Mike W. Hoover

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.