Reader's Choice Awards

Progressive Railroading Reader's Choice Awards 2025

It's time to vote! We want your input on how these products rank as innovative, standing out and meeting rail-industry needs.

Rank your top 3 below from 1 to 3. 1 being the best, 2 your second best pick and 3 your third best pick.
Only subscribers to Progressive Railroading's daily eNewsletter can vote. You can only vote once.

Winners will be announced in Progressive Railroading magazine, the Daily News eNewsletter and on ProgressiveRailroading.com.

RailSentry, an advanced monitoring system built to avert accidents on railroad right-of-way.
RailSentry, an advanced monitoring system built to avert accidents on railroad right-of-way.

Herzog Contracting Corp. - Using LiDAR sensors, cameras, and edge computers, RailSentry assists in the prevention of train-to-vehicle collisions. Developed in Herzog’s technology lab, the system actively monitors target areas, analyzes threats, and provides instant alerts to train engineers and rail operation centers. Currently, RailSentry is operating at high-risk crossings in California and Texas.


Battery Web Grinder
Battery Web Grinder

Goldschmidt - The Goldschmidt Battery Web Grinder was designed to be the most efficient web grinder for both grinding aluminothermic welds as well as pre and post grinding for flashbutt welding operations. Being battery-driven using commercially available EGO batteries with 80 minutes of runtime, the battery web grinder works independently of other equipment, increasing productivity.


Big Sandy Direct Sanding Module
Big Sandy Direct Sanding Module

Dynamic Air Inc. - The Big Sandy™ direct sanding module is a totally enclosed modular system for delivering traction sand to sand boxes on locomotives. The system includes a hopper with integral dust collection, a pneumatic transporter, filling wands with counterweighted abrasion resistant hoses, and an automatic shut-off valve to stop conveying when the locomotive is completely full.


Apex Switch Point Slider – Reduces Failures, Enhances Turnout Reliability
Apex Switch Point Slider – Reduces Failures, Enhances Turnout Reliability

Apex Rail Automation - The Apex Switch Point Slider prevents failures from rail expansion and contraction, ensuring smooth point movement and alignment. With 500+ units in service, it eliminates false indications, prevents tie binding, reduces wear, extends switch life, and enhances track reliability while cutting maintenance needs.


Spike Tee - Smarter approach to Spike Setting
Spike Tee - Smarter approach to Spike Setting

FTS Tools, LLC - The Spike Tee solves major railroad spike setting issues. It fits on a spike, securing spikes for stable, vertical driving by one worker. Made with slits for a snug fit, it eliminates hand injuries and flying spike risks. Used in rail track maintenance, it increases production by 37%, reduces labor costs, and minimizes downtime, targeting railroads aiming to improve safety


CHX35 Hi Rail Excavator & D97 Snow Blower
CHX35 Hi Rail Excavator & D97 Snow Blower

Vancer - The CHX35 Hi-Rail excavator with the Larue D97 Snow Blower is built to dominate winter. A powerful C32 engine, modified boom, and hydraulic wings clear heavy snow with ease. The boom quickly transitions back with the stick and tilt rotator—transforming it into a reliable, high-performance excavator built for all four seasons and be utilized for your MOW needs.


GREENBRIER TRAINING TANK CAR
GREENBRIER TRAINING TANK CAR

The Greenbrier Companies - The GBX Training Tank Car provides a state-of-the-art safety training program to customers and employees. The cutting-edge rolling classroom has all major top fittings, and safety appliances with full roof access. The interior has classroom seating with LED lighting, cooling and heating systems for full year use, along with a display rack of all valve and gauge types.


KEYWAY TIE
KEYWAY TIE

voestalpine Railway Systems Nortrak - Designed to be interspersed with wood ties at random intervals using standard MOW equipment. This tie combines resilient components with heavy-duty ductile tie plates and 10,000 psi concrete to provide durability and gauge holding strength while matching the lower track stiffness and flexibility to change the fastening systems of wood ties.


CHX35 Hi Rail Excavator & D97 Snow Blower
CHX35 Hi Rail Excavator & D97 Snow Blower

Vancer - The CHX35 Hi-Rail excavator with the Larue D97 Snow Blower is built to dominate winter. A powerful C32 engine, modified boom, and hydraulic wings clear heavy snow with ease. The boom quickly transitions back with the stick and tilt rotator—transforming it into a reliable, high-performance excavator built for all four seasons and be utilized for your MOW needs.


Rgrapple by Rcrane
Rgrapple by Rcrane

Rcrane - Rgrapple turns any crane hook into a grapple. Radio remote controlled to eliminate rigging to handle ties, rails, pipe, poles, piling, and debris against bridges. Can lift 10,000 lbs. Up to 12 large bridge ties. All self-contained to eliminate any cords, cables or hoses to connect.


Little Sandy Portable Locomotive Sanding System
Little Sandy Portable Locomotive Sanding System

Dynamic Air Inc. - The Little Sandy locomotive sanding system is a safe, efficient, and portable system for delivering traction sand to sand boxes aboard locomotives. The Little Sandy system includes a dense phase pneumatic conveying system that conveys the sand via an abrasion resistant hose and filling wand that is inserted into the fill port on the locomotive.


Tilt Flatcar™
Tilt Flatcar™

The Greenbrier Companies - Greenbrier’s Tilt Flatcar™ efficiently transports wide plates up to 14’-3” and 82’ long. Its moveable tilt arms allow steel plates to load flat and tilt to meet AAR Plate C standards. Featuring a robust screw jack mechanism for smooth operation and a tent structure to distribute impact forces, it eliminates bulkheads, ensuring strength, stability and safety.


iMarq
iMarq

Connixt, Inc. - iMarq mobile apps digitize maintenance, inspections, work orders, time and parts management for MOW equipment, railcars, tracks and locomotives. iMarq automates compliance reporting, and integrates with any back-end system. iMarq eliminates paperwork and data-entry. Customers like RELAM, Metro East, LA Metro and others benefit from streamlined operations.