Move Over, Sir! How Women Took the Throttle on America’s Railroads

Apr 4, 2025

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Move Over, Sir! How Women Took the Throttle on America’s Railroads

The Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associates Interview Series

Welcome to The Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associates Interview Series, right here on radio and podcast. I’m Paul Vogelzang, and today’s episode is part of our special 60th Anniversary celebration with Smithsonian Associates—marking six decades of education, inspiration, and powerful storytelling. And this one, friends, is both powerful and long overdue.

You’re about to hear a remarkable conversation with Smithsonian Associate Patricia LaBounty, curator of the Union Pacific Railroad Museum, about an exhibit that challenges history’s blind spots and spotlights the women who helped build—and quite literally run—the railroads of America. Patricia LaBounty will be appearing at Smithsonian Associates, and the title of her presentation is Move Over Sir: Women Working on the Railroad. More details are available via links in out show notes today.

The exhibit is titled “Move Over, Sir!”, and the title isn’t just clever. It’s a line drawn in iron, a statement about persistence in the face of exclusion. When we think of the railroad, we often picture smoke-belching locomotives, dusty rail yards, and stoic men in overalls. What we don’t picture—at least not often enough—are the women at the telegraph, in the ticket booth, on the repair lines, and yes, in the engineer’s seat.

From the Civil War, when more than 100,000 women filled vital rail roles as men went to battle… to the 1930s when Union Pacific created women-only cars staffed by trained nurse-stewardesses… to trailblazers like Bonnie Leake, the first female engineer at UP, and Edwina Justus, the first Black woman in that role—this is history that’s gritty, inspiring, and still unfolding.

Smithsonian Associate Patricia LaBounty joins us to share these stories and more: women who were told to step aside, sit down, or stay home—and who refused. These are the voices that helped carry this country forward, and it's our honor to put them front and center today.

So, settle in. You’ll never hear the words “all aboard” quite the same way again.

Here now, with the music of Glen Miller echoing in the background—a nod to the rail era that changed this country—our conversation with Patricia LaBounty, curator of “Move Over, Sir!” at the Union Pacific Railroad Museum.

And this is The Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associates Interview Series on radio and podcast. I’m Paul Vogelzang. Let’s begin.

That’s our show for today. Again, a very special thanks to Patricia LaBounty, curator of the Union Pacific Railroad Museum, and to all those women—past and present—who’ve shown what strength, skill, and leadership look like on and off the tracks. Patricia LaBounty will be appearing at Smithsonian Associates, and the title of her presentation is Move Over Sir: Women Working on the Railroad. More details are available via links in our show notes today.

To hear more inspiring conversations like this one and explore our full archive of interviews, visit us online at notold-better.com. While you're there, you can listen to past Smithsonian Associates episodes and catch up on our 60th Anniversary series.

And if you enjoyed today’s episode, share it with someone who appreciates history, grit, and a good story well told.

This is a production of N.O.B.S. Studios, and I’m your host, Paul Vogelzang. Thanks for spending time with us today—and I hope you’ll join me again next time.

Until then, be well, be safe, and remember Let’s Talk About Better. The Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associates Interview Series, and it’s never too late to live with purpose.

Smithsonian Associates details and website URL:

https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/women-working-on-railroad