Michael D. Twombly
Vice President
mtcotrain@aol.com
Michael D. Twombly is a National Vice President of the 59,000 member Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen. He was elevated to the office of National Vice President on May 21, 2008, following a vacancy on the union's Advisory Board.
Vice President Twombly was elected to the position of Second Alternate Vice President at the BLET's First Quadrennial Convention in 2006. He is a member of BLET Division 191 in Lunenburg, Mass.
"I truly consider it an honor and a privilege to assume the office of National Vice President and to serve the membership," Vice President Twombly said.
As a General Chairman, Twombly represented approximately 300 members on four different railroads - the Delaware & Hudson, Springfield Terminal, St. Lawrence & Atlantic, and the Montreal, Maine & Atlantic (MM&A). During his tenure, he led negotiations for 10 separate contracts that greatly increased membership pay and improved working conditions and quality of life for the locomotive engineers and trainmen he represented. He is currently negotiating a first contract for members on the MM&A.
As Vice President, Twombly is assigned to a number of short line railroads, including: Delaware & Hudson; Springfield Terminal, St. Lawrence & Atlantic, Montreal, Maine & Atlantic; Union Railroad; Birmingham Southern; New York, Susquehanna & Western; New England Central; South Buffalo; Iowa, Chicago & Eastern; Indiana & Ohio; Indiana Southern; Louisville & Indiana; Meridian Southern; Talleyrand Terminal Railroad; and the newly organized Connecticut Southern. Vice President Twombly is also assigned to the RSAC committee for positive train control.
He began his professional railroad career at the age of 18 on June 30, 1971, as a locomotive fireman for the Boston & Maine Railroad. He quickly learned the profession and became a qualified locomotive engineer one year later, being set up and set back until eventually being promoted full time locomotive engineer in 1977. He joined the Brotherhood on November 1, 1971, and has held continuous membership since 1973.
His service to the Brotherhood began in 1987 when he volunteered for the position of Vice Local Chairman. Shortly thereafter, he was promoted to the Local Chairman's position.
Twombly served as Vice General Chairman under Charlie Klimek, his long time friend and mentor, from 1989 thru 1996, and became General Chairman after Brother Klimek left office in 1997.
Vice President Twombly comes from a family with a rich tradition of railroading. His father, Wilbur M. Twombly, hired out on the Boston & Maine as a fireman on February 15, 1948, in North Conway, N.H. Wilbur earned promotion to locomotive engineer and became both steam and diesel qualified, retiring in 1990 with 42 years service. His great grandfather Arthur Seavey and great uncle Willis Twombly were both locomotive engineers on the northern division of the B&M with hire dates in the late 1890s.
Vice President Twombly enjoys skiing, fishing, golf, photography and especially baseball - he played amateur ball in the Merrimac Valley "Lawrence - Lowell Mens League" for a decade, picking the glove up again at the age 34 and serving as his team's third baseman and emergency catcher.
Vice President Twombly and his wife Roxane were married April 8, 1972. The couple lives in Andover, Mass., and has one son, Jason (wife Jennifer), and two grandchildren, Jameson and Julia.
