I don't believe I ever interacted with Mike but know his legacy and have enjoyed the videos of his Rochelle & Southern layout.
Oh man, that is some sad news. Thanks for letting us know MK. Mike was a great guy. never met him in person but he helped me out with a part for a N scale loco years ago and made a great impression on me. I enjoyed all his post here. He will indeed be missed. Prayers go out to his family.
Very sad news. Life really put Mike through the ringer but he kept a good attitude. I first met Mike in person at the N Scale Collector convention in Portland, Oregon back in June of 2009. My wife and I shared a table with him in the dome of the former Santa Fe 509 on the Mount Hood Railroad excursion we took. He told us all about the incident on the New Jersey Transit train that he was egineer on. A despondent police officer decided to end it all by jumping out in front of his locomotive. The other officers who arrived at the scene tried to pin it on Mike and botched the blood test they gave him, leading to a blood infection that almost killed him. He recovered from that but was disabled from the complications after that. High Greens Mike. The car we rode in.
Well, I have returned to the hobby (after a four-decade hiatus) and been on this forum for only a couple of years. All I know of Mike is what I’ve read on this thread. It’s obvious he was a friend to many on the forum, and a help to many more. My condolences go out to all of you for your loss of Mike.
I only met Mike once, at his house in NJ. He had quite the layout. He was into trains, busses and trucks (as we know from the special Trainworx release). I'm sure he was looking forward to being in Bethlehem for the National N Scale Convention.
Sad to hear. We all eventually lose this battle. Thank the Good Lord Jesus Mike is home safe now. I always enjoyed his input and comments here. Wish we had actually met as he was quite the guy. He is already missed.
Mike, Thanks for the update as well as the link to the Obit. Jerry reached out to Ginger on Tuesday about Mike. This guy was a class act and a good man. We first met him on a shuttle bus from the Louisville Airport to the (NSE) Convention Hotel. What a "character"! He will truly be missed by those folks that knew him, whether on a forum such as this or in person. Very sad.....
Hi Mike W, Thank your for the link, sadly it's not good news. Mike (Secret Weapon) Sabia was only a few years older than me and we shared many things in common like driving trucks over the road and working for the railroad. The only time I met Mike was at the Altoona N scale weekend. Please pass along my condolences to Mike's family, he will be missed.
Hi George, I was right there with you and Mike. Here are a couple of my favorite trucking songs, never got a chance to ask Mike if he listened to CW McCall, but he was a favorite of mine. Keep the shiny side up Mike and we'll catch you at that big Watering Hole in the sky.
Rest in Peace, Mike. I appreciated those years reading your posts and interacting here with you. High greens on the westbound.
I knew I had these pictures somewhere. I found them today on my previous cell phone. Although I have known Mike longer, I was able to visit his basement home layout in February 2022. Here are the only pictures I have. I wished I had taken more. Yeah, he has a lot of trains!!!! The entire layout is DC, no DCC.
I was there once also. I want to say "a few years before" but I think it was more than a few years ago. I don't remember the layout being quite that large! I didn't take any photographs that I can remember. First I'd have to recall when I went!
Agreed! His Penn Central sign (which I assume once adorned a passenger car) always caught my eye in his photos.
