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.
Replies sorted oldest to newest
Was this the seller of Arched bridges on da bay? Please excuse my ignorance if I am incorrect.
I think so...Here is some further information about Tim W.
Sad ! What was the cause as he seemed young?
So sad, so young. May he rest in Peace. Dave G.
Yes, I recall admiring Tim's work. My prayers go out to his wife, family, and friends!
I'm sorry to hear of his death. My thoughts and prayers go out to his friends and family.
- Greg
Tim's website. Rest in peace.
My condolences to his family. What a talented guy...His work was amazingly realistic. Everyone who was fortunate to have one of his bridges should be happy that they have such a handmade masterpiece.
Tom
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?
That fellow did some very inspirational art work and will be missed. God Bless his family.
Looks like he built some beautiful bridges for his RR. What a talent. RIP.
Tim had exceptional talent and will be truly missed. I will pray for his family.
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
Huh? ! I just met him a couple of years ago. He had to be about my age?
That is a shocker... just goes to show you... don't put off what you like to do...
Still cannot believe it... I was just complimenting him on the great work he was doing at the Gibralter train show ...
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
I don't know how I missed the news in Oct. but I admired his work and still do. Got to be a tough time this season for the family.
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
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?
Attachments
Unfortunately he was like a lot of true artisans and died young. His bridges were his artwork and will live on.
I had viewed his website last year and I was very impressed.
Sean
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!
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?
It was in his obit - massive heart attack in early September. Totally unexpected.
Before I saw the photo of sam's bridge that Tim built, yesterday I had drawn up the same design with the same column detail between the arches! He will continue to be an inspiration.
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..
Attachments
Wow. Wonderful design details. Colors are nice.