Henry Posner III
Henry Posner III | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1955 (age 69–70)[1] |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1975‒[2][3] |
| Known for | |
| Board member of | |
| Spouse | Anne Molloy[4] |
| Children | 3[5] |
Henry Posner III is an American transport executive and investor working in the field of rail transport.
Posner received a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Princeton University in 1977, and received a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in finance from Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1982.[6][7][8]
In 2025, Posner was inducted into the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association's Hall of Fame, alongside Ronald Batory and the late Earl Durden.[9]
Career
[edit]During the 1970s Posner started selling Amtrak passenger tickets.[10] Summer employment during university included proofreading timetables for the Official Railway Guide and an internship at Rock Island Railroad.[10]
During a summer job working at Pennsylvania Truck Lines (part of Conrail), Posner was working for Anne Molley.[10]
After graduating from Princeton University Posner worked as a trainmaster (conductor) at Conrail in New York City and in Detroit.[10]
As of December 2014[update], Posner was chair of Railroad Development Corporation, chair of Hamburg-Köln-Express; chair of RegioRail in France, and vice chairman of The Hawthorne Group.[11][12]
Personal life
[edit]Posner's grandfather Henry Posner Sr. was born in Warsaw, Poland and emigrated to the United States in c.1905,[13] aged seventeen.[14] Posner's parents Henry Posner Jr. and Helen MacMurdo Posner were married in 1953.[15] Henry Posner III married Anne Molley in 1982.[10] As of 2015[update], Posner III continued to live in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[16]
From 1998 onwards, Posner served as a trustee of the Winchester Thurston School, additionally serving as president for four years.[4]
In May 2014, Posner spoke at the International Transport Forum at the need for cooperation as well as competition within rail transport in Europe.[17]
Since 2017, Posner has been an adjunct instructor at Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences Department of History at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), teaching the course "The American Railroad-Decline and Renaissance in the Era of Deregulation".[7] In the course Posner shares eccentric stories of his time working in the railroad industry. In 2021 Posner hired two students from the course to facilitate work on a battery-operated Vivarail D-Train imported from the United Kingdom for the "Pop-up Metro" project.[18]
In February 2022, Posner briefly returned to front line service, crewing and interpreting on board a refugee rescue train operated by RDC Deutschland between Frankfurt (Oder) station and Hannover Messe station in Germany, following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[6][19]
In mid-2022 the Posner Foundation renewed its yearly grant funding to Operation Lifesaver for work towards increasing safety at level crossings.[20]
Publications
[edit]Posner's photography archive is held by the Center for Railroad Photography and Art.[10] Other interviews and presentations:
- Posner, Henry III (2009). Posner RFF interview. Réseau ferré de France Seminar (in French and English). Paris – via Youtube.
- Posner, Henry III (2012-04-13). Telling stories. Conversations About Photography. Lake Forest College: Center for Railroad Photography & Art. Retrieved 2025-05-25 – via Youtube.
- Posner, Henry III (2022-04-07). Kornhauser, Alain; Fishkin, Fred (eds.). Providing mobility to Ukrainian refugees (offset 01:24). Smart Driving Cars. Retrieved 2025-05-25.
- Posner, Henry III (2022-04-22). Johnson, Bret (ed.). Sandhouse Rail Group: Ukraine's Railway War: If you can't send ammunition, give them a ride. McCormick School of Engineering (offset 02:45). Northwestern University – via Youtube.
- Posner, Henry III (2024-05-11). Keynote Address (offset 01:53). Pennsylvania Railroad Technical and Historical Society Annual Meeting. Railroaders Memorial Museum, Altoona, Pennsylvania: Russell Sharp. Retrieved 2025-05-25 – via Youtube.
- Posner, Ida; Posner, Henry III (2025-04-11). Henry Posner III - ASLRRA 2025 Short Line Industry Hall of Fame Inductee. American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association. Retrieved 2025-05-25 – via Youtube.
References
[edit]- ^ Boom, Pierre (2014-12-04). "Bahn-Konkurrent: "Wir sind die Nummer Eins"" [Rail competitor: 'We are the number one']. Sylter Rundschau (in German). Schleswig-Holsteinischer Zeitungsverlag. Retrieved 2022-07-23.
Henry Posner III, dass sein Unternehmen Railroad Development Corporation (RDC) den Zuschlag für den Betrieb des Autozugs zwischen Niebüll und der Insel Sylt erhält. … steht der 59-jährige US-Amerikaner aus Pittsburgh/Pennsylvania vor der Westerländer Verladerampe.
[Henry Posner III, whose company Railroad Development Corporation (RDC) is likely awarded the contract to operate the car-carrying train between Niebüll and the island of Sylt. … the 59-year-old American from Pittsburgh/Pennsylvania said, when standing in front of the Westerland loading ramp.] - ^ Railroad Development Corporation v. Guatemala (ARB/07/23) (Witness one). International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes. 2011-12-08. Retrieved 2022-07-23 – via Youtube.
(C. Allen Foster) How long have you been in the railroad business Mr. Posner? (Henry Posner III) Since I was a sophomore in college, … since the summer of 1975.
- ^ Railroad Development Corporation v. Guatemala (ARB/07/23) (PDF) (Report). Vol. 1. Washington, D.C. 2011-12-08. pp. 148‒149 – via Italaw.
- ^ a b "Henry Posner III & Anne Molloy". Winchester Thurston School. Retrieved 2022-07-23.
- ^ Creamer, N (2022-08-20). "Anne Molloy" (PDF). Carnegie Mellon University.
married to Henry Posner III, and they have three grown children.
- ^ a b Compton, Carrie (2022-03-25). "For Ukrainian refugees traveling from Poland to Germany, Henry Posner III '77's train awaits". Alumni Spotlight. Princeton International. Archived from the original on 2022-06-20. Retrieved 2022-07-23.
During Posner's voyage, where his Russian-speaking skills were dusted off and put to use, 480 souls were transported three hours away to Hanover, … Posner estimates approximately 500 refugees per day have been carried along his line to safety.
- ^ a b Department of History. "Henry Posner III". Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences website (Biography). Carnegie Mellon University. Retrieved 2022-07-23.
- ^ "The Wharton Graduate Divison". Two Hundred and Twenty-Sixth Commencement for the Conferring of Degrees (PDF). Philadelphia Convention Hall and Civic Center: University of Pennsylvania. 1982-05-17. p. 32,34. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
Master of Business Administration: May 17, 1982 … Henry Posner III
- ^ Luczak, Marybeth (2025-01-08). "ASLRRA Names 2025 Short Line Hall of Fame Honorees". Short Lines & Regionals. Railway Age. Retrieved 2025-05-12.
The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) on Jan. 7, [2025] reported that Ronald "Ron" Batory, Kedrick Earl Durden and Henry Posner III have been selected to join the Short Line Railroad Industry Hall of Fame. They will be inducted April 8, [2025] … Posner serves on the Transportation Research Board's Agriculture and Food Transportation Committee and is Co-Chair of the newly formed Surface Transportation Board (STB) Passenger Rail Advisory Committee. … is on the faculty of Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), an Emeritus Trustee and former President of the Winchester Thurston School, and a Board member of the Independent School Chairpersons Association.
- ^ a b c d e f "Henry Posner III". 2025 Inductees (biography). American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
different rail-related positions, including Amtrak ticket sales. and summer jobs at the Official Railway Guide and Rock Island Railroad.… summer job working for Anne Molloy at Conrail's intermodal subsidiary, Pennsylvania Truck Lines. He and Anne were married in 1982 … president of the EBT Foundation, a nonprofit organization formed to purchase and restore the East Broad Top Railroad in Central Pennsylvania. … An avid photographer … Posner's photo archive is at the Center for Railroad Photography and Art
- ^ Posner III, Henry; Chernichkin, Kostyantyn (2014-12-12). "Benefits to freight shippers and passengers are priority in planning Ukrzaliznytsya's future". Retrieved 2025-05-21.
Posner … currently serves as chairman of RDC; chairman of Iowa Interstate Railroad; chairman of Hamburg-Köln-Express; chairman of RegioRail (France); and vice chairman of The Hawthorne Group.
- ^ Preston, Robert (2025-06-03). "New entrants look to fill niche left by Fret SNCF break-up". International Railway Journal. Retrieved 2025-06-08.
"Our niche is what the incumbent operator doesn't want to do," RDC chair, Henry Posner III, told IRJ, pointing out that RDC joined with Eurorail to strengthen its credentials in the French freight market. "We found a niche with a partner and built it from there," he says, stressing that, as with its operations in Germany, RDC does not look to compete head-to-head with the incumbent operator but rather keep on rail traffic that might otherwise be lost to road.
- ^ "About Henry Posner, Sr". Digital collections. Posner Collector's Files. Carnegie Mellon University. Retrieved 2022-07-23.
Born in Warsaw, Poland, Henry Posner Senior emigrated to the United States, arriving in Boston about 1905.
- ^ Grant, H. Roger (22 October 2015). Railroaders without Borders: A History of the Railroad Development Corporation. Indiana University Press. pp. 1‒2. ISBN 9780253018076.
- ^ "Helen (MacMurdo) Posner (1926‒2015)". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 2015-06-01. Retrieved 2022-07-24.
- ^ Schooley, Tim (2015-11-20). "Personalities of Pittsburgh: Henry Posner III". Pittsburgh Business Times.
The fact that I'm here is because of a decision my grandfather made 100 years ago when he came from Poland.
- ^ Vantuono, William C. (2014-05-23). "RDC's Posner: "Europe needs cooperation as much as it needs competition"". Railway Age. Retrieved 2022-07-23.
- ^ "CMU's Posner Lays Track for Future of Rail Transit". 2021-08-12. Retrieved 2022-07-23.
- ^ Fender, Keith (2022-04-21). "RDC's Posner looks at Ukraine refugee operation, rail aspects of war". Newswire. Trains. Retrieved 2022-07-23.
- ^ Luczak, Marybeth (2022-03-04). "OLI: Posner Foundation Grant Renewed". Railway Age. Retrieved 2022-07-24.
Further reading
[edit]- Posner, Henry Jr.; Leyton, Hope; Adelson, Ruth (1994-10-01). "Posner, Henry [Jr.] - 1994" (audio interview). University of Pittsburgh Library System. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
- Steigerwald, Bill (2001-11-18). "Two 'revolutionaries' attempt to pull Peru out of its statist past" (PDF). Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Archived from the original on 2003-08-22.
Posner is president of Railroad Development Corp., a Green Tree company that owns one-sixth of the Ferrocarril Central Andino and operates it under a 30-year concession granted by Peru's government in 1999.
- Steigerwald, William (2002-01-27). "In a Gray Light, Lima's Softer Side Shines". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2025-05-23.
Posner's management company operates small railroads in developing countries, including Peru's Ferrocarril Central Andino railroad, the highest standard-gauge rail line in the world. Twice a year the Ferrocarril, usually a freight line, hooks up with Trains Unlimited, Tours and runs a special over-the-Andes passenger excursion for British and U.S. railroad fans.
- Steigerwald, Bill (2002-02-03). "Work's a joyride for rail renovation entrepreneur" (PDF). Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Archived from the original on 2003-08-22. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
with a staff of just Ferrocarril Central Andinofive people, Railroad Development manages and owns parts of seven former government-owned freight railways like the Central Andino in six underdeveloped countries — Peru, Guatemala, Argentina, Mozambique, Malawi and, most recently, Estonia.
- Wallach, Van (2002-10-09). "Back on track: Henry Posner '77 gets Third World trains running again". Class Notes. Princeton Alumni Weekly. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
- Wright, Robert (2007-01-16). "Estonia completes rail renationalisation". Financial Times. London. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
sale follows almost constant pressure on Baltic Rail Services, the private consortium that owned 66 per cent of Eesti Raudtee … government paid BRS $200m for its 66 per cent stake, originally purchased for $58m. … Henry Posner, chairman of Railway Development Corporation, … a shareholder in BRS, … said it was impossible to protect fully against politically-motivated revisions of a contract. However, BRS had not been naive when it signed the privatisation contract, he insisted. … option to take any dispute to arbitration before the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce's arbitration institute, an option the company eventually took and had helped force a settlement with the government,
- Dickerson, Marla (2007-06-14). "An uphill climb for train buff". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
For nine years, the rail buff has been pouring time and money ‒ $15 million so far ‒ into a quest to get Guatemala's railways back on track. … maternal grandfather, who was a signalman on the Pennsylvania Railroad. Or perhaps it was the British rail vacation when he was 8. … Posner studied engineering at Princeton because it had a transportation program -- not to mention a commuter train known as the "Dinky" that stops at Princeton Station. … sold Amtrak tickets out of his dorm room. … proofread train schedules for the "The Official Railway Guide." … interned at the now-defunct Rock Island Line.
- "RDC sells interest in African rail corridor to Mozambican investor group". Progressive Railroading. 2008-09-15. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
- "Expanding Passenger Rail Service". United States House Transportation Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 2009-06-22. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
- O'Grady, Mary Anastasia (2007-07-23). "Train Wreck in Guatemala". Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 2007-07-23. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
- "Chugga-Chugga, Boo-Hoo!". Forbes. 2005-07-25. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
Henry Posner III … is a trainman to the core. Besides the Iowa short-line railroad, his Railroad Development Corp. (RDC) has over the last dozen years invested nearly $20 million piecing together freight-rail scraps in Argentina, Guatemala, Peru, Mozambique, Malawi and Estonia--making Posner, 49, the largest known individual U.S. investor in foreign rail privatization.
- Borne, Émile (2011-01-10). "Henry Posner III, le magicien du rail" [Henry Posner III, the magician of rail]. Doux dingue. Bakchich (in French). Lagardère Group. Archived from the original on 2011-01-14. Retrieved 2025-05-25.
- Silver, Jonathan D. (2011-03-24). "Obituary: Henry Posner Jr. / Chemist became successful businessman who relished philanthropy". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on 2017-01-02. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
daughter-in-law, Anne Molloy … son Henry
- Schlesiger, Christian (2014-10-09). "HKX-Chef Henry Posner "Ich bin ein geduldiger Investor"" [HKX CEO Henry Posner "I am a patient investor"]. Wirtschaftswoche (in German). Retrieved 2023-07-19.
- Knapp, Krystal (2021-08-16). "An alternative to the Dinky? Princeton alumnus unveils battery-powered train". Plant Princeton. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
- Reinherz, Adam (2015-12-03). "Riding the rails: RDC chairman celebrates his love of all things trains". Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
Since founding RDC in 1987 … In the summer of 1972, Posner traveled to Europe with Shady Side Academy
- "Posner Foundation establishes fund to enhance Jewish life at Princeton". Center for Jewish Life Princeton. 2023-08-02. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
- Vantuono, William C. (2024-10-28). "Posner Supports NRRHF Capital Campaign". Freight. Railway Age. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
The National Railroad Hall of Fame has received a $200,000 capital campaign gift from Henry I. Posner, III for the organization's visitor attraction in Galesburg.
- "Honoring The Breaks They Were Given".
Bob Pietrandrea and Henry Posner III are two opposites, who together built a company that has spanned four continents, and whose 30-year friendship is now immortalized in an endowed professorship in Carnegie Mellon University's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
- "Henry Posner III". Collections. Center for Railroad Photography & Art. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
Born in 1955 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Posner attended Shady Side Academy … Princeton University in New Jersey, … Civil Engineering before attending the Wharton School and receiving his Master of Business Administration degree. … 7,000 black and white negatives … 23,000 color slides