CNW Western 6 Seniority Rosters

On Thursday, August 16, 1984, a 110-car Chicago & North Western Railway (CNW) train loaded with 11,000 tons of coal broke through a ceremonial banner at the Wyoming–Nebraska state line near Henry, bound for Arkansas. It was the first train on the new Western Six “coal line,” a 107-mile, $368 million line that the CNW built in partnership with Union Pacific to connect the UP S. Morrill, Nebraska yard to the existing BNSF line at Shawnee Jct., Wyoming.

The first crews on the new Western 6 seniority district were mostly men who had been furloughed or cut off at their home terminals at various places along the other CNW lines. They were offered a transfer to help establish the new Western 6 seniority district, working out of South Morrill, Nebraska, and Bill, Wyoming.

This page makes the district’s seniority rosters searchable and viewable online. It currently includes two rosters, the 1991 Trainmen’s Roster and the 1994 Engineers’ Roster. Our own Floyd Smith III appears in both, first as a conductor and later as an engineer.

We’re always looking for more Western 6 seniority rosters and other ephemera to add to the database. If you have one, we’d love to make a copy, and the original stays with you.