Charles L. Peed Collection of Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen Memorabilia

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen was founded on December 1, 1873, at Port Jervis, New York, to provide mutual support for railroad firemen. The Brotherhood initially emphasized insurance, but by the late nineteenth century had branched out into labor-management relations.

At the turn of the century, the organization changed its name to the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen (BLFE) after permitting engineers to join its ranks. In 1969, the union merged with the Order of Railway Conductors and Brakemen, the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, and the Switchmen's Union of North America to form the United Transportation Union.