Memorials

Brother Dan J. Hall, President of BLET Division 592 (Dalhart, Texas), was killed in the line of duty on June 24, 2012.

Hall, 56, was one of three railroaders killed when two Union Pacific trains collided head-on near the town of Goodwell, Okla. The others were BLET Member John S. Hall (not related) and UTU member Brian L. Stone.

Brother Hall hired out in 1994 and joined the BLET on January 29, 1999. He is survived by his mother and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.

BLET member James Gregory Hadden was one of two crew members killed in the line of duty in Mineral Springs, N.C., on May 24, 2011.

A CSX locomotive engineer, Brother Hadden just 35 years old. He was a member of BLET Division 498 in Abbeville, S.C. He joined the Brotherhood on March 1, 2003.

Also killed was conductor Phillip Crawford, 33, a five year employee with CSX. Brother Hadden was a 10-year CSX veteran. The two men were killed when their train rear-ended another, derailing multiple cars and causing a fire that forced the evacuation of several homes.

Veteran BLET member Christopher L. Carter, 57, drowned on his way to work on May 1, 2011, when his car was swept away by swiftly rising floodwaters in Mayflower, Ark.

Brother Carter was a member of BLET Division 858 in Pine Bluff, Ark. A Union Pacific engineer, Brother Carter had been a BLET member for more than 36 years, first joining the Brotherhood on February 1, 1975.

According to Division 858 Local Chairman Jay Callaway, Brother Carter was on his way to work for the Union Pacific Railroad when the accident happened. It is believed his Ford Explorer hydroplaned in rapidly rising flash flood waters, and his vehicle came to rest in a ditch to the side of the road. Due to the torrential rains that came through the area, water levels rose so quickly that when first responders arrived, Carter vehicle was completely submerged.

Darrell Amerson, a member of BLET Division 230, was killed in the line of duty on July 2, 2010, following an accident in a Norfolk Southern yard in Meridian, Miss. Brother Amerson, 42, joined the BLET on June 1, 2008.

According to Division 230 Local Chairman Brian Glebe, the accident occurred around 10:30 p.m. in the Meridian rail yard. Brother Amerson suffered severe trauma to his leg and passed away at Rush Foundation Hospital around 1:30 a.m. on July 2 due to complications from his injury.

Brother Amerson had worked for Norfolk Southern for three and a half year. He is survived by his wife, Angela.

Brother Gregory G. Kastner, a veteran NJ Transit hostler, had just finished fueling his engine and was walking back to another locomotive when he was struck around 3:30 a.m. on May 31, 2010 at NJ Transit Meadows Maintenance Complex in Kearny, N.J.

Tragically, Brother Kastner, 63, was just 20 days from retirement when the fatality occurred. According to his friend and Brother Fred Mattison of Division 373, Brother Kastner chose not to retire as soon as he was eligible. Instead, the devoted father and husband decided to continue working a few extra years to provide for his family. He and his wife, Grace, were looking forward to retirement and had just purchased a retirement home in Florida.

Brother Kastner was a member of BLET Division 272 in Dover, N.J., and he joined the Brotherhood on April 2, 2004.

He is survived by his wife, Grace (Moran) Kastner, his three children, Cristin Farney and her husband, Steven, Kimberly McCloskey and her husband, William, and Ryan Kastner, as well as his granddaughter, Micaela Kastner.

BLET member Andrew Monheim was killed in the line of duty on March 16, 2010, following the collision of two Union Railroad freight trains near Pittsburgh, Pa.

Monheim, 54, was a member of BLET Division 700 located in Braddock, Pa. He is survived by his wife and 12 year-old-son. Brother Monheim, 54, was a member of the Brotherhood for 31 years, having joined on August 1, 1978. He worked for the Union Railroad for 35 years.

According to preliminary reports, Brother Monheim was operating a train of empties when it collided with a train carrying iron ore pellets to U.S. Steel’s Edgar Thompson Plant in North Braddock, Pa.

The trains were operated by Union Railroad, part of Transtar Inc., a transportation subsidiary of U.S. Steel. The Edgar Thomson plant is part of U.S. Steel’s Mon Valley Works and produces steel slabs.

Brother Myers, a member of BLET Division 204 (Linton, Ind.), was killed in the line of duty on September 10, 2008. An employee of the Indiana Rail Road, Brother Myers was working on the ground as part of a two-person train crew when a tanker derailed at low speeds while servicing the Tangent Rail Products facility in Terre Haute, Ind.

Brother Myers, 42, joined the BLET on January 1, 1998, and had hired out with the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1992. He began working for the Indiana Rail Road in 2006. Survivors include his son, Kevin Myers and wife Misty; daughter Whitney Myers; granddaughter, Peyton Myers; his father, Gary Myers; grandmother, Frances Martin; sister, Shannon Myers; two brothers, Joe Myers and Grady Myers; the mother of his children, April Counterman; and several nieces and nephews and other extended family.

Brother Pendarvis, a member of BLET Division 523 in Chickasha, Okla., was killed in the line of duty on August 29, 2008, when his Union Pacific locomotive collided with a propane tanker truck near Medford, Okla.

The collision triggered a massive explosion and also caused the death of conductor Larry B. Williams, a member of the United Transportation Union, and truck driver Dennis Wayne Etherton.

Brother Pendarvis, 52, joined the BLET on April 1, 2004. He is survived by his son, Travis and his mother Julie Lonewolf; two step-children Shamieka and Donte; one step-grandson Kobe; his childhood sweetheart Kym; his parents Jean and James Guesby; father William Marvin Craine Sr. and a host of aunts, nieces, nephews, cousins, friends and co-workers.

The accident occurred at 9:20 a.m. on August 29, about three miles south of Medford, Okla., in Grant County. The truck driver had just filled his tanker with propane at the Conoco-Phillips LP underground storage facility south of Medford before the accident. The truck was on the train tracks when the 76-car train struck it.

The locomotive event recorder indicated Brother Pendarvis sounded the horn and was trying to stop the train just prior to impact. Mike Honigsberg, emergency management director for neighboring Garfield County, said Brother Pendarvis and Conductor Williams were heroes for their last-second attempts to halt the train.

“In my opinion, that was a heroic effort because if they didn’t, there was nothing to stop that train between here and Enid,” he said. “They probably prevented another major catastrophe.” Enid is about 35 miles south of Medford.

Brother Frederick C. Phelps, 55, was killed in the line of duty on March 5, 2008, as he was crushed between two railroad cars while making a delivery.

He was working as a Wisconsin & Southern Railroad employee when died about 9:20 p.m. on March 5 at Lakeside Foods Co. He belonged to BLET Division 184 in Schiller Park, Wisc. Prior to working at the Wisconsin & Southern, Brother Phelps was a conductor for the CN/Wisconsin Central. Brother Phelps entered into the United States Navy in 1972 and was honorably discharged in 1976. He worked on his family farm for many years until he entered into the Peace Corps where he taught agriculture in Honduras from 1984 until 1989. He married Sara E. Puerto Flores on March 1, 1996 in Honduras.

He is survived by his wife Sara; two sons Jeffrey J. Phelps and F. Quincy Phelps of Whiting, Ind.; three daughters Millicent C. Phelps and Jennifer M. Phelps both of Whiting, Ind. and Cresent V. Harris of Jacksonville, Fla.; his mother Alice H. Phelps and her companion Donald Backus of Gouverneur, N.Y.; two sisters Melinda K. Virnig and her companion Thomas Ritchie of Harrisville, N.Y. and Teresa Y. and Maurice Gutierrez of Alamogordo, N.M.; two grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.

Two BLET members were killed in rear-end collision on UP’s Yuma Subdivision. Brothers Artino and Walker were both members of BLET Division 660 in Los Angeles.

Brother Artino joined the BLET on July 1, 2004, and had worked for the railroad since June of 1998. Brother Walker joined the BLET on October 1, 2006, and began railroading in March of 2004.

Brother Eddie Sanchez, Local Chairman of BLET Division 134 in Winslow, Ariz., was killed in an automobile accident while driving to represent his division as a Delegate to the BLET’s First Quadrennial Convention in Las Vegas. He was 54 years old and is survived by his wife, Donna, four children and two grandchildren.

Delegates voted unanimously to establish an “Eddie Sanchez Memorial Fund” and collected more than $33,000 to donate to the Sanchez family. He was a locomotive engineer on the former Santa Fe lines for the past 33 years and joined the BLET on June 1, 1975.

BLET Division 203 (Jackson, Miss.) members Mark Cain and Arthur “Buddy” Irby were killed on July 10, 2005, when their CN/IC locomotives collided head-on in Anding, Miss. Two other crew members were also killed in the collision. Conductors Shannon Purvis, 21, of Puckett, Miss., and Samuel Jones Sr., 58, of Jackson, Miss. were both members of the United Transportation Union.

Brother Cain, 51, joined the BLE on November 1, 1986. Brother Irby, 58, joined the BLE on October 1, 1973. Brother Irby worked for the CN-IC for 36 years and served for more than 20 years as Local Chairman of BLET Division 203.

Brother Kenneth Leonard of BLET Division 5 (Los Angeles, Calif.) was killed in a head-on collision between two Union Pacific freight trains on December 10. Brother Leonard joined the BLE on November 1, 1992. He was 44 years old. Four other crew members were taken for medical treatment as a precaution for what were considered minor injuries. Five locomotives and seven rail cars were derailed.

Glen A. “Skip” York, II, a member of BLET Division 811 in Clovis, N.M., was killed in a remote control switching accident in the Burlington Northern Santa Fe yard in Clovis, N.M., on September 2. Brother York, just 26 years old at the time of his death, joined BLET Division 811 on April 1, 2004, following in the footsteps of his father, Glen A. York, who also belonged to Division 811.

Brother Heath Pape, a member of BLET Division 197 in San Antonio, Texas, was killed in a collision between a Union Pacific train and a BNSF train on June 28, 2004. Brother Pape had just joined the BLET. He was 23 years old. The train derailed around Southwest Loop 1604 and Nelson Road, near the town of Macdona, Texas. A total of 23 cars from the two trains derailed, according to fire officials.

BLET Division 230 (Meridian, Miss.) member Dennis Vinson was killed in a collision between his Norfolk Southern train and a gasoline tanker truck on June 25, 2004. He was 58 years old. Brother Vinson joined the BLET on June 1, 1990. The train had a three-person crew. The train’s conductor, Anthony J. “Tony” Mills, 58, was also killed in the accident, and the brakeman, Charles LaBella, 58, jumped off the rear of the train and suffered minor injuries. The driver of the truck, Henry Blount, also died.

E.M. “Mike” Rogers, a member of the BLET, was killed in a head-on train crash near Gunter, Texas, on May 19, 2004. Brother Rogers, 49, was a member of BLET Division 172 in Fort Worth, Texas. He first joined the Brotherhood on April 1, 1998.

Jeff C. York, a member of the BLET, was killed in a yard switching accident on May 18, 2004. Brother York, 35, worked for Norfolk Southern and first joined BLET Division 106 in Muncie, Ind., on December 6, 2000. He was working as a conductor and standing on a ladder on back of a train’s last box car when the accident happened. As the train backed up, he became pinned between the train and the left front fender of a semi that was making a delivery of vinegar to the Red Gold tomato processing plant in Elwood, Ind.

Engineer Anthony C. Rodella, 57, and conductor Jeffrey S. Bohler, 32, were killed in the collision of two Union Pacific freight trains in Carrizozo, N.M., on February 21, 2004. Rodella and Bohler were both members of BLET Division 192 in El Paso, Texas. Brother Rodella joined the BLET in 1974 and Brother Bohler became a member in 2003.

BLE member Art P. McKay of BLET Division 843 (Prince George, B.C.) and conductor Ken LeQuesne were killed in the line of duty on May 14, 2003, as a railroad trestle collapsed under their Canadian National freight train. Two locomotives and six cars plunged into a ravine and caught fire. Brother McKay joined the BLE on May 1, 1981.

Brother L.W. “Wayne” Edenfield died on May 7, 2003, from injuries sustained in an Amtrak collision with a log truck near Hinesville, Ga. Brother Edenfield was a member of BLET Division 35 (Jacksonville, Fla.), having served a term as its Secretary-Treasurer in the late 1990s. He first joined the BLET on April 1, 1983. Brother Edenfield, 53, was the locomotive engineer of Amtrak’s Silver Star (Train No. 91) when a log truck pulled into his path at 7:25 a.m. in Liberty County, east of Hinesville, Ga. The locomotive and all 10 cars derailed but remained upright.

BLE member G.D. Shelby was killed and three other train crew members injured in a fiery head-on collision between two Burlington Northern Santa Fe trains near Clarendon, Texas, on May 28, 2002. Brother Shelby, 61, was killed when the westbound freight train on which he was the engineer collided with an eastbound coal train about two miles west of Clarendon. Brother Shelby had joined BLE Division 871 in Slaton, Texas, on September 1, 1989.

Brother Charles B. “Charlie” Smith, 35, was struck and killed by an Amtrak train as he boarded his Norfolk Southern freight train just north of the Edgemore freight yard near Delaware. It is believed he either fell or was “sucked in” by the wind of the fast moving passenger train. Brother Smith was 22 years old when he first joined the BLE on Aug. 17, 1989. He was Local Chairman of BLE Division 484 (Delmar, Del.) at the time of his death. He is survived by a wife and two children. “He was a very conscientious union representative and a good man,” said Division 484 Secretary-Treasurer Everette M. Masten Jr.

Brother Mike W. Hoover, 48 years old, lost his life when his Burlington Northern Santa Fe train unexpectedly encountered a mainline switch lined for a siding. The train was traveling at approximately 46 miles per hour when it collided head-on with several locomotives attached to an unoccupied train, which had been previously parked in the siding for several days. Brother Hoover joined BLE Division 207 (Casper, Wyo.) on Aug. 1, 1977. “Losing Mike is very much like losing a close family friend,” said Division 207 Local Chairman Eric Kriegh.

BLE member Ray J. Ste. Marie, 48 years old at the time of his death, was killed while deadheading from Houston to the Union Pacific terminal in Alexandria, La. As the van he was traveling in slowed down for a highway construction zone on Interstate 10, just east of Lake Charles, La., it was rear-ended by an 18-wheeler. The van was shoved into the rear of another 18-wheeler, killing Brother Ste. Marie, the van driver, and a conductor, M. Deramus, 48. Brother Ste. Marie was a Union Pacific locomotive engineer and a member of BLE Division 366 in Houston, Texas. He joined the BLE on Sept. 1, 1980, as an engineer for the former Southern Pacific Railroad. He was Chaplain of Division 366 from 1997-2000.

Brother D.E. Nichols Jr. of BLE Division 255 (Steubenville, Ohio) was killed the morning of January 11, 2001, near South Fork, Pa. It is believed that the Brother Nichols had stopped to inspect for flat spots and was hit by a train on an adjacent track while traveling between Conway and Harrisburg, Pa. Brother Nichols, 52, joined BLE Division 255 in 1971 and was a resident of Richmond, Ohio. He was survived by his son and his father.

A fiery crash of two Canadian National freight trains on December 30, 1999, in Mont-St.- Hilaire, Quebec, led to the tragic death of two railroad workers, including BLE member Yvan Theriault. Also killed was Conductor Paul Davis. Theriault, 47, was a member of BLE Division 558 (Charny, Quebec). He joined the BLE on September 1, 1977. He left behind a wife, Diane Tremblay, a son, Frederic, and a daughter, Caroline. Two trains were traveling in opposite directions on different tracks when they collided in Mont-St.-Hilaire, about 50 kilometers east of Montreal. CN officials speculate one of the trains derailed and tipped over onto the other. The accident caused a fire ball that sent flames shooting 50 meters into the air, lighting up the night sky.

R. A. Oertwig, 48 years old at the time of his death, was a member of BLE Division 778 in Des Moines, Iowa. Had been a BLE member for 19 years. Brother Oertwig was killed when his Union Pacific locomotive struck a tractor-trailer that had ignored a grade crossing signal in Hardin County, Iowa.

Employees of the I&M Rail Link, BLET members Carl Finzel and Arnold Roth were killed when their train hit cars that had been left on the track in Clinton, Iowa. Engineer Finzel, 60 years old at the time of death, was a member of BLE Division 119 in Dubuque, Iowa. Brother Finzel had been a BLE member for 30 years. Arnold Roth, fellow member of BLE Division 119, was also killed in the crash. Brother Roth had been a BLE member for two years.

Via Rail locomotive engineers Don Blain and Kevin Lihou, both members of the BLE, were killed in a wreck near Thamesville, Ontario, Quebec, on April 23, 1999. Investigators with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) concluded in their post-accident analysis that lightning-fast thinking by Blaine and Lihou probably saved dozens of lives, even though they themselves faced impending death. A track switch had been left in the wrong position and had put two passenger trains on a collision course. Blain and Lihou were in the cab of Toronto-bound Train No. 74 when they realized Windsor-bound Train No. 71 was coming towards them on the same line and where the switch was in the wrong position. The two men radioed a frantic warning to the crew of Train No. 71 and immediately slammed on their brakes and shut down their locomotive’s engine to reduce the risk of explosion.

There were 180 passengers on Train No. 74 when it crashed into four stationary rail cars containing ammonium nitrate. Blaine and Lihou were both killed and 77 people were injured. “The quick actions of the two crew members in the Via train’s locomotive probably saved many lives. With just seconds to act, the crew members radioed a warning to another passenger train approaching from the other direction. Canadians owe these men a lot of gratitude. Their actions helped avoid potential death and/or injury to almost 300 people on the two trains,” said Benoit Bouchard, Chairman of the TSB.

Engineer Don Blain, 45 years old at the time of his death, was a member of BLE Division 747 in Mimico, Ontario. Had been a member for 15 years. Engineer Kevin Lihou, 33 years old at the time of his death, had just recently joined the BLE and was a member of BLE Division 747. Blain had 25 years of railroad experience while Lihou had 12. On May 29, 1999, all VIA Rail trains across Canada stopped for one minute and sounded their whistles in memory of Don Blain and Kevin Lihou. In 2001, both men were posthumously awarded Meritorious Service Medals from the Governor General of Canada.

BLE member Roger H. Bell, 56 years old at the time of death, was a member of BLE Division 457 in Toledo, Ohio. Had been a BLE member for 26 years. Brother Bell was killed when three Conrail trains collided in heavy fog near Toledo, Ohio, on January 17, 1999.

Locomotive engineer Debbie Dickerson, 42 years old at the time of her death, was a member of BLE Division 114 in Waterloo, Iowa. She joined the BLE on April 1, 1989, and was employed by the Illinois Central Railroad. She was killed after being struck by a train while walking in the rail yard at Hawthorne, Illinois, on October 26, 1998.

BLE member David Butler, 51 years old at the time of his death, was a member of BLE Division 192 in El Paso, Texas. Had been a BLE member for 24 years. Brother Butler was killed when a train hit the off-duty taxi he was riding in near Small, Texas, on May 13, 1998.

BLE member J.L. “Joe” King, 46 years old at the time of his death, was a member of BLE Division 81 in Kansas City, Kansas. He had been a BLE member for 19 years. Brother King was killed by a passing train in Topeka, Kansas, as he dismounted his train to inspect his locomotive consist. He had been an employee of Union Pacific Railroad for 23 years.

Locomotive engineer Roy W. Adams, 54 years old at the time of his death, was a member BLE Division 568 in Dennison, Texas, for 22 years. He was killed when a runaway locomotive consist collided with his freight train in Fort Worth, Texas, on August 21, 1997. Brother Adams had been employed by Union Pacific for 25 years.

Locomotive engineer Michael E. Brown, 46 years old at the time of his death, was member of BLE Division 81 in Kansas City, Kansas, for over six years. He was killed in a side swipe collision and chemical spill involving two Union Pacific freight trains near Rossville, Kansas, on July 2, 1997. Brother Brown had been employed by Union Pacific for 19 years and was promoted to locomotive engineer in January of 1991.

Locomotive engineer Kelvin N. Winters, 30 years old at the time of his death, was a member of BLE Division 190 in Huntington, W.Va. He was killed in a rear-end collision and chemical spill involving two CSX trains in Scary, W.Va., on June 7, 1997. Brother Winters had been a BLE member for two years at the time of his death.

Locomotive engineer Terrance Allen “Terry” Gallis, 39 years old at the time of his death, was a member of Division 855 in Kamloops, B.C. Brother Gallis died on March 26, 1997, as a result of his Canadian National train hitting a track wash out and derailing in Conrad B.C.

Locomotive engineer, William B. Smith, Jr., 57 years old at the time of his death, was a member of BLE Division 803 in Savannah, Ga. He was killed when a log truck collided with his CSX locomotive at a grade crossing in Waycross, Ga., on September 24, 1996. A veteran railroader, Brother Smith had earned promotion to locomotive engineer on April 9, 1962.

Locomotive engineer, Tom L. Shay, 42 years old at the time of his death, was a member of BLE Division 284 in Grafton, W.Va. He was killed in a head-on collision involving two CSX freight trains in Smithfield, W.Va., on August 20, 1996. Brother Smith had earned promotion to locomotive engineer in January of 1995.

Locomotive engineer Jake Elder, 45 years old at the time of his death, was a member of BLE Division 864 in McLennan, Alberta. He was killed in a head-on collision involving his Canadian National train and a cut of runaway cars near Edson, Alberta, on August 13, 1996. A veteran locomotive engineer, Brother Elder hired on with the Canadian National Railway at Edmonton in 1974 and qualified as a locomotive engineer in 1979. Brother Elder served on the Audit Committee of Division 864.

Locomotive engineer, J.M. Roybal, 44 years old at the time of his death, and C.W. Reagan, 34 years old at the time of his death, were both members of BLE Division 29 in Pueblo, Colorado. They were killed following the derailment of their Denver & Rio Grande Western locomotive, which resulted in a chemical spill, near Leadville, Colorado, on February 21, 1996.

Brother Roybal had earned promotive to locomotive engineer on February 1, 1977. Brother Reagan was working as a Student Engineer at the time of the fatal derailment, a position he had held since January 1, 1996.

Locomotive engineer, Ricky M. Orr, 43 years old at the time of his death, was a member of BLE Division 97 in Baltimore, Md. He was killed in a side swipe collision involving an Amtrak train and a MARC commuter train in Silver Spring, Md., on February 16, 1996. Brother Orr began working on the railroad in 1970, and had earned promotion to locomotive engineer on July 1, 1974.

Locomotive engineer, Alfonso S. DeBonis, 47 years old at the time of his death, was a member of BLE Division 171 Hoboken, N.J. He was killed in a side swipe collision and derailment involving New Jersey Transit trains 1254 and 1107 near Secaucus, N.J., on February 9, 1996.

Brother DeBonis had earned promotion to locomotive engineer from NJ Transit on January 1, 1991. Also killed in the crash was locomotive engineer John DeCurtis, 59, a member of the United Transportation Union who had more than 40 years of railroad seniority.

Locomotive engineer, Dale W. Gibson, 45 years old at the time of his death, was a member of BLE Division 103 in Cheyenne, Wyoming. He was killed in a rear-end collision and derailment involving two Union Pacific freight trains near Laramie, Wyo., on November 18, 1995. Brother Gibson had earned promotion to locomotive engineer from the UP on April 1, 1978.

Locomotive engineer, Randall L. Moses, 43 years old at the time of his death, was a member of BLE Division 35 in Jacksonville, Fla. He was killed in a head-on collision involving his Amtrak train and a sludge truck near Zana, Fla., on September 21, 1995. Brother Moses had been employed with Amtrak since August 1, 1980.

Locomotive engineer Peter Whitehead, 39 years old at the time of his death, and Shawn Trevor Hogg, 31 years old at the time of his death, were both members of BLE Division 563 in Cranbrook, B.C. They were killed when their CP train his a rock slide and derailed into Kootenay Lake near Proctor, B.C., on January 20, 1995.

Locomotive engineers F.H. “Rick” Bonnell, 56 years old at the time of his death, and Milby E. Winn, 59 years old at the time of his death, were both members of BLE Division 566 in Del Rio, Texas. They were killed in a head-on collision involving two Southern Pacific freight trains near Marathon, Texas, on July 25, 1994.

Brother Bonnell hired out with the Southern Pacific (SP) on April 1, 1963. Brother Winn hired out with the SP on May 1, 1974.

Locomotive engineer Tim V. Anderson, 34 years old at the time of his death, was a member of BLE Division 622 in Alliance, Neb. He was killed in a collision and derailment involving three Burlington Northern freight trains near Thedford, Neb., on June 8, 1994. Brother Anderson hired out with the BN on July 1, 1980.

Locomotive engineer Robert Brooks Woodward, Sr., 41 years old at the time of his death, was a member of BLE Division 14 in Washington, D.C. He was killed in the derailment of Amtrak Silver Meteor train #87 following a collision with an intermodal trailer from CSX train #176 near Selma, N.C., on May 16, 1994. Brother Woodward had been employed with Amtrak since May 1, 1986.

Locomotive engineer J.L. Plunk, 55 years old at the time of his death, was a member of BLE Division 23 in Southaven, Miss. He was killed in a head-on collision involving Illinois Central trains BRME-25 and MENL-26 near Flora, Miss., on February 26, 1994. He had been employed with Illinois Central Railroad since October 1, 1992.

Locomotive engineer Mark A. Poler, 41 years old at the time of his death, was a member of BLE Division 892 in Seattle, Wash. Locomotive engineer Wayne R. Kronberger, 40 years old at the time of his death, was a member of BLE Division 518 in Seattle, Wash. Both men were killed when a Burlington Northern freight train collided head-on with a Union Pacific freight train near Kelso, Wash., on November 11, 1993.

Brother Poler had earned promotion to locomotive engineer for the Union Pacific on November 1, 1990. Brother Kronberger had been employed by the Burlington Northern since March of 1979 and had earned promotion to locomotive engineer in July of 1980.

Locomotive engineers Billy R. Hall, 47, Ernest L. Russ, 43, and Mike D. Vinet, 39, were killed when Amtrak’s Sunset Limited train derailed on CSX’s Big Bayou Canot Bridge near Mobile, Ala., on September 22, 1993. All three Brothers belonged to BLE Division 18 in New Orleans, La. Brother Hall hired out on June 1, 1980; Brother Russ hired out on January 1, 1974; and Brother Vinet hired out on July 1, 1979.

The accident was caused by displacement of a span and deformation of the rails when a tow of heavy barges collided with the rail bridge eight minutes prior to derailment. Forty-seven people were killed and 103 more were injured. It is the deadliest train wreck in Amtrak’s history. Three locomotives slammed into the displaced span at approximately 70 miles per hour. The lead locomotive embedded itself nose-first into the canal bank and the other two locomotives, together with the baggage car, sleeping car, and two of the six passenger cars, plunged into the water. Despite the displacement of the bridge, the continuously welded rails did not break. As a result, the track circuit controlling the bridge approach block signals remained closed (intact) and the nearest signal continued to display a clear (green) aspect.

Locomotive engineer Richard A. Marks, 40 years old at the time of his death, was Local Chairman of BLE Division 537 in Fort Wayne, Ind. He was killed in the head-on collision of two Norfolk Southern trains and subsequent derailment near Knox, Ind., on September 17, 1991.

Brother Marks had worked for the Norfolk Southern and its predecessor railroads since August 1, 1972. He was a delegate’s to the BLE’s 1991 International Convention and he also served as Chairman of the Credentials Committee. He was married and the father of two children. His son, C.W. Marks, was a locomotive engineer with Norfolk Southern and also a member of Division 537.

Locomotive engineer Peter L. Sylvester, 59 years old at the time of his death, was employed with Amtrak and was a member of Division 752 in Albany, N.Y. Shortly after Westbound Amtrak train 49 departed Rochester, N.Y. with engineer Sylvester at the throttle, an eastbound Conrail freight passed Train 49 in a series of curves. A shifted load of lumber struck the engineer’s side of the cab, killing Brother Sylvester instantly. Division 752 donated the engineers to operate a Turbo Train at no cost to Amtrak so that Amtrak employees could attend Brother Sylvester’s funeral service.