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| Local 180 President Bill Holmstedt, left, and Local Chairman Jerry Mullen with the winning 110th Anniversary banner. |
Local 180 in North Platte, Nebraska, one of the oldest lodges in the IAM, is celebrating their 110th anniversary. The members work at the largest switching rail yard in the world, Union Pacific’s Bailey Yard.
Chartered in 1899, Local 180 members wanted to mark the historic milestone by having a banner made to hang at the main entrance to the Diesel Shop, known to employees as the “Green Mile.” Members themselves came up with different designs, and voted on the winner.
Since the massive yard covers 2,850 acres, reaching a total length of eight miles, smaller banners were also made to hang at the East and West Run-Through and at the Service Track.
Bailey Yard contains 315 miles of track and trains run 24 hours a day; 7 days a week. Every 24 hours, 10,000 railroad cars are handled, most of which are coal trains.
