Bob Buck, the long-time show director of the Amherst Railway Society's Big Railroad Hobby show, passed away on his 82nd birthday, October 12, 2011. He will be missed by legions of model railroaders, railfans and friends and family. It will be difficult to match his contribution to the hobby.
Robert A. Buck WARREN - Robert A. Buck died Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2011 after a 2 month illness. He was the son of Marjorie A. (Tucker) Buck and James E. Buck, grandson of Alice (Demond) and Arthur Tucker, whose hardware business Robert carried on for 33 years. His mother was descended from the first white settlers of Warren which was established in 1741. He leaves his wife, Sylvia G. (Walker) Buck, sons Kenneth J. and Russell D. Buck, and grandsons Adam and Jonathan Buck. He was born in Warren where he resided all his life, but his lifelong love of railroads lured him to travel, beginning with a 10,000 mile rail trip in 1953, followed by family camping trips every summer to National Parks and the abandoned railroad road beds in the mountains of Colorado. He operated Tucker's Hardware store for thirty-three years, holding Open Houses many years, one year awarding a 2 week vacation for two to a local girl, another year winning for himself an automobile in a hardware jobber contest. In 1981 he sold that business and opened Tucker's Hobbies shop in his ancestral home on Bacon St. He served on the Warren Board of Fire Engineers, the fund raising committee for reconstruction of the church kitchen and Sunday School rooms of the Federated Church of Warren, as a field consultant for the Salvation Army and for several years, on Warren Parks and Recreation Commission which won a federal grant for construction of a baseball field. He fought successfully to preserve the small town character of Warren and surrounding towns by serving on citizens action groups such as "STOP IT" (an organization to stop the state siting of a hazardous waste treatment facility in Warren) and "Never in New Braintree" (to stop the state locating a prison in New Braintree.) He was a charter member, and President and Program Manager of Amherst Railway Society for many years. He co-founded their Annual Railroad Hobby Show, which began as a 3 hour event in a classroom at UMASS and eventually moved to two large buildings at the Big E, operating over two days and attracting more than 25,000 visitors every year. It is considered the largest railroad show in the northeast. Over $300,000 in profits from the Show has been donated to railroad historical societies and museums for restoration projects and scholarships. He was honored by the Amherst Railway Society for his 31 years of leadership at a dinner in April 2007 and by the Eastern States Exposition for his years of service as show director at that location. His interest in trains, from life size to tiny scale models, has made him friends all over the country and a few abroad, as well. The hobby is one he passed along to his sons and grandsons. It led to his helping to found the Quaboag Valley Railroaders which set up an operating scale model layout at the old school in East Brookfield. His other compelling interest was in classical music. He has held a season ticket to the Springfield Symphony Orchestra since 1952. Those wishing to make donations in his memory may send them to the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, 1350 Main St., Springfield, MA 01103. A Funeral Service for Robert will be held Saturday, October 15, 2011 at 11:00 AM in the Varnum Funeral Home, Inc., 43 East Main St., West Brookfield. Calling hours will be held Friday, October 14, 2011 from 6 to 8 PM in the funeral home and on Saturday prior to the funeral service from 10 to 11 AM.
Bob will be missed. I use to buy from him at his shop. Always ready for a train converstion. I belong to the ARS also.
Rich
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
A very nice person, and if I went Palmer sta. in Mass.,I always made a stop at Tucker's, if Bob was there he always had some friendly conversation or advice. Surely he will be missed at Tucker's and at Springfield.
Den.