A Conversation with Barry Isringhausen
- Summer 2026
- Cranemasters
We sat down with Barry Isringhausen, President and Co-Founder of Cranemasters, for a candid conversation about leadership, safety, innovation, and what it takes to keep railroads moving when the stakes are high.
Barry Isringhausen, President and Co-Founder, Cranemasters
NEWSLETTER: Cranemasters has become one of the most respected names in railroad recovery, maintenance, and specialized lifting. To what do you owe that success?
THE PRESIDENT: The simple answer is our people.
It’s easy to look at the equipment first because it’s impressive, but equipment doesn’t solve problems on its own. Success comes from skilled people making good decisions, working together, and keeping safety at the center of everything they do.
From the beginning, we’ve tried to build a culture where everyone understands that what we do matters. Railroads move the products people depend on every day. When a customer calls us, it’s usually because they have a serious problem affecting their operations, customers, and revenue. Our responsibility is to help them solve that problem safely and efficiently.
The credit belongs to the men and women who show up prepared, stay focused, and take pride in their work.
NEWSLETTER: You’ve always emphasized safety. Why has that remained such a core value?
THE PRESIDENT: Because nothing is more important.
No project, no deadline, and no piece of equipment is more important than sending people home safely at the end of the day.
Safety isn’t a plaque you hang on the wall. It’s how you plan the work. It’s how you train people. It’s how you inspect equipment. It’s how you make decisions when conditions change.
In our business, we’re often called when situations are complicated. Derailments, damaged bridges, weather events, heavy lifts—those environments can become dangerous very quickly if people rush or make assumptions.
We’ve learned that the safest approach is the right approach. When you understand the risks, you generally perform the work better, faster, and with fewer surprises.
NEWSLETTER: Cranemasters has developed several purpose-built innovations over the years. Why invest so heavily in specialized equipment?
THE PRESIDENT: Because the proper tool changes everything.
Asking people to perform difficult work with inadequate equipment creates unnecessary risk.
That’s why we’ve invested in innovations like our 1-Side•1-EndTM super-duty recovery cranes, the Tank Car Saver, and other specialized equipment designed specifically for railroad applications.
Our goal isn’t simply to lift something heavier or move something faster. It’s to reduce exposure, improve control, and create safer working conditions.
When people have equipment designed for the actual challenges they’re facing, they can perform their jobs more safely and more efficiently. That’s better for our employees and our customers.
NEWSLETTER: Many operations are concerned about summer and fall risks in 2026. What should every track manager be doing right now?
THE PRESIDENT: I’d start with three things.
First, know where your vulnerabilities are.
Every railroad has locations that deserve extra attention. It might be a bridge, a siding, a crossing, drainage issues, aging rail, or a section of track that’s experienced problems in the past. Summer heat and heavy traffic have a way of exposing weaknesses.
Second, don’t postpone maintenance that you already know needs to be done.
Preventive maintenance almost always costs less than emergency repairs. Once an issue affects operations, the costs multiply quickly. Now you’re dealing with service disruptions, customer impacts, equipment delays, and sometimes safety concerns.
Third, think beyond the asset itself.
Don’t just ask what happens if something breaks. Ask what happens to your customers if it breaks. That’s the question that really matters.
A slow order, a failed turnout, or a localized derailment may seem like a small problem, but those issues can quickly affect production schedules, shipments, and customer relationships.
The strongest railroads understand the business consequences of infrastructure decisions.
NEWSLETTER: You’ve often talked about looking at the entire situation before beginning a job. What do you mean by that?
THE PRESIDENT: The challenge is engineering the right solution. That comes from experience, seeing the big picture, and coordinating with private and public stakeholders… before you start slinging 100 ton plus railcars around.
Before we begin any project, we want to understand the complete picture. What are the risks? What are the consequences? What does success look like for the customer? What could change during the work?
At Cranemasters, we use what we call Strategic Systems OperationTM thinking. We look beyond the immediate task and evaluate the entire operating environment.
That approach helps us make better decisions because we’re not just solving today’s problem. We’re helping customers avoid tomorrow’s problems as well.
NEWSLETTER: What advice would you give a young person considering a career in railroading?
THE PRESIDENT: It’s a great industry if you’re willing to learn and work hard.
Railroads have a rich history and continue to serve as the backbone of the economy. The industry offers opportunities in operations, engineering, maintenance, safety, technology, logistics, and management. It’s one of the few industries where you can start on the ground floor and earn your way to increased responsibility.
My advice is simple: stay curious, stay humble, and never stop learning.
The people who succeed are usually the ones who ask questions, pay attention to experienced mentors, and understand that every job matters.
Most importantly, remember that railroading is a team sport. Nobody succeeds alone.
NEWSLETTER: What do you want customers and employees to remember about Cranemasters?
THE PRESIDENT: I want them to know we care.
We care about safety. We care about our people. We care about doing quality work. We care about helping customers succeed.
My brother and I have done just about any work we’d ever ask our folks to do. We know the long days, the grime, sweat, and freezing fingers. We lived through it all together, and we still have all our fingers and toes.
The work that inspires innovation. How many times do people think, “There has got to be a better way,” but then they forget about it? We don’t. We find the better, safer ways to handle railroad work. When one of our folks comes to us with an idea, we listen. Our engineers will see if it’s doable. And before long, that new tool, or piece of equipment, or process is getting tested and refined.
That kind of cooperation and reliance on each other permeates every division, every department, every job. We call it One Cranemasters.
Sure, the equipment matters. The experience matters. The capabilities matter. But at the end of the day, people trust people.
Our goal has always been to be the company that customers can count on when the work is difficult, the stakes are high, and failure is not an option.
That’s something our employees should be proud of because they earn that reputation every day.
References
Progressive Railroading. (2026, April). Part 3: 2026 MOW Spending Report—Regionals/Short Lines. Retrieved from https://www.progressiverailroading.com/mow/news/Part-3-2026-MOW-Spending-Report-mdash-RegionalsShort-Lines–76698
Federal Railroad Administration. Track Safety Standards, 49 CFR Part 213. Retrieved from https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-II/part-213