Kylah Thompson, First Female Conductor on Durango Railroad

Kylah Thompson just made history becoming the first female conductor in history on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad according to the Durango Herald. The Denver & Rio Grande Railway first arrived in Durango back in 1880, it was just a couple years later that the line was added to Silverton. What an accomplishment becoming the first female conductor in 140 years.

As you probably guessed the career of a train conductor has almost always been dominated by men. There were two women back in the 1990s who whelp with conductor duties but neither were ever fully promoted as Thompson has now completed.

Her supervisors say it was her outstanding work ethic and skills that get her the promotion to the top position on trains. She first began as a photographer with the railroad in June of 2017 and has continued to excel at all tasks since her arrival.

As for what train conductors actually do, they are in charge of safety for all passengers and crew members, also in charge of all train movements. It's common for trains to break down, or rail line to get damaged, so all conductors need to know what to do in case of an emergency.

Another reason to pat Kylah on the back is the fact that she is a previous EMT worker and helped save a man's life after a rafting trip. She is amazing at many things and it's pretty cool to find out that she has now been named the first female conductor in the Durango & Silverton railroad's history.