Edwina Justus: The Omaha Trailblazer Who Drove Change on the Rails

In 1976, Edwina Justus climbed into the cab of a Union Pacific locomotive and became one of the first Black women in the United States to work as a locomotive engineer.

Justus was born July 11, 1943, in Omaha to Lee and Caldonia Isaiah Chaney. As a child, she became the first Black student to enroll at Brown Park Elementary School in Omaha. She later graduated from Omaha Technical High School in 1960 and began working as a wireman for Western Electric.

Her first attempt to join the Union Pacific Railroad was denied because of her race and gender. Still, she persisted. In 1969, she enrolled at the University of Nebraska at Omaha with plans to become a social worker. When clerical positions opened at Union Pacific in 1972, however, she chose to apply. She left school and was hired as a traction motor clerk, becoming one of only a few Black women employed by the company at the time.

Four years later, when a locomotive engineer position became available, Justus applied again. In 1976, she was hired and became the first Black woman locomotive engineer at Union Pacific and part of the early group of women entering the role nationwide during the 1970s.

The position required relocating to North Platte, Nebraska, where she was one of the few Black residents in a community of about 22,000 people. During that time, she experienced racism, including a cross burning in her yard in 1979.

Justus began as a yard hostler, moving locomotives within the rail yard before operating trains across western Nebraska and into Cheyenne, Wyoming. The trains she operated carried a wide range of cargo, including livestock, coal, corn and sugar beets. Later assignments included transporting automobiles and airplane components, often during shifts that lasted up to 12 hours.

Justus worked for Union Pacific for 25 years, retiring in 1998. 

In 2016, the Union Pacific Railroad Museum in Council Bluffs opened an exhibit recognizing her career and contributions to the railroad industry.

Reflecting on her path, Justus encouraged others to consider careers that challenge expectations. 

“Try something unconventional,” she said. “When is the last time you had a plumber that was a woman, or electrician? Or somebody that worked on your car?”