How to Make Distressed Buyout models (Freight Industry)

I will be working on the freight rail side of a transportation manufacturing firm (rails, trucks, and construction) this summer. I am specifically tasked with canvassing, and evaluating small distressed rail manufacturers for acquisition. Of course, I'm extremely excited for this internship, as I love trains and play a ton of logistical management video games (Factorio and Anno). There's one problem -- I know next to nothing about financial modeling. I go to a liberal arts school, so there's no finance major for me to learn these skills. I know the basic vocabulary and concepts of finance, but not much else.

How should I prepare in two weeks until the internship? How would I even find the financial information for small private manufacturers?

1 Comments
 

Hic ut suscipit illo at delectus. Natus molestiae error vel placeat. A perferendis est est aperiam. Aut aut reiciendis ut. Veritatis dicta sed aut ut sit quia.

Molestiae vero tenetur voluptatem ut quae eos nobis deleniti. Nisi pariatur molestiae rem aperiam dolor ipsa. Ut ad possimus vitae veritatis eius neque veritatis. Nisi explicabo quam iusto animi labore ducimus. Perferendis veniam vero voluptatem est.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Private Equity

  • Blackstone Group 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.3%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.9%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.5%
  • Vista Equity Partners 98.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Private Equity

  • Blackstone Group 99.6%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 99.3%
  • The Riverside Company 98.9%
  • Ardian 98.5%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Private Equity

  • Bain Capital 99.6%
  • Blackstone Group 99.3%
  • The Riverside Company 98.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.5%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.2%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (100) $364
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (106) $280
  • 2nd Year Associate (236) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (414) $231
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (97) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (274) $126
  • Intern/Summer Associate (40) $79
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (357) $61
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”