Christine Gonzalez

{{short description|American train engineer}}

Christine Gonzalez Aldeis (born 1952/1953) is an American train engineer. She became the first woman to work as an engineer on a Class 1 railroad.{{Cite web|url=https://www.lcsun-news.com/story/news/local/2017/03/14/us-first-woman-train-engineer-speaks-las-cruces/99192054/|title=US' First Woman Train Engineer Speaks in Las Cruces|last=López|first=Carlos Andres|date=14 March 2017|website=Las Cruces Sun-News|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327235142/https://www.lcsun-news.com/story/news/local/2017/03/14/us-first-woman-train-engineer-speaks-las-cruces/99192054/|archive-date=27 March 2019|access-date=2019-03-29}}

Aldeis was born and raised in El Paso, Texas, where she came from a family that had strong ties to the railroad industry.{{Cite web|url=https://friendsofbnsf.com/content/first-female-engineer-atsf-reflects-road-less-traveled|title=The First Female Locomotive Engineer for the Santa Fe Railway Reflects on her Career|date=2012-02-28|website=Friends of BNSF|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327235152/https://friendsofbnsf.com/content/first-female-engineer-atsf-reflects-road-less-traveled|archive-date=27 March 2019|access-date=2019-03-29}} Her grandmother was a Harvey Girl, her grandfather worked as a Pullman conductor, her father worked as a train conductor and her mother was a secretary to the Santa Fe trainmaster in El Paso.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29991465/|title=She's A Hard-Driving Locomotive Engineer|date=19 August 1974|work=Tampa Times|access-date=29 March 2019}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29991485/the_indianapolis_star/|title=Maintains Family Tradition|date=26 February 1974|work=The Indianapolis Star|access-date=29 March 2019}} Her family was supportive of her announcement to become an engineer and she began training as a hostler in May of 1973.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29991510/|title=21-Year-Old First Woman RR Engineer|date=17 March 1974|work=Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, the Evening News|access-date=29 March 2019}} After graduating from simulator school in Topeka, she then started work as the first woman train engineer for the Santa Fe Railway system in February of 1974. She was first assigned to Socorro, New Mexico. Aldeis was featured on the cover of Redbook in March of 1975.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29991349/|title=Magazine Features E.P. Girl|date=3 March 1975|work=El Paso Herald-Post|access-date=29 March 2019}} In 1980, she met Robert Aldeis and they were married and had two children. Aldeis took some time off to be with her children, but returned to the railroad as part of the reserve board. In 1989, she became a volunteer for Operation Lifesaver. After the BNSF merger, Aldeis became a field safety support manager and later the regional manager. In 2012, she retired from BNSF.