CLEVELAND, March 17 — BLET member Andrew Monheim was killed in the line of duty yesterday 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.
“I extend deepest sympathies and heartfelt condolences to the Monheim family on behalf of the 56,000 men and women of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen,” BLET National President Paul Sorrow said. “Brother Monheim was a veteran locomotive engineer and an extremely safety conscious professional. This is a tragic loss for the family and for our Brothers and Sisters at the Union Railroad.”
The Federal Railroad Administration is currently investigating the collision. According to preliminary reports, Brother Monheim was operating a train of empties when it collided with a train caryring 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.
More details will be announced as they are made available.