of members Rae Faber, IRSE Associate Member, who was recently elected globally to the IRSE Council, and Caleb Srp, who advanced to Member IRSE status.
Looking Forward
During the AGM, the Section announced new initiatives for 2025, including:
- 5 to 10 Year Signal Engineer Paper.
- Development of a Second Edition of the Section’s textbook, Introduction to North American Signaling.
- Regional Sections in Canada and the U.S. East and West Coasts, and Mexico Outreach and Involvement.
- Mentoring and Educational Inputs.
IRSE-NAS AGM Theme
The section theme for this year’s AGM, “From Interlocking to Innovation — Advancing Signal Engineering Through Shared Knowledge,” featured five technical presentations addressing innovative and informative signaling and train control topics:
- Remotely Controlled Movable Bridge Program – Steven Vant, Conrail.
- Innovations In Testing & Commissioning – Bill Moss, Herzog
- Methods To Calculate Ballast Resistance – Jeff Fries MIRSE, KB Signaling
- FSFB2 Integration & Latency Testing – Brad VanHoose, Modern Railway Systems
- MARTA and Stadler Revolutionizing Urban Mobility – Andreas Böhler MIRSE, Stadler
The IRSE-NAS maintained a booth throughout the three-day Railway Interchange event, which drew railway signal professionals from across the continent. The booth served as a hub for professional development resources, membership outreach, and information about the IRSE’s role in shaping the future of railway signaling and competency across North America.
Technical Tour at CSX Avon Yard
The AGM concluded with a Technical Tour of CSX Railway’s Avon Yard, where attendees toured the hump yard and classification tracks and visited the Signal Department’s headquarters, yard control office and troubleshooting desk. Field visits included signal bungalows, wayside retarders and modern communication systems in operation—offering members a rare behind-the-scenes view of real-time rail yard signaling infrastructure.
Thank You
The IRSE-NAS would like to thank RSSI for the AGM meeting space and booth, CSX for hosting the Technical Tour, and Modern Railway Systems for sponsoring the AGM and networking mixer.
About the IRSE-NAS
The IRSE North American Section serves professionals in the fields of railway signaling, train control, highway grade crossing warning systems, positive train control, and communications. It encompasses members from the United States, Canada and Mexico, and its mission is to support and advance the science of train control and signaling by fostering knowledge sharing, professional development, and networking. The Section provides a collaborative platform for signal engineers, signal inspectors, signal maintainers, managers, technologists, allied professionals, and students across North America.
For more information on IRSE activities, membership, and upcoming events, please visit www.irse.org/Get-Involved/Near-You/North-America
