Neil Besougloff, editor of Model Railroader from June 2007 to June 2017, passed away on July 26 from complications related to COVID-19. He was 61 years old.
Neil was born in Toms River, N.J., and graduated from Toms River High School South. After earning an associate degree from Ocean County College in Toms River, he attended Flagler College in Saint Augustine, Fla., graduating in 1981 with a social sciences degree. From January 1983 to February 1997, Neil was a city and news editor at the Bradenton (Fla.) Herald.
In February 1997 Neil moved to Wisconsin to become editor of MR’s sister magazine, Classic Toy Trains. He wrote three books on the subject: Command Control for Toy Trains, Command Control for Toy Trains: Second edition, and Creative Toy Train Track Plans. He built two large toy train layouts while working on the magazine, and particularly enjoyed collecting tinplate-era trains.
Neil’s other passion besides trains was cars. He owned a wide variety of cars from performance models such as the Mercury Marauder, Pontiac GTO, and Ford Mustang to a 1920s Ford Model A. He also was a big fan of slot car racing and enjoyed attending sports car races and the Indianapolis 500.
After retirement, Neil and his wife, Susy, moved to Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico.
Neil is survived by his wife; sons Austin and Hunter; step sons Ricky, Michael, and Sammy; and parents, Paul and Roslyn.
