March Virtual Program

In honor of Women's History Month, THS Communications Manager Kim Davenport interviews Kimberly Klontz, a longtime BNSF engineer and leader in the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen 238 in Tacoma.

Kimberly has an interest in railroad labor and mechanical history dating back to her childhood, when her family volunteered at several railroad museums in the local area. She developed an interest in labor history by listening to the older volunteers talking about their experiences on the railroad. She was fortunate have met one of the last motormen for the Tacoma Trolley system, several women who had hired out as operators for the Northern Pacific Railroad during the second world war, and numerous men who worked on the railroad in a variety of positions from entry level labor to upper management. Most had worked for the Northern Pacific, Milwaukee Road or the Burlington Northern. She continues to have an interest in preserving railroad labor history, and volunteers at the Pacific Northwest Railroad Archives.