July 8, 2026 | Historic/Steam, News, Top News
American railroads and railroad workers proved vital to the Allied victory during World War II, both at home and abroad. At home, U.S. railroads — with BLET members at the throttle — carried 90 percent of all military freight and 97 percent of all military passenger... July 2, 2026 | Historic/Steam, News, Top News
Editor’s Note: As America approaches its 250th birthday this year, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) is marking its 163rd anniversary. In recognition of these historic milestones, BLET, the oldest labor union in North America, is examining... June 26, 2026 | Historic/Steam, News, Top News
The growth and financial success of early railroads in America were a key element of what has become known as the “Gilded Age,” a time of economic change and extreme income inequality. Railroad robber barons like Cornelius Vanderbilt and Jay Gould accumulated massive... June 7, 2026 | Historic/Steam, News, Top News
Editor’s Note: As America approaches its 250th birthday this year, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) is marking its 163rd anniversary. In recognition of these historic milestones, BLET, the oldest labor union in North America, is examining... February 13, 2026 | Contract Agreement, Historic/Steam, News, Top News
In the year 1876, numerous grievances by early members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers nearly led to a strike at the Central Railroad of New Jersey Central. After intervention by Grand Chief Engineer Peter M. Arthur, the engineers and the railroad came to... July 16, 2024 | Headlines, Historic/Steam, UP
(Source: Cowboy State Daily, June 1, 2025) Four days after the golden spike was driven for America’s first transcontinental railway linking the nation’s coasts, the Cheyenne Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers received its charter May 14, 1869. Full story: Cowboy... May 8, 2024 | Historic/Steam, News
1896 BLE Convention in Ottawa, Ontario ____________________ On May 8, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) marks its 161st anniversary. The BLET and its members are proud of our heritage as the oldest labor union in North America. Our union was... March 28, 2024 | Historic/Steam, News
Frances Perkins (1880-1965) achieved prominence as the first woman ever to serve in a presidential cabinet. She was appointed United States Secretary of Labor by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933. In addition to being the first woman, she is also the longest serving in... March 21, 2024 | Historic/Steam, News
Eliza Murfey was an 1800s American inventor who focused on the mechanics of railroads. She created a device, called packing, that was used to lubricate a train’s axles with oil. This helped to reduce derailments caused by seized axles, an important safety innovation.... March 13, 2024 | Historic/Steam, News
Mary Elizabeth Walton was a 19th century American inventor who was awarded with two patents that benefited the early railroad industry in the United States. In 1881, she created a method for reducing the environmental hazards of the smoke emitted from locomotives and... 