Get to Know Todd Uhlir, Expert Locomotive Mechanic/Painter
What is your job title at NPR?
Locomotive Mechanic/Painter
What does your job entail at NPR?
Servicing and overhauling locomotives.
You’ve been with the company for 25 years now; congratulations! How did you originally find out about the job?
A former manager at NPR, Joe Majerus, told me about it.
Why did you want it?
It was closer to home for me. My previous job was in Pembina, North Dakota. I was working for Motor Coach Industries as a coach painter, and traveling three hours each way a day was getting to be a lot.
What are you most proud of in your 25 years with NPR?
Painting locomotives and coach cars for the Lake Superior Rail Museum in Duluth, Minnesota. I worked on the Great Northern Passenger Cars there. They each took about 280 hours of work to complete; it took a lot of sandblasting and body work to get them back to their original condition, and they are still being used by the museum for scenic tours around Duluth today.
What is the best part of your work week or day?
Being close to home and working with good people.
What does your average day look like at NPR?
Servicing locomotives, doing 92-day inspections, 1104-368 air exchange.
What looked different back when you were first hired?
We have grown a lot. We have a lot more locomotives and employees now than we did then.
Where are you from? What is your hometown?
I grew up in Fordville, North Dakota, and it is still my hometown today.
Did you always know you wanted to work for a railroad?
Yes, I’ve always thought trains were cool with the amount of product they can pull.
What do you enjoy doing away from work?
Spending time with my family, fishing and hunting.
