Thanks for them kind words John. You and I both had the distinction of presenting JT with a locomotive when we first met him. You gave him that nice steamer and I gave him a small switcher that I painted in his road's colors. Let me tell you...he displayed them proudly on his home layout and was equally proud of the friendships that he had made on Trainboard and out railfanning. Russ
As promised, I am keeping Johnny's website The Model Railroad Transportation Safety Board updated. I have added several articles and will be adding some pics later in the week. There is a lot of JohhnyTrain content in here so I encourage you to take a look. I did make one minor change though. I changed the name to JohnnyTrain's Model Railroad Safety Board in honor of my friend and the site's founder. Russ
seems in my absence from the Train board i have missed something while i did not personally know JT we had some nice posts on the forum and and i for one will miss his humor and ever popular post in the cattle car to his family my profound regret,, to the rest of the train board and freinds he will be soarly missed .
Dear friends, It has been little more than a month since Johnny Trains left this earthly existence (d. 4/29/04). In that period of time there has been a wonderful, heartfelt outpouring of feelings for Johnny's widow and his daughter. There have been expressions of shock and grief from each of us who posted here. I thank each of you for your posts. The Memorial Mass for him will take place tomorrow in NY City. I'll repeat the details for anyone who plans to attend. "We are having a Memorial Mass for John on Friday June 11th at 11am at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament 152 West 71st Street (between Broadway & Columbus) "There will be a reception to follow, which we are still in the process of planning, and to which everyone is invited." If you are among those of us who cannot attend, I would ask that you observe a moment of private silence at 11am, EST, tomorrow wherever you are. I think the "sounds of silence" would speak volumes to our "brother" and guardian angel above. I would also mention that if anyone is so inclined, they could make a memorial gift in Johnny's name to: Friends of NY Transit Museum 130 Livingston Street 9th Floor Brooklyn NY 11201 Johnny, my dear friend, may you rest in peace and may you know the blessings of the Lord of all. You are sorely missed by each of us in his or her own way. You have left a wonderful legacy of friendship and camaraderie. You have enriched our lives beyond compare. Thank you for your short time on this Earth. Johnny, we hardly knew ye...... but we loved ye dearly. So sadly, Edtrain p.s. Mark Aug 29 on your calendars. We will have a gathering at Deshler, OH, in memory of Johnny. Details to follow.
For those such as myself that can not be there in person please let the family know that his extended TrainBoard family here will be thinking of them. JT touch so many of us here he will not be forgotten.
Russ, As a tribute to JT's and your work, I'd like to offer to host the site on my server. No advertising necessary, and I should be able to get you an FTP account. If you are interested, please email me at matt.millican@internetmill.com Thanks
Great words Ed. Unfortunately, I was forced into work today so I did not make it to JT's memorial mass. Needless to say I am quite upset. Today was suposed to be a National Day of mourning for Reagan and all that I wanted to do was mourn the loss of my friend. Russ
Matt, Thanks for the generous offer. Right now I don't think that there is enough traffic to really worry about removing banners and the like. If I do see that there is a big interest in the site , I just may take you up on your offer. For now, I thank you on behalf of my fallen brother, JohnnyTrains. Russ
Dear friends of Johnny Trains...... Just a note to let you know that several of us, including JT's widow, Mary Kay, will gather this coming Sunday, the 29th of August to remember JT. We will meet in Deshler, OH, at the RR Park at the diamonds at 1100 hours, Eastern Daylight time. We will have a short service of remembrance for Johnny, spread a few of his ashes along the tracks and adjourn to JT's favorite local restaurant for a bite of lunch, dutch treat. I realize that this is short notice. If you can come we welcome all who remember THE ONE, THE ONLY --- Johnny Trains. If not please take a few moments this Sunday to reflect on him and remember what a great friend he has been to any who knew him. Peace, Ed p.s. If any would like to send a message to Mary Kay and Kathleen, his daughter, you may send it to me at edtrain@fuse.net I will print out your message and deliver it to Mary Kay and Kathleen. Ed
As time has gone by, I have really noticed what he added to Trainboard. I am always poking around the 'Net. Trying to learn merger information, and more. When I'd post a question, he'd often give more than one reply. Lengthy, specific data, that was great for filling out my notes. So please also number me amongst those there in spirit. Boxcab E50
When I first started this thread I posted this picture of Johnny Trains. I took it when I first met JT, September 21, 2002, at the Danbury Railway Museum. He is sitting in the cab of the DRM's E-9. In support of the memorial activities, I am reposting it [ October 22, 2005, 06:22 AM: Message edited by: Peirce ]
I will be there in spirit. Towards the back off to the side... Black hat on and Duster, blowing in the wind.
I think I've heard it said that the measure of a man is the memories and friends left after he's gone. If this is true, Johnny was a great one.
Ed, Be sure to let Mary-Kay know that I am there in spirit. Unfortunately , I can not be there in person but I always carry JT with me. I have lost a lot of friends and family this year, including my dad 3 weeks ago, and JT wa definately one of the harder passings to get over. God bless and happy railroading! Russ
