Rail Instruction

S T R E N G T H E N  .  Y O U R  .  W O R K F O R C E

HEARTWOOD RAIL SOLUTIONS

Improve maintenance efficiency & upskill your workforce by deploying Virtual Simulation Tools and Interactive Guides that directly address the needs of the rail industry. Leading freight and passenger railroads — BNSF, Union Pacific, Amtrak, Norfolk Southern, CSX, Canadian National, KCS and more — utilize our virtual instructional solutions every day.

Heartwood is one of Inc. Magazine’s 500|5000 Fastest Growing Companies, ’10 Most Trusted Simulation Solution Providers’
and featured in major rail publications.

EMPOWER YOUR EMPLOYEES

Next generation railroaders expect to learn and perform their job differently — requiring visual, interactive instructional aids and real-time, data-led feedback.

Simulations (Sims) & Virtual Interactive Guides (VIGs) engage employees, accelerate knowledge transfer, improve instructor efficacy and exceed compliance goals.

LOWER OPERATIONAL COSTS

Reduce subject Matter Expert (SME) travel costs, facility expense, equipment costs, and instructor fees associated with live training.

Our customers reduce training costs by up to 60% and see an ROI of up to 7x, while their employees perform critical procedures safer and with less errors.

ACCESS KNOWLEDGE

As railroads continue to adopt new technology and adjust their hiring methods, digitally managed and updated Sims & VIGs provide constant access to standardized information — anytime, anywhere.

Developed with our Rail customers — Sims and VIGs are quickly deployed across a variety of devices, in the cloud, or on your LMS.

MAINTAIN A BETTER FLEET

With increased demand and service pressure, fleet and asset maintenance are top of mind. An educated and self-reliant employee performs with less risk to staff and equipment, and simulated “to activity” instruction builds skills quickly and efficiently.

The result — reduced service disruption, increased equipment longevity, and less active equipment needed as fewer problems occur.

MECHANICAL, TRANSPORTATION & ENGINEERING

For new-hires or existing employees, Heartwood’s Railroad Simulations & Guides are developed for the needs of Mechanical, Transportation, Engineering, Safety and C&S departments.

Our product solutions are available to license for
Freight (Class 1, Short Lines), Passenger, Commuter and Transit Rail.

Mechanical

Air Brake Test Sim (CFR 232)

Air Brake Test Guide (CFR 232)

Switches & Routes Simulation

Brake Type Familiarization

Pre-Departure Inspection Sim (CFR 215)

Locomotive Daily Inspection Sim (CFR 229)

Locomotive Daily Inspection Guide (CFR 229)

Pre-Departure Inspection Guide (CFR 215,238)

Air Flow Sim (CFR 232, 238)

Blue Signal Protection Sim (CFR 218)

Air Brake Test Sim (CFR 238)

Air Brake Test Guide (CFR 238)

Transportation

Air Brake Test Sim (CFR 232)

Air Brake Test Guide (CFR 232)

Switches & Routes Simulation

Brake Type Familiarization

Pre-Departure Inspection Sim (CFR 215)

Locomotive Daily Inspection Sim (CFR 229)

Locomotive Daily Inspection Guide (CFR 229)

Pre-Departure Inspection Guide (CFR 215,238)

Air Flow Sim (CFR 232, 238)

Blue Signal Protection Sim (CFR 218)

Roadway Worker in Charge Simulation (CFR 214)

Track and Bridge Inspection (CFR 213, 237)

Air Brake Test Sim (CFR 238)

Air Brake Test Guide (CFR 238)

Engineering . Safety . C & S

Switches & Routes Simulation

Blue Signal Protection Sim (CFR 218)

Roadway Worker in Charge Simulation (CFR 214)

Track and Bridge Inspection (CFR 213, 237)

Crane Simulation (CFR 214)

M23 Switch Inspection and Test Sim (CFR 236)

"Confidence & mastery has noticeably improved! Where students seemed uncertain before, you can now see that the person knows what they’re doing. There is interest to make this available to approximately 15,000 people within Norfolk Southern."

Director, Training & DevelopmentNorfolk Southern

The Air Flow Simulation has proven an effective solution in enhancing the knowledge and retention of our students in locomotive engineer training at BNSF. The usability of the anytime, anywhere application allows them to build their knowledge on the topic beyond the classroom environment – at their own pace. We are exploring opportunities to use this interactive ‘learn-by-doing’ technology in other training programs and creating new applications on different topics.

Manager Transportation TrainingBNSF

"The ability to practice within the virtual environment is leading towards better knowledge retention and fewer mistakes. Employees retain, understand more of what they’re learning and remember safety protocols. We are training one-third of transportation employees each year and a version specific to mechanical employees. Every three years we’ll cycle through the whole population – every transportation employee will be trained on it."

Senior Director of Operations TrainingCSX

“While railroading remains a hands-on industry at its core, technology continues to drive innovation and improvements. The inclusion of simulation in our training, both initial and periodic, allows us to challenge our workforce to demonstrate their skills in fully customizable scenarios that meet or exceed CFR 243 requirements. The technology allows us to objectively measure their performance on each task, provide immediate feedback, and electronically capture completion of the training for record keeping."

Manager Technical Training, TransportationNorfolk Southern

STRENGTHEN YOUR WORKFORCE

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