Making History and Breaking Barriers: The Women of White Pass 

Zowe Gardner is used to seeing tourists take lots of pictures on the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway in Skagway, Alaska. 

One day, she noticed that a man was taking pictures of her every time the train stopped. 

She was surprised to find that he was waiting for her on the dock at the end of the day.  

“He just wanted to take a picture with me and was super excited because his granddaughter loved trains and he’d never seen a young female as an engineer before,” Gardener remembered. “That really just made me feel validated and happy.”   

As a brakeman, conductor, and recently promoted engineer, Gardner is one of the only women who has ever worked in train and engine service throughout White Pass’ 125-year history.   

SMART-TD News recently sat down with Gardner and four of her co-workers and union sisters from Local 1626 to discuss what spurred their individual journeys to working for White Pass, how they’re charting new territory in a mostly male-dominated field, and what message they hope to send not only to other women but the entire community.  

Five Unique Journeys to White Pass

Engineer Lindsay Breen moved to Skagway nearly 25 years ago but didn’t start working at White Pass until 2012.  

Tired of her desk job and wanting to dive into the Skagway tourism industry, she talked with her good friend who was a train agent, put in an application, and got hired.  

The rest is literally history.  

In addition to being a brakeman and conductor like Gardner, Breen has the distinction of being White Pass’ first female engineer.  

“That took a very, very long time for that to happen,” Breen noted. “I was just moving up in seniority, going through the motions as every man or woman would do in our company. It wasn’t a goal of mine growing to even work with trains or become an engineer, but it’s really just been an awesome path for me…and being part of that first female crew ever last October was awesome.”  

Joining her on that history-making trip last year were Conductor Eliza Myers and Brakeman Eileen O’Keefe.  

A Skagway native, Myers worked at an ice cream shop in town when she was a teenager and then decided to move over to White Pass after a couple of years and was promoted to conductor last year.  

“As a child I never thought that I would have this job,” Myers said. “It’s very inspiring because you don’t see a lot of people doing it. It opens the door of ‘Okay, what else can I do? Could I do something else that’s a male-dominated field?’” 

At the suggestion of her best friend from college who is from Skagway, O’Keefe spent her first year with White Pass as a tour guide, which happened to be Gardner’s first year as a brakeman.  

“When I saw her being a brakeman, I was pretty inspired and I kind of wanted to follow in her footsteps,” O’Keefe said.  

Before joining White Pass in 2022, Brakeman Stephanie Zubel had never moved away from home before but immediately fell in love with the community. She spent two years as a tour guide before becoming a brakeman last year.  

“When I came to Skagway, Zowe and Lindsay were both in the train and engine service and I looked at it and I was like ‘I want to do that. There’s nothing that’s gonna stop me from doing that.’ Everyone that I’ve worked with has also helped me get to where I am today,” Zubel said.  

Defying Stereotypes  

When it comes to working on the railroad, most people don’t picture women in those positions.  

None of the women let the perceived idea of a boys’ club deter them from their career goals.  

“I just broke into the boys’ club,” Zubel said laughing. “Now we’re all a really good, happy, unified family.”  

“Our roles show that brotherhood is also a sisterhood,” O’Keefe pointed out. “Being part of a collective that supports you in the workplace is a really amazing thing, and I think that can be very beneficial for women across many different sectors.”  

Gardner agrees.  

“Seeing women in our roles kind of just encourages people and kids in general to just go after whatever they want, regardless of what society tells people is a social norm. It just takes hard work. If you’re willing to work toward your goals, you’d probably be surprised at what you can achieve, regardless of gender.”  

For a few years, Breen was the only female on the roster before Gardner was hired.  

“I love the fact that we’re hiring more women,” Breen emphasized. “Now it’s wonderful that we have five women in our union. It’s really cool just to be a part of that, and I hope we hire more women and get more into this field.”  

The public’s typical reaction to a female engineer amuses Breen but also makes her proud. 

“It’s so fun to see the look on their face to say ‘Oh wow, there’s a five-foot-four blonde girl driving the train.’ They get this look…it’s just hilarious, but it’s also heartwarming.”  

All five women take immense pride in the job that they perform. 

“I feel very lucky to be able to work with them, because they’re all very strong, capable, smart individuals,” Myers stressed. “It feels almost like ‘What’s the next boundary or thing that we’re going to break?’” 

Role Models for the Skagway Community 

As the father of three little girls, Local 1626 General Chairperson Jason Guiler is quick to describe what these five women mean to the roughly 3,000 Skagway residents.  

“These women are setting an example to this community in ways that they don’t even understand,” Guiler said.  

Because White Pass & Yukon is a historic railroad, conductors and brakeman wear three-piece suits, regardless of their sex.  

The company is still trying to figure out how to modernize that requirement, but Guiler is proud of how the women have handled the situation.  

“Even a simple challenge like the clothing that they wear is something that these women are dealing with on a daily basis without complaint and their heads held high,” Guiler said. 

“They started in roles that worked their way into a job that no one else has, so it’s incredibly impressive to not only recognize their experience in the train and engine service but the background that they have been able to bring to the table to benefit our group as a union and as a whole.”  

It took 125 years to make history but for these women, it’s only the beginning.  

“It’s finally happening,” Breen said. “What took so long for it to happen? But it’s here and we’re making some breakthroughs, and it’s just really cool to be a part of.”