Railroader of the Year

Railroader of the Year is an annual award presented to a North American railroad industry worker by trade journal Railway Age. The award was first presented in 1964 by trade journal Modern Railroads and has continued through the magazine acquisition in 1992 to the present.

Past recipients of this award include:

• 1964 – D. William Brosnan (SOU)
• 1965 – Stuart T. Saunders (PRR)
• 1966 – Stuart T. Saunders (PRR)
• 1967 – Louis W. Menk (NP)
• 1968 – William B. Johnson (IC)
• 1969 – John W. Barriger III (Monon, P&LE, MKT)
• 1970 – John Shedd Reed (ATSF)
• 1971 – Jervis Langdon, Jr. (PC)
• 1972 – Charles Luna (United Transportation Union)
• 1973 – James W. Germany (SP)
• 1974 – L. Stanley Crane (SOU)
• 1975 – Frank E. Barnett (UP)
• 1976 – William J. Harris, Jr. (Association of American Railroads)
• 1977 – Edward G. Jordan (CR)
• 1978 – Robert M. Brown (UP)
• 1979 – Theodore C. Lutz (WMATA)
• 1980 – John G. German (MP)
• 1981 – Lawrence Cena (ATSF)
• 1982 – A. Paul Funkhouser (FL)
• 1983 – L. Stanley Crane (SOU, CR)
• 1984 – Hays T. Watkins (CSX)
• 1985 – John L. Cann (CN)
• 1986 – Raymond C. Burton, Jr. (Trailer Train Corporation)
• 1987 – Willis B. Kyle (Kyle Railways)
• 1988 – Darius W. Gaskins, Jr. (BN)
• 1989 – W. Graham Claytor, Jr. (Amtrak)
• 1990 – Arnold B. McKinnon (NS)
• 1991 – Mike Walsh (UP)
• 1992 – William H. Dempsey (Association of American Railroads)
• 1993 – Raymond C. Burton, Jr. (TTX Corporation)
• 1994 – L. S. “Jake” Jacobson (Copper Basin Railway)
• 1995 – Edward L. Moyers (SP){{cite journal| title=Railroader of the year: SP's Ed Moyers. (Southern Pacific chief executive officer) (Cover Story)| url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-16112125.html| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140611070955/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-16112125.html| url-status=dead| archive-date=June 11, 2014| journal=Railway Age| date=January 1, 1995}}{{cite journal| title=Former Railroad CEO Ed Moyers dies at 77| journal=Railway Age| date=July 2006| page=17| url=http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/sb/ra0706/index.php?startid=17| accessdate=February 21, 2014}}
• 1996 – Robert D. Krebs (ATSF) and Gerald Grinstein (BN)
• 1997 – Paul M. Tellier (CN)
• 1998 – David R. Goode (NS)
• 1999 – Edward Burkhardt (WC)
• 2000 – The Railroad Worker (the award for 2000 was changed to "Railroader of the Century")
• 2001 – Mike Haverty (ATSF, KCS)
• 2002 – E. Hunter Harrison (BN, IC, CN)
• 2003 – Richard K. Davidson (UP){{cite journal| journal=Railway Age| author=Vantuono, William C.|date=January 2003| title=Union Pacific's Dick Davidson: managing a 33,000-mile factory—with no roof - Railroader of the Year - Company Profile| url=http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1215/is_1_204/ai_97447683/pg_1| accessdate=2007-01-13 }}
• 2004 – Robert J. Ritchie (CP)
• 2005 – David R. Goode (NS)
• 2006 – Richard F. Timmons (American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association)
• 2007 – Bill Wimmer (UP){{cite press release| publisher=Union Pacific Railroad| url=http://www.uprr.com/newsinfo/releases/human_resources/2007/0112_wimmer.shtml| date=2007-01-12| title=Union Pacific Vice President-Engineering Bill Wimmer Named Railway Age Railroader Of The Year| accessdate=2007-01-12}}
• 2008 – Steve Tobias (NS)
• 2009 – Michael J. Ward (CSX)
• 2010 – Matthew K. Rose (BNSF){{cite journal|url=http://www.railwayage.com/breaking-news/norfolk-southern-ceo-wick-moorman-named-railway-age-railroader-of-the-year.html |title=Norfolk Southern CEO Wick Moorman named Railway Age Railroader of the Year |date=December 9, 2010 |journal=Railway Age |accessdate=December 13, 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101211140902/http://www.railwayage.com/breaking-news/norfolk-southern-ceo-wick-moorman-named-railway-age-railroader-of-the-year.html |archivedate=December 11, 2010 }}
• 2011 – Wick Moorman (NS)
• 2012 – David L. Starling (KCS)
• 2013 – James R. Young (UP)
• 2014 – Joseph H. Boardman (Amtrak)
• 2015 – E. Hunter Harrison (CP)
• 2016 – Carl Ice (BNSF)
• 2017 – Tom Prendergast (MTA)
• 2018 – John C. “Jack” Hellmann (G&W)
• 2019 – Jean-Jacques “JJ” Ruest (CN)
• 2020 – Patrick J. Ottensmeyer (KCS)
• 2021 – Keith Creel (CP)
• 2022 – Keith Creel (CP) and Patrick J. Ottensmeyer (KCS){{Cite web|url=https://www.railwayage.com/freight/class-i/canadian-pacifics-keith-creel-and-kansas-city-southerns-pat-ottensmeyer-named-railway-age-2022-railroaders-of-the-year/|title=Canadian Pacific's Keith Creel and Kansas City Southern's Pat Ottensmeyer Named Railway Age 2022 Railroaders of the Year|date=9 December 2021}}