Jeff Schmid was an unusually versatile railroader. Over more than a half a century with BNSF and two of its predecessor railroads, he moved from track worker to locomotive engineer to safety officer, the latter bringing him special satisfaction. If that wasn’t enough, along the way he mastered the art and craft of running one of the most successful mainline steam locomotives of the 1980s and ’90s, Frisco 4-8-2 No. 1522.
Schmid died Feb. 8 in hospice in Lincoln, Neb., after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 74.
Much of the success of the operation of No. 1522 was due to Schmid’s leadership as a prime mover in the St. Louis Steam Train Association (SLSTA), which operated the 4-8-2 via an arrangement with its owner, the National Museum of Transport. Schmid frequently ran the engine and helped supervise operations across several states and numerous railroads in the Midwest. The engine was retired for the second time in 2002.
Much of the SLSTA’s success was due to Schmid’s experience and reputation as a career railroader, a key strength for a volunteer organization in an era when Class I railroads keep steam at arm’s length. This was especially true given the 1522’s vintage: Baldwin, 1926.
A native Missourian, Schmid hired out with the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway — the Frisco — in 1969 as a summer track-gang laborer while a student at the University of Missouri. Three years later he transferred into engine service and quickly began hostling engines around Lindenwood Yard in St. Louis.
Before long he was running trains between St. Louis and Springfield, including after the 1980 merger of Frisco into Burlington Northern. He ended up working as an engineer for 15 years and became active in the affairs of his Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers local.
Later, after he moved into management, Schmid got heavily involved in safety for both BN and successor BNSF. He managed a variety of programs, including working on safety education for law enforcement and the closing of thousands of railroad crossings. As a BNSF employee, he was active in the industry’s grade-crossing safety program Operation Lifesaver and continued to work with the Nebraska OL organization after his retirement.
Schmid’s skills also came into play during his management of several BNSF Employee Appreciation Specials, a special train that visited terminals across the entire system, offering train rides to employees and their families. An early version was hauled by the 1522.
Schmid’s interest in railroading wasn’t confined to either his job or his work with 1522. He was a frequent participant in meetings of the Lexington Group in Transportation History, the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, and the Railroad Passenger Car Alliance, among other organizations. When he lived in the St. Louis area, he served on the Webster Groves Historic Preservation Commission and was president of the Northeast Webster Community Improvement Association.
Schmid also found time to write on occasion, including two memorable stories for Trains magazine, both featuring his famously dry wit. One detailed his experiences running Frisco SD45s, published in the September 1997 all-EMD issue; he wrote again about his life on the Frisco, recalling the railroad’s cantankerous U25B diesels, in the September 1999 all-GE issue.
Jeff Schmid is survived by his wife, Judy Koepke, who often accompanied him at various railroad conferences and events. Memorial services were held in Lincoln and St. Louis. The family asks that donations be made to the National Museum of Transportation, 2933 Barrett Station Road, St. Louis, MO 63122, or to Nebraska Operation Lifesaver, c/o Director Deb Ashworth, 52 Kuester Lake, Grand Island, NE 68801.
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