Legacy: Edmonds Family Mourns a Loss While Celebrating a Future on the Rails 

For three generations, railroading has been an important part of the Edmonds family’s legacy.  

With the passing of Local 1780 member Howard Edmonds (77) on January 28, his son, Anthony, and grandson, Daniel, both carry his legacy forward.  

Memorial Information for Howard Edmonds ► 

Fate Intervenes in Kansas City 

Anthony, who is the current Local Chairman of Local 544A, points out that his Kentucky-born father wasn’t exactly planning on a career on the railroad but civilian life after serving in the military during the time of the Vietnam War dictated otherwise.  
 
“When he got out of the army, he moved to where my mom’s family was, which was in the Kansas City area,” Anthony explained. “He needed a job, he applied for the railroad and was hired on. So that’s kind of how it started.” 
 
He served as a switchman and conductor before retiring from Kansas City Southern Railway in 2007.  
 
Anthony didn’t plan on working in the same industry as his father, but the circumstances that led him to that were ironically similar.  
 
After spending several years in the army and preparing to settle in Montana, he was looking for a job.  

His wife was a neonatal intensive care nurse, and one of her patient’s family members told her about the railroad so Anthony decided to apply and got hired.  
 
The second generation of Edmonds family railroaders had officially begun. 

Childhood Memories Meet Adulthood Realities

As he reflects on unexpectedly following in his father’s footsteps, Anthony feels that it’s both a combination of what he remembers as a child and the realities of life as an adult. 
 
“I think there’s two kinds of sides to it. As a little kid, you’re like ‘Wow, trains and stuff,’” he described. “But then as I got older, I honestly thought this was the last job I’d ever work, because I knew what the railroad lifestyle was like. Having kind of a small town, the railroad’s a big part of it. I needed a job, and I already knew what I was getting into.”  

A Third Generation of Railroaders Begins

While the Edmonds family mourns the loss of Howard, they’re also celebrating Daniel’s recent graduation from BNSF’s Conductor Training and the start of his career on the railroad.  

Anthony remembers how proud his father was when both he and Daniel decided to hire onto the railroad, even if it wasn’t originally planned. 

“The odd thing is, I don’t think my son set out to follow in that, but it’s just how it happens,” he said.  
 
Regardless of how it happened, having three generations of railroaders in the same family brings a sense of pride. 

 
“It’s carrying on a legacy,” Anthony explained. “I was raised up with good work ethics. You put in a hard day’s work. I raised my son the same way, and I think just going into this there’s a sense of pride in it, there’s a sense of legacy in it.” 
 
For Anthony, the past few weeks haven’t been easy but knowing that the family tradition lives on is a source of comfort.  

“It’s been a difficult time but just thinking back to how I do the same thing he [Howard] did and now my son’s doing the same thing…it just kind of makes me smile.”