For locomotive engineer Robert Burkhardt, railroading is a family legacy spanning nearly a century. Robert is a third-generation railroader, following in the footsteps of his father, William Burkhardt Jr., and grandfather, William Burkhardt Sr., both of whom worked for BNSF predecessors Northern Pacific and Burlington Northern. Robert joined Burlington Northern in 1978 as a carman apprentice in Seattle, and eventually became an engineer who traveled the same routes his father once did from Everett to Auburn, Washington.
“On my first solo ride, my dad saw me off,” he said.
Today, after 47 years, Robert holds the highest seniority as both an engineer and conductor in BNSF’s Northwest Division and continues to operate trains with the same passion that has defined his family’s railroading history.
