O’Donnell joins New York, Susquehanna & Western as chief mechanical officer

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Patrick O’Donnell has joined the New York, Susquehanna & Western Railway as chief mechanical officer, the railroad has announced.

O’Donnell joins the NYS&W after a decade as a rail safety inspector or supervisor or rail safety inspectors for the state of New York. As a supervisor, he oversaw four disciplines — track, operating practices, hazardous materials, and motive power and equipment — and developed the inspection program for the state’s rail inspectors.

At the NYS&W, he will oversee shop and field operations, locomotive maintenance, regulatory compliance, and capital improvement projects. His new position marks a return to the railroad, where he spent nearly a decade as a locomotive machinist before going to work for the state.

“I’m pleased to have Patrick O’Donnell as part of our management team,” NYS&W CEO James Bonner said in a press release. “His input will add depth in moving the railroad forward.”