Five generations! Railroading a longtime family affair for BNSF dispatcher

By KENZIE MUCKWAY
Staff Writer

While the U.S. rail industry is not quite 200 years old, one family has more than 400 years of service with BNSF and its predecessor. Current Fort Worth, Texas, dispatcher Jason Maxfield’s family has built a railroad legacy for five generations.

The first generation’s story began in 1897 with August Swanson, Maxfield’s great-great-grandfather. A Swedish immigrant, Swanson joined the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad (CB&Q) in Wray, Colorado, working in early railroad service during the company’s formative years.

Swanson retired after more than 40 years, establishing a railroad family connection that would span long past just his career.

Swanson’s son, Walter Swanson, continued the legacy, spending 25 years working in maintenance of way for CB&Q. He and his wife lived in a boxcar in Akron, Colorado, next to the main line and yard.

In 1916, the railroad lineage expanded through marriage when Floyd Maxfield, Jason Maxfield’s great-grandfather, was hired as a locomotive engineer for CB&Q in Denver. He retired in 1959 after more than four decades of service and had the unique opportunity to operate the Pioneer Zephyr, the groundbreaking streamlined train that helped reshape passenger rail.

Floyd Maxfield’s son, Wilbur Maxfield, followed in his father’s footsteps. Hired by CB&Q in 1936, he served as a locomotive engineer for 46 years. Like his father, Wilbur Maxfield operated the Pioneer Zephyr, and his career overlapped with earlier generations, reinforcing an uninterrupted family presence on the railroad.

Railroading ran deep throughout this generation. Wilbur Maxfield’s brother, Vern Maxfield, and brother-in-law, Pete Palmer, both worked roughly 40 years as locomotive engineers for the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad, a predecessor to another Class I railroad.

Jason Maxfield’s father Danny Maxfield represents the fourth generation. He was hired on as a conductor in 1969, working for CB&Q, Burlington Northern (BN) and BNSF, then retired in 2012 with more than 43 years of service.

During this era, several other family members also worked on the railroad, including brothers and cousins who served as conductors and engineers across BN and the Denver & Rio Grande Western.

Jason Maxfield hired on with BNSF in 2002, becoming the fifth generation of his family to work on the railroad. His career has included roles as a conductor, yardmaster, dispatcher and in management, giving him a broad perspective on railroad operations and leadership.

“The railroad has provided for my family since 1897,” he said. “I grew up around it – from sitting on my grandfather’s lap to later working alongside my dad. I know my family would be proud that the tradition they started is still going.”