Canonsburg man selected to the NRC Hall of Fame
A Canonsburg man has been unanimously selected by the executive committee of the National Railroad Construction & Maintenance Association to be inducted into the NRC Hall of Fame.
John Zuspan is one of just three individuals nationwide who were selected. He will be recognized Wednesday at the 2017 NRC Conference in Boca Raton, Fla.
Zuspan has worked in the rail industry for more than 40 years, starting as a track laborer at Atlas Railroad Construction. In 1978, Zuspan left Atlas to go to Delta Railroad Construction as a switch foreman.
In 1980, he accepted a job as a superintendent of track position at Slattery/Skanska, where he worked until 2001, when he joined Balfour Beatty Rail as vice president.
In 2004, Zuspan left Balfour Beatty Rail to launch his own business, Track Guy Consultants, after seeing a need in the construction industry for training in track construction and maintenance, including Federal Railroad Administration Track Safety Standards. He has written 11 handbooks on track construction, maintenance and management.
“Without John’s help, many individuals and small businesses may not have succeeded,” said Stanley Beaver, Balfour Beatty Rail’s safety and environmental director. “Very often his help comes without charge in the form of advice and encouragement. John is never too busy to take time to help individuals working through complex issues.”
Zuspan serves on the NRC board of directors and the NRC safety committee. He has been instrumental in producing numerous safety training DVDs that have become a staple of the NRC’s efforts to promote railroad construction safety. He also led efforts to create the Part 243 Minimum Training Standards template for NRC members.
He has participated in Railroad Day on the Hill and is an active member of American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association committees.