LMOA members recently selected and ratified a new logo for the Association. President Corey Ruch explains – The LMOA logo has always served as a source of pride and identification of the Association. Before 1983, the logo depicted a steam engine which would have been the workhorse of every railroad in that era.
In 1983, the logo was updated to display a steam locomotive and a diesel locomotive flanking the ‘LMOA’ acronym script – which acknowledged an era of transition from steam power to diesel locomotion.
As the designer of the prior logo, Mr. Kjell “Swede” Axelson stated in the 1983 annual book:
“…to the left there is a strange piece of prime mover equipment called a steam locomotive. For those of us who cut our teeth on them earlier on, it was a way of life, and a hard way of life, and a costly way of life by today’s standards. Nevertheless, progress and evolution carried it over to the right side, with a prime mover called a diesel electric locomotive.
You will notice more importantly right in the middle of that transition and evolution is “LMOA,” and that is what it is all about – not only brilliant improvement to change motive power, but to try to keep abreast of the innovations that the suppliers and others come up with.
With all that discussion in mind, that is what your new LMOA logo is all about.”
Current members of the Association wanted to honor and preserve this heritage while also updating the logo to reflect the current state of the art and look toward future developments. Thus, the search for a new logo began. After reviewing and debating several sketches over the past few years, one candidate began to emerge as a front runner.
The new logo was developed to be clear, strong and unmistakable. The bold locomotive outline firmly communicates who we are and what we are involved with. Though slight ambiguity was introduced so the outline is not any identifiable make, model or production year which would date the loco (and the logo). The slanted text and tapered lines inspire forward movement and progress into the future. The clean design evokes a modern aesthetic which should scale well from cell phones to web pages and to projected show presentations.
The change was put to a formal membership vote. With over 80% voter participation and over 98% vote in favor of the new logo, the change was ratified in early September 2025.
With those considerations, I am proud to present the new, official logo of the Locomotive Maintenance Officers Association:
While Mr. Axelson passed in 2004, aged 83, the new logo clearly builds on a foundation he established. As the old saying goes, “We are great today because we stand on the shoulders of giants from yesterday.”, Ruch concluded.
