OMAHA, Neb. — Railroader, historian, and painter John E. Bromley, 81, died Oct. 7. Bromley is best remembered in railroad circles as Union Pacific’s director of public affairs, the railroad’s media spokesman for 25 years. Upon his retirement in 2005, the railroad appointed him as its director of historic projects, a position created specifically for […]
Train Topic: Obituary
Bill Greenwood, key figure at Burlington Northern, dies at 85
William E. (Bill) Greenwood, who led Burlington Northern’s intermodal operations through the discord of deregulation and later served as the railroad’s chief operating officer, died Sept. 22. He was 85. Greenwood became intrigued with railroading when he was in high school, and his love and fascination never ceased. “My interest began while working in a […]
Michael J. Del Vecchio, editor, writer, railfan, dies at 63
DOVER, N.J. – Railroader, editor, and writer Michael Del Vecchio, 63, died Thursday, Aug. 31, after a lengthy battle with cancer. He is best known as an associate editor at Railfan Magazine, and later at the industry publication Railway Age. Prolific at any endeavor he set his mind to, his booming voice and New Jersey […]
John Helmstetter, former owner of celebrated farm on Western Maryland Scenic, dies at 81
CUMBERLAND, Md. — John Helmstetter, the third-generation owner of the farm from which Helmstetter’s Curve on the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad takes its name, has died at age 81. Helmstetter died Aug. 15. His family’s farm at Corriganville, Md., about 5 miles west of Cumberland, was a popular photo site almost from the time the […]
G. Wayne Laepple, preservationist, railroader, and writer, dies at 75 (updated)
LANCASTER, Pa. — Veteran preservationist, railroader, and journalist G. Wayne Laepple died of a heart attack on Monday July 10, 2023, two days short of his 76th birthday. Best known in recent times for his work in the restoration shops at the Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway Museum in Maine and the Railroad Museum of […]
Donald G. Curry, longtime Seashore Trolley Museum restoration manager, dies at 87
KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine — Donald G. Curry, who devoted 70 years of his life to Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine, ultimately serving as its restoration manager, died June 9 at the age of 87. Curry was recognized as a leading authority on streetcar and interurban restoration. In 2014, he was honored with a lifetime achievement […]
Thomas H. Garver, curator and O. Winston Link advocate, dies at 89
MADISON, Wis. — Great artists often depend on advocates to protect their reputations, and that was never truer than in the relationship between noted American photographer O. Winston Link and his one-time assistant and longtime friend Thomas H. Garver. A significant art figure in his own right, Garver did as much as anyone to secure […]