JOHN ARMSTRONG RIP

[cjcrescent]

Saw this from SER President Robert Beaty on SER groups on Yahoo this morning;
From Mike Brestel, NMRA VP:
"To all list members. I was informed today that John Armstrong passed
away sometime Wednesday July 28th. Funeral arrangements are now being
made and that information will be posted later.

All of us tha knew John,or benifited from his advise, clincs and
articles will miss his contributions to our hobby."

Gonna miss him, the hobby has lost one of it's greatest innovators, and pioneers. My deepest sympathies ands prayers go to his family and friends during this time.

[darth9x9]

Yeah, I heard about it last night. He will surely be missed.

[Anonymous]

Thats to bad. I liked his trackplans.

[Anonymous]

May he rest in peace.

Another legend has passed on.

[IRONROOSTER]

He was the great one in layout design. I always looked forward to MR issues with one of his trackplans.

May God bless him.
Paul

[Fergmiester]

Model Railroad Planning 1995 had an interview with "The Dean of layout designers" John Armstrong. It would be an article well worth retelling as it is full of wisdom of the craft, which all too often forget.

I loved his quote regarding "Manana Trees".

He will be dearly missed

[CBQ_Guy]

He was one of the great legends like the others whom I call the "council of elders" in our hobby.

His wisdom, wit and countless contributions to the hobby will be greatly missed.

[tomwatkins]

He will be missed greatly. Any article by him was worth reading and re-reading. He was one of the true innovators of the hobby. His articles and particularly "Track Planning for Realistic Operation" are full of useful ideas, good solid recommendations, and a lot of wit and humor.

We have lost one of the great ones,
Tom Watkins

[Anonymous]

God bless him. He was a great man, a skilled model railroader, no doubt. John, you will be missed.

[BNSFNUT]

John will be missed in this hobby. I have read just about every book or mag artical he ever wrote. He was always on the cutting edge of layout design, some of his ideas are incorperated in my layout. The hobby has lost a giant.

[andrechapelon]

QUOTE: Originally posted by BNSFNUT

John will be missed in this hobby. I have read just about every book or mag artical he ever wrote. He was always on the cutting edge of layout design, some of his ideas are incorperated in my layout. The hobby has lost a giant.

I will always remember John Armstrong as a man who could combine prototypical realism with a touch of whimsy. Ya just gotta love a man who would come up with a town name like Llawn Mawr, or a power company called Conemaul, or a freight yard called Des Maigne Yard.

He will be sorely missed.

Andre

[Anonymous]

[angel] John [angel]
The wit and the wisdom will be sorely missed.[V]

[dragenrider]

How uncanny! I was just reading an article in an old MR planning book about John Armstrong's track plans and studying one of his designs. I will miss him. (sniff, sniff) Somebody hand me a tissue. [*^_^*]

[friscobob56]

I have several of his books in my personal library, and at least one of them is dogeared & almost worn out from constant use. If ever someone deserved to get a PhD in trackplanning, it was John Armstrong. His knowledge and gentle humor will be missed.

[dknelson]

If you find it at a swap meet, get Armstrong's Kalmbach pamphlet on prototype signals. It was a reprint from some Trains magazine articles of around 1960. It is well worth reading and remains a prime source of good information on signal practice.
Dave Nelson

[bcammack]

I acquired a new copy of his text "The Railroad: What It Is, What It Does" about three months ago. Not cheap for a paperback at $35, but worth the money. I feel fortunate to have a hobby shared by such generous, intelligent men.

I have been enriched by his knowledge and I am saddened by his passing. Godspeed, Mr. Armstrong.

[jfugate]

I corresponded with John, and later spoke with him in person about the genesis of the mushroom configuration for my mushroom article in the Jan/Feb 1997 MR.

I wanted to get straight who really invented the mushroom. I began drawing mushroom designs on my own in the early 1980s, and then John published a mushroom design in the October 1987 Model Railroader. I didn't call it the mushroom when I was drawing it, I just called it "opposing deck", since that's essentially what it is. It was John who gave it the name "mushroom".

The conversation with John was most enlightening, since he was quick to give Richard Benjamin the credit for inventing the concept. Richard not only designed mushrooms in the 1970s, but he built one! That makes him the first.

John could have taken the credit and I don't think anyone would have ever questioned it. Yet, he was careful to make sure Richard got the credit. Goes to show you what a truly great guy John was.

[Anonymous]

Next to John Allen, no one had more influence on my enjoyment of this great hobby than did John Armstrong. As one of the hobby's greatest thinkers and creative minds, John Armstrong's impact on model railroading has been felt for nearly two generations, and will be felt for many, many years to come.

We will miss you, John.

[Anonymous]

If there is a Model Railoaders Hall of Fame, I nominate Mr. John Armstrong.

[Anonymous]

Good bye, John. I never met you, but you enriched my life immeasurably.

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know his age ? He did the trackplans in several Atlas track books in the early 70's so he must have been around a good while

[randybc2003]

Whistle for the end of track
[angel]

[Anonymous]

John was a mechanical engineer for the U.S. Navy 1943-1978.
I would guess he was 82/83 years old.

Al

[Anonymous]

I met John at the 2000 NMRA Convention in San Jose. His clinic was excellent and filled with his wit and humor. My current layout has incorporated many thoughts that he presented in his clinic. He will be missed.

[Anonymous]

A brilliant man.
A unique innovator.
A truly outstanding communicator.
A legend in our hobby.

The hobby grew richer in many ways, thanks to John Armstrong's contributions, and one can only hope that, in the future, his memory is not sullied by the new breed of 'hobbyists', who only have criticism for the people and practises of the past.
Mike

[Anonymous]

John was a great inovator (sp?) in this hobby of ours. I will miss him and his sense of humor. Who else would have come up with a "Super Allegeny, 4-6-6-6"? I have several of his books including both a new and older copy of "Track Planning for Realistic Operation". I cannot live without this book. Rest in peace, John-you touched us all.

[Anonymous]

This is a sad day for the hobby!

[gjwilliams]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dknelson

If you find it at a swap meet, get Armstrong's Kalmbach pamphlet on prototype signals. It was a reprint from some Trains magazine articles of around 1960. It is well worth reading and remains a prime source of good information on signal practice.
Dave Nelson

IIRC, the signal article was done by another John Armstrong, not the one whose loss we are mourning.

[twhite]

I have a feeling that he's Up There helping the other great John (Allen) redesign the Gorre & Daphetid, and God's scratching his head and wondering, "What will those two come up with NEXT?" He was a great man, I owe part of my track plan to his innovative designs. We'll all miss him.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by gjwilliams

QUOTE: Originally posted by dknelson

If you find it at a swap meet, get Armstrong's Kalmbach pamphlet on prototype signals. It was a reprint from some Trains magazine articles of around 1960. It is well worth reading and remains a prime source of good information on signal practice.
Dave Nelson

IIRC, the signal article was done by another John Armstrong, not the one whose loss we are mourning.

Dave is correct: the recently late John Armstrong authored "All About Signals."