Appointed Officers

Burt Hermey - Vice President

714-751-2032

I have been an owner of private railcars since 1985, when he purchased Silver Lariat from Amtrak along with his partner. Their company, California Zephyr Railcar Charters was founded in 1989 to operate Silver Lariat on charters and tours.

In 1992 the Southern Pacific Railroad chartered Silver Lariat for a customer hospitality event in San Diego. That began a long-lasting relationship where Silver Lariat was used for numerous functions carrying top executives and valued customers all over both the SP and later UP systems.

CZRC acquired its second car, Silver Rapids, in 2000, and has operated its third car, Silver Solarium, under lease since 2007. In 2012 we acquired our fourth car, Silver Peak.

Our cars operate well over 50,000 miles annually, sometimes singly, but often in pairs or trios, almost always on Amtrak trains. In 2011 Burt worked with a music promoter to assemble and operate the “Railroad Revival Tour” special train of 14 cars, which took three bands on a seven-day tour from Oakland to New Orleans, with stops for six concerts. The tour was documented in the music video “Big Easy Express”, which won a Grammy Award in 2013.

California Zephyr Railcar Charters joined RPCA in 1999, and Burt has attended every annual Conference since then.

Along with our recently retired Membership Chairs Courtney and Elaine Shenkle, Burt converted and modernized the RPCA membership database, and as part of his duties as Vice President oversees the mailing of membership renewal invoices.

will Gawin - VP Youth Development

(513) 262-2533 EMAIL

Will started his involvement in passenger excursion trains with the Cincinnati Railway Company. In partnership with the nonprofit organization Cincinnati Scenic Railway, CRC operates the 5-mile Lebanon Mason Monroe Railroad in Lebanon, OH and runs other rare-mileage excursions throughout the state under the Ohio Rail Experience branding. Additionally, the organization provides train crews for the Cincinnati Dinner Train.

Originally hired in 2014 as a part-time ticket agent and car host, Will later earned his conductor card and was promoted to position of general manager in 2016. Working under CRC president of operations Ray Kammer, Will lead several efforts that between 2016 and 2018 more than doubled ridership, nearly tripled revenues, and dramatically improved customer reviews.

After leaving CRC in early 2019, Will worked as a manager for the HAP Alaskan Rail Division. HAP is the joint venture managing Alaskan land tour assets for Princess Cruise Line and Holland America Line. HAP transports cruise ship guests over the Alaska Railroad from the ports of Anchorage, Whittier, and Seward to Denali National Park. Trains operate using a fleet of 20 luxury Colorado Railcar Ultra-domes. Unfortunately, the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and years-long disruption to the cruise industry would cut this career path short. Will would go on to find work as a conductor first with Genesee & Wyoming and later the Alaska Railroad Corporation.

Will continues to work as a seasonal conductor on the Alaska Railroad from April to September in both freight and passenger service. During the off-season, Will works for various railroads and preservation groups.

Will has been a member of RPCA since 2017 and was elected to represent the FNG committee in 2022. Outside of the rail yard, Will can usually be found traveling, hiking, and camping.