I visited a hobby shop (Tiny Railroads) in St. Catherines. While I was spending money there was a fellow talking with the owner, mentioning how he had worked for National Steel Car. Didn't catch his name.
I spoke with the owner for a few minutes regarding his excellent selection of DCC equipment and decoders, as well as Peco track.
Thanks so much for following up, Rick. I had feared the worst, but it sounds like it's only the second worst (computer issues, memory issues, and computer memory issues).
I'm bummed because I was hoping to ask Doc to paint my Roundhouse 4-4-2 Atlantic. He was always talking about (and showing photos of) engines he'd painted for friends. In the past two years I've had two people who said they'd do the job and then flaked out. I finally gave it to a neighbor who is eager to do it.
Whenever you contact him again, tell him I/we miss him here.
-Matt
Returning to model railroading after 40 years and taking unconscionable liberties with the SP&S, Northern Pacific and Great Northern roads in the '40s and '50s.
I'm 100% sure I'm not the only one who misses Dr. Wayne's contributions, but it's good to read that he's doing custom modeling for the local hobby shop.
I am one of them. No offense to others but I think I learned more from his posts than anyone else's. The details, including pictures, that he got into describing his methods gave meconfidence that I could pull off projects.
Now if he would paint his fascia.......
Rick
Yes, "senior moments"!! I'm beginning that they're par for the course the older I get.
Cheers, the Bear.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Lots of us have senior moments, remember them even while young, sometime our brains just seem to go blank, proubly from overload. We also get in a routine, a certain way to get from a to b without thinking, throw up a detour and we get thrown out of wack. I can see dumping the Mac, with each new rendition of Windows I get further and further behind as most of the new features are not wanted, one of my new phones is always asking which way I want to send a text, why, I don't need a secure link ect. to tell someone I am on my way etc. Glad he is doing fine.
I found this which helps explain things:
I will update on Wayne. I talk to him every other week and he is doing fine. He is spending a lot of time in a hobby shop in St Cadherins.
He had an incident a year ago and got lost while traveling to a friends because of road detours and it scared him. He thinks he has the beginning stages of Alzheimer's and has been to a doctor. I see nothing in the way of memory loss that isn't normal for late 70's but his mother died from it in her 50's.
He had computer issues and finally gave up. He had been using Windows for years but his daughter gave him a Mac and I think the difference was more than he wanted to attack so last week he told me he had given it to his grand kids. Frankly, he seems to have given up on everything but modeling and he is doing a lot of custom work for the hobby shop. He is fine and in good spirits and hopes to visit me yet this year.
This is the last post doctorwayne made back in 12/23:
doctorwayne I'm a little curious, but when you mention fading, is that similar to weathering? I usually weather most of my rolling stock, but some more recent ones (made to look like fairly close to "new") usually don't get much weathering at all. And, of course, there are always a bunch of older models overly weathered...in those cases, I often strip all of the paint & lettering, and then redo paint, lettering and usually some lighter weathering, too.I'd toss in some pictures, but have forgotten how to do so (semi-brain-dead, I guess).Cheers, Wayne
I'm a little curious, but when you mention fading, is that similar to weathering? I usually weather most of my rolling stock, but some more recent ones (made to look like fairly close to "new") usually don't get much weathering at all. And, of course, there are always a bunch of older models overly weathered...in those cases, I often strip all of the paint & lettering, and then redo paint, lettering and usually some lighter weathering, too.I'd toss in some pictures, but have forgotten how to do so (semi-brain-dead, I guess).Cheers, Wayne
I changed the font to bold. Perhaps the computer problems that have been mentioned had nothing to do with hardware but the ability to input.
I also found the thread where he mentioned tearing down the layout. That was in 2021.
I have his name and address, as well as his direct Email.
It may be time to write an old fashioned letter.
I did send him an Email a while back with no response.
We had several conversations by Email before he dropped off the forums.
Sheldon
richhotrain Brent, if what you say is accurate, it is really some strange behavior on Wayne's part to abandon two forums on which he was so active. You have to wonder why he did that. Rich
Brent, if what you say is accurate, it is really some strange behavior on Wayne's part to abandon two forums on which he was so active.
You have to wonder why he did that.
Rich
Don't know what to say, Rich, the last time I reached out to someone who knows him, they said he had computer issues. Maybe he just had enough of the WWW. He has been hosting guests to his layout quite recently as far as I understand.
Big Blue was his main hang-out.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Alton Junction
From other places and people I interact with on the WWW, Wayne is still chugging along and hosting people at his layout. I know Wayne's last name but do not feel it is appropriate for me to divulge it here even though he has done so himself at times.
Wayne was active elsewhere online, most notably Big Blue Trains but it seems he has also stopped participating there.
With Wayne's participation and influence in our hobby, I am sure we would hear in short order if anything were to happen to him.
Somewhere along the line he mentioned in a post that he was considering tearing down his layout. I never saw it mentioned again or an explanation of why he said it. I would think a decision like that has some heavy reasoning behind it.
If there is a health or medical issue, a lot of times families keep such stuff private. That might be happening in this case, hopefully not, but you never know.
Yes, that is what I checked.
Simon
snjroy I think I found his full name searching on the Web. But I hesitate to post it here for privacy reasons. My search did not unveil any sad news about him. Simon
I think I found his full name searching on the Web. But I hesitate to post it here for privacy reasons. My search did not unveil any sad news about him.
I was going to do an obituary search for his name. Did you try that?
Does anyone know his full name?
hbgatsf Any info on doctorwayne? He still hasn't made any posts. Hope he is OK.
Any info on doctorwayne? He still hasn't made any posts.
Hope he is OK.
Not good.
richhotrain I did read Brent's comment, but I remain concerned. Wayne is a moderator on another forum, but he hasn't posted since last December. That is not like Wayne, and 3 to 4 months without a computer is a very long time. Rich
I did read Brent's comment, but I remain concerned. Wayne is a moderator on another forum, but he hasn't posted since last December. That is not like Wayne, and 3 to 4 months without a computer is a very long time.
I too thought the same, especially in today's day where computers, computer parts, sales/service is readily available. Even a personal cell phone should offer some internet connection.
By no means do I wish bad times or bad health to anyone, but like Rich said, it raises concern.
Thanks, Terry
Inspired by Addiction
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Doughless richhotrain I can't find anywhere on any forum that Wayne has posted anything in 2024. It concerns me because I cannot imagine Wayne without a computer for going on four months. Rich Rich, see Brent's comment just above.
richhotrain I can't find anywhere on any forum that Wayne has posted anything in 2024. It concerns me because I cannot imagine Wayne without a computer for going on four months. Rich
I can't find anywhere on any forum that Wayne has posted anything in 2024. It concerns me because I cannot imagine Wayne without a computer for going on four months.
Rich, see Brent's comment just above.
- Douglas
I'm relieved. And ha! Now that I think about it, wasn't it always Wayne that complained that he'd just spent an hour writing a response and loading up images for a post only to have the forum software suddenly toss it all into the outer darkness?
Well, God bless 'im. I hope he gets back in here. I want to ask him to paint my Atlantic.
That is very good to hear, thank you.
I reached out to a mutual friend a while back, Wayne is fine, he is just having computer problems.
Water Level RouteHe stopped posting to both sites about the same time in December. Doesn't seem good.
ATLANTIC CENTRAL richhotrain Looks like Wayne has abandoned the forum. Maybe Bertram's burned down and he is in mourning. Rich I sent Wayne an Email about two weeks ago - no response. And the other forum he spends time on has not seen him as well? I surely hope he is ok? Sheldon
richhotrain Looks like Wayne has abandoned the forum. Maybe Bertram's burned down and he is in mourning. Rich
Looks like Wayne has abandoned the forum. Maybe Bertram's burned down and he is in mourning.
I sent Wayne an Email about two weeks ago - no response. And the other forum he spends time on has not seen him as well?
I surely hope he is ok?
Mike