Ross Rowland was a rail enthusiast and a champion for the preservation of steam locomotives for decades. He was named an honorary BLET member in the early 1970s. Photo from the BLET archives
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Ross Rowland, one of only 16 lifetime honorary members of the BLET, passed away on July 19. He was 85 years old.
A successful New York stockbroker with a passion for steam locomotives, Rowland spent a great deal of time and money restoring and operating old steam engines that had been discarded and left to rust.
According to his obituary at Trains.com, “More than the individual locomotives, however, he’s likely best remembered for his role as a showman, conceiving and staging steam operations on a national stage, most notably the Golden Spike Centennial Limited behind NKP 759 and his part in the American Freedom Train.”
In the early 1970s, three BLE members nominated Rowland for honorary membership in the union “…in recognition of his efforts to restore steam locomotives and thereby demonstrate the power, romance and glory of railroading to thousands of Americans.”
The BLE Advisory Board formally named Rowland an honorary member on May 19, 1971. In accepting the recognition, Rowland wrote: “This honor means a great deal to me and it is, indeed, something which I shall always treasure.”
There have been 16 honorary members in the 162-year history of the BLET and its predecessor organizations.