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Just received word that Tim W. of "I love bridges" has just passed away. Jim specialized in the building of foam bridges that were exceptionally made and detailed.  He lived in the Detroit area and was well known for his custom bridge making abilities.  His wife has asked that we let everyone know about his passing.  Although he did not advertise here on the forum, he had many friends and admirers within our community.  He will be missed.

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Wow!  Shocker, he has done such wonderful work for us.  Tim was so exceptionally concerned to get it right.  The color, the size of the stone. He requested PRR prototype photos and on site measurements so as to make as perfect a job as possible.  He was a real gentleman to do business with.  There was nothing that Tim could not replicate and make it better than we expected.

What stole this wonderful man from us?

Just a follow up to Tim W's masterpiece bridges...through a special arrangement in an effort of helping his wife and children, we will have several of his highly detailed bridges for sale at our tables in the Orange Hall.  When they are gone, they are gone. If you would like to acquire one of his creations and help his family, please stop by Row "O" during York.

Mega-Steam

I learned of Tim's death approximately three weeks ago, but out of respect for the family (didn't know if this was to be kept private) didn't want to take the liberty of posting this sad news. 

I never physically met Tim but spent many hours on the phone with him.  He was unlike many other "sellers" I've met in this hobby.  Tim didn't spend time on advertising and talking himself up.  Or talking down his competition.  He let his amazing skill be his advertising and his legacy.  He was devoted to his craft and wanted you happy with the result.  And, he was humble, nice and charged prices that were a fraction of what others charge for work that does not compare. Truly a special man.  

He built us a very beautiful little bridge. It sits under an inclining, curving part of the double main that required special spacing considerations. Despite it being the least straightforward project he said he ever undertook (he worked exclusively from measurements (some estimated) and a few photos of the undeveloped area of our layout), this little bridge arrived and fit perfectly.  

He was going to build us a Starucca viaduct. He and I spoke in late July and he was going to contact me after his move in August.  He didn't, so I emailed.  A week later, his wife emailed me with the sad, shocking news of his sudden unexpected death. It's always disturbing when someone dies prematurely.  Especially when that someone is a good person and blessed with enormous talent.   

Peter

He made us a beautiful 14' bridge for our layout that included pillars flanking our Hellgate Bridge. It was the centerpiece of the layout and a real nice structure.

We were fortunate that it made the cover photo for the Oct 2013 'Other' train mag!

http://www.jcstudiosinc.com/Cu...Stone-Viaduct-Bridge

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He was so nice to talk with as we did measurements and discussed the various details over a month or two. He was very pleased that we made the cover and gave him the exposure.

Any idea what happened to him?

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c.sam posted:

He made us a beautiful 14' bridge for our layout that included pillars flanking our Hellgate Bridge. It was the centerpiece of the layout and a real nice structure.

We were fortunate that it made the cover photo for the Oct 2013 'Other' train mag!

             IMG_3821DSC01640He was so nice to talk with as we did measurements and discussed the various details over a month or two. He was very pleased that we made the cover and gave him the exposure.

Any idea what happened to him?

It was in his obit - massive heart attack in early September.  Totally unexpected.  

Here's another view of the left end of the bridge as it swept around the corner of the layout. Tim did an amazing job of translating my measurements into bridge panels by email. I used scaletrax flex for most of the curves so he didn't have exact radii to work from!

I still have more than half of the structure and hope to use it again someday. A few pieces ended up on the Smokey Mountain Model RR Club layout and didn't survive the teardown..

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OGR Publishing, Inc., 1310 Eastside Centre Ct, Suite 6, Mountain Home, AR 72653
800-980-OGRR (6477)
www.ogaugerr.com

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