Lynda Routh joined our Club in February and has been an active member since joining. When Lynda graduated from high school in 1978 she started working for the railroad after her father who was a locomotive engineer said, get down to the railroad and get yourself a job for the summer. First offer was to be a Train Operator but turned it down and two weeks later was called up for a clerical job.
When she first began working for the railroad everything was very archaic before computers. She was on the extra board for 13 years, work every job that was considered clerical from janitor, revenue, and billing, operating a forklift and received her weighmaster certificate. She had lots of jobs throughout her career.
In 2007 she was transferred from Ft. Worth, Texas to the Everett area. She eventually became the Superintendent of Operations and for ten years was responsible for 300 employees and the safe on-time operation of the trains on the territory which was Seattle to New Westminster, BC and over to Wenatchee. Her operating budget was in the multi-millions.
Lynda has so many stories to tell. There was the time when she was responsible for the flawless train trip on the full length of her territory with passengers Bill Gates and Warren Buffet. Then there was the time when the second richest person in the United States' wife wanted to have a party on their train (they owned the MRL) from Canada to Seattle. The guest list was so private that only a handful could see it and keep it private. She can now divulge that Sarah McLaughlin was the entertainment on that train trip.
So many other stories to share such as the oil protestors, the ride with her CEO on a helicopter to scout a new spot for a coal facility and the serious part of the job which was the safety factor for the employees and the public. People taking pictures on the railroad tracks is a big safety issue that doesn't end up well for anyone on the tracks.
Lynda retired in 2015 and accidentally eased into a fabulous job working with her sister who owns a Marketing Firm. Lynda is from Kansas City, KS and has three siblings and her mom. She has two children and six grandchildren and one great-grandson on the way. Her son attended a semester in Patagonia when he was in college, fell in love with a beautiful girl from Santiago and has lived there for over 20 years. Lynda's daughter lives in Lake Stevens, works for the Railroad and has three children and the oldest got married and is expecting. Her daughter was widowed in 2010 when the kids were 5, 6 and 13. Lynda has a passion for motorcycle riding, learning to play the guitar and singing.