From left: BLET DIvision 197 President Jason Hart presents Leland Eoff with a retirement gift.
Leland Eoff of BLET Division 197 (San Antonio, Texas) retired in January 2026 after 48 years of service. Eoff has over 44 years of membership in the BLET and served Division 197 for several years as President and Vice President.
Division 197 President Jason Hart presented Brother Eoff with a retirement gift at the Division’s regular monthly meeting in January.
Eoff followed in the footsteps of his father, who also worked in the rail industry. The younger Eoff hired out with the Southern Pacific Railroad in San Antonio on January 30, 1978. He worked in the maintenance of way craft for a little over a year before transferring to the fireman’s craft. Eoff was promoted to locomotive engineer on January 8, 1980, and he joined Division 197 on May 1, 1981.
Local Chairman Randy Gorzell said: “Leland Eoff is a dedicated Brother, a mentor to countless younger engineers, and a fixture at Division meetings, serving Division 197 both as Vice President and then as President for several years. He is a man of integrity and led Division 197 in a positive direction. We wish him all the best in his retirement.”
Bob “Buzzard” Moore, retired Local Chairman of Division 197, said: “An absolutely fine guy who bent over backwards to help everybody he possibly could, Leland Eoff would give you the shirt off his back.”