Reading and Northern Railroad recently announced the appointment of Thomas Cook as vice president Transportation and Safety.

Cook joins Reading and Northern from CSX Transportation, where he retired in January 2015 after a 30-year career with CSX and Conrail.He was assistant superintendent at Curtis Bay Piers, Maryland, since December 2010, where he led daily operations through a period of rapid growth. Before that he held various positions in operations with CSX and sales and operations with Conrail.His operations and leadership background is distinguished by a passion for safety and developing managers and employees. Cook was awarded CSX's Chairman's Award of Excellence in 2008 for his success in developing a culture of safety and mentoring new managers while a trainmaster in Indianapolis.Cook graduated from Gettysburg College in 1984 and has a bachelor of arts degree in business administration.Reading & Northern Railroad, with its corporate headquarters in Port Clinton, is a privately held railroad company serving customers in Berks, Bradford, Carbon, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Northumberland, Schuylkill and Wyoming counties. The company operates both freight services and steam and diesel powered excursion passenger services through its Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway, owns over 1,000 freight cars, and employs over 180 employees.