Jake Jacobson

Lowell “Jake” Jacobson was passionate about railroads, short lines and rail safety, and while he never set out to become a famous railroader, his unceasing dedication to the industry he loved made him a legend.

Jacobson worked for Union Pacific Railroad for 29 years. He joined Copper Basin Railway in 1987 as general superintendent, quickly being promoted to general manager and then becoming chief operating officer (COO), ultimately serving as president and COO for more than 30 years before retiring in February 2020.

In 1994 Railway Age magazine named Jacobson its Railroader of the Year, the first short line operator to be so honored. Jacobson earned the award in part for his efforts to restore and rebuild parts of the railway damaged by catastrophic flooding. Not only did Jacobson work tirelessly to preserve railroad assets, he took care of his team by providing no interest loans to those who had been flooded out of their homes from his personal funds.

Five years later Railway Age would dub Jacobson one of the Great Railroaders of the 20th Century.

ASLRRA’s history is deeply entwined with Jacobson’s. He was the originator of what is today’s ASLRRA Jake Safety Award program, which honors short line railroads for above-industry average safety performance. When Jacobson’s Copper Basin Railway achieved a perfect safety record in 1993, he realized that no award existed to recognize small railroads’ safety records, so he started a program himself. In 1999, ASLRRA took over the annual safety recognition program and named it after Jacobson.

Jacobson’s commitment to safety did not stop with his work with the Copper Basin. He was on the board of Arizona Operation Lifesaver, an organization focused on rail-safety awareness. Jacobson was also active in his community, serving on the Copper Corridor Economic Coalition and the board of the Central Arizona College Foundation, providing scholarships for the Central Arizona College-Aravaipa Campus College for Kids program and working with the local Salvation Army and Kearny Fire Department to collect and distribute toys to children at Christmas. His commitment to volunteerism earned him the Citizen of the Year award from the Copper Basin Chamber of Commerce in 1998.

Beyond his abilities as a railroader, stories abound of Jacobson’s generosity and kindness. He believed the strength of his company lay in its workers and cultivated a sense of family among Copper Basin Railway employees that helped bolster company safety culture and employee motivation. And when he heard of Stephani Yesenski's battle with cancer and her efforts to get experimental treatment, he rallied everyone he could to make it happen.

Jacobson died in 2021 at the age of 80. Upon his passing Viking Navigation Principal Adam Nordstrom, who worked with Jacobson through ASLRRA, said, “Jake had an indomitable personality, Wild West charisma, and the belief that small railroads made the world a better place when every employee returned home safely. He was a titan from the age of the short line renaissance who left his brand on our industry and on the hearts of those honored to work with him.”