Very, very sad news. I met him 45 years ago, when he joined us at PSNS NTrak. We used to pal around with Bob Smith, a founder of PSNS. The three of us at shows, swap meets, railfanning. Now both are gone. My two best model railroading pals.
IKR...we have lost a lot of members from here on TB I have chatted with or even had phone conversations with over the years. it suxs getting old !!!!
I just heard this today from my friends at Mount Rainier N Scale train club. I met him for the first time this past December when he was helping me learn how the yard and entrance module worked on the MRNS layout. He was very helpful and understanding and a great teacher. From what I have heard since then he was to many a very wonderful person, and I wish I had a chance to get to know him better. Rest well my friend, you will be missed by many.
Kirk was a TrainBoard member. Only posted a very few times, mostly lurked. He was usually too busy with his magazine or building his layout, to even lurk.
I took this photo of Kirk while visiting with him about fifteen years ago. There are two memories for me here. One is Kirk. The other is that cabinet next to him. I had that custom built, during my Micro-Trains collecting days. Furniture grade plywood, trimmed in oak, with bushed brass drawer pulls. After my collection was sold off, Bob Smith bought it from me. And when he passed it went to Kirk.
Wow, that's a nice bit of workmanship. I hope someone from Kirk's family can pass it on to someone who'll appreciate it. It looks much like a classic printer's type case.
My favorite memories of Kirk were his BS sessions that he hosted in his hotel rooms at various conventions. We would be sitting on the beds, on chairs dragged in from our own rooms, sitting on the floor or standing. These could last well into the night and covered every topic under the sun. He was a fan of BBQ restaurants and would seek them out in every convention town. At the N Scale Collector (Enthusiasts) convention in Kansas City a number of years ago, a bunch of us kept going back to a place called Burnt Ends. He would always order peach cobbler even though they did not offer it. "What kind of BBQ restaurant doesn't have peach cobbler?" he would jokingly exclaim. Before our final visit, one of us called ahead and warned them he was coming back. When we got there, they had taped a sign made of butcher paper to the door saying "Sorry, we just sold out of Peach Cobbler."
Kirk and I exchanged e-mails, and he just seemed to fall off the earth. I am saddened by his passing, he will be missed. But what is to happen with the e-magazine? Bruce
It had been suspended for some time, due to his health issues. I have a feeling that it will never resume.
I met him at Sacramento in 2015. He encouraged me to get some scenery on my last layout and getting it published. I moved before he finished. I renewed my subscription a few years back, and when he announced he was suspending the magazine, many complained about not getting all their issues, but I told him to keep the remaining year or so of my subscription to put toward the digital version, thinking and extra $12-35 would do us more good in N than back in my pocket.
Very, very sad. Bigger than life was his love for N Scale modeling. At conventions he was in constant motion. Always thanking people, shaking hand, and having fun. Kirk came to my house to take photos of my layout at 12:30 AM on his way home from a convention. Stayed for over an hour. No mater what time, Kirk was enthusiastic about model railroading. We've lost a GREAT ambassador of our hobby. RIP Kirk!!!!!
Getting old does suck! But more disturbing is seeing our friends and families disappear before our Eyes!
Sounds like he was a great guy. And a force for good in his effort. May he rest in peace, maybe even in his choice of scale.
I first met Kirk at the 1989 NMRA convention in Houston. He was giving a clinic on scratch building N scale passenger cars. I had no idea that was even a possibility before that. Of course the examples he was demonstration were all for Milwaukee Road.
I met Kirk at an N Scale event some years ago. Enjoyed the magazine. He always promptly responded to any emails from me. He's made huge contributions to the hobby. He'll be missed. RIP.
