By Railfan & Railroad Staff
AUSTIN, Tex. — Carl ‘Bruce’ Sterzing Jr., an attorney-turned-railroader who led the Delaware & Hudson through one of its most colorful eras in the 1970s, died on October 9. He was 88 years old.
Sterzing worked for a number of railroads but it was his time on the D&H from 1972 to 1977 where he left his mark, helping the iconic railroad remain independent while those that surrounded it were swallowed up into Conrail merger. Under his direction, the D&H also made some of its most memorable motive power acquisitions, including a pair of Baldwin RF-16 “Sharks” that had been slated for scrap.
Delaware & Hudson Baldwin RF-16 “Sharks” 1205 and 126 at Binghamton, N.Y., in July 1975. —Collection Kevin EuDaly
At an early age, Sterzing developed a love for railroads thanks to his dad, who was an engineer-foreman on the Missouri Pacific Railroad. He attended Texas A&M and served in the United States Marine Corps before going to Harvard Law School. After school he started his career in railroading, working as an attorney for Norfolk & Western. Later, Sterzing was sent to the D&H, which was at the time owned by N&W’s Dereco Inc., to serve as general counsel. In 1972, he was promoted to president.
Delaware & Hudson Alco RS-3u 1976 returning from rebuilt at Morrison-Knudsen in Boise, Idaho, seen at Council Bluffs, Iowa, on February 22, 1976. —Photo by George R. Cockle, WRP collection
Over the next five years, Sterzing helped the railroad grow, mostly through trackage rights agreements acquired during the creation of Conrail. In 1977, he left the D&H for the Rock Island in Chicago and later became its chief operating officer. He briefly left the industry in 1980 but was back three years later when he took a job at Norfolk Southern in transportation planning and labor relations. He retired in 2000.
Sterzing married Bettye Belle Maas in 1964 and had three children. He is survived by his children, a granddaughter, and a brother, along with extended family. A funeral service is scheduled for October 23.
