VERY SAD NEWS: JIM BARRETT OUR FRIEND AND PARTNER HAS PASSED AWAY ...

I met Jim many years ago at York when I had just returned to this hobby.  Over the last twenty years this Forum has been in place I always recall his positive attitude towards solving problems.   

When this Forum first started there were only a few of us online.  Jim was very active then and he answered many questions. 

Recently his how to video's have been very instructional and helpful.

He will be sorely missed by everyone that knew him.

May God rest his soul in eternal light and may God give comfort to his family and friends.

My deepest sympathies.  Happy I met him a the New Jersey Highrailers..

One of the nicest persons that I have ever met. My deepest sympathies to his family and OGR. I am sure he is at rest and very happy in his Back Shop.

Prayers for JIM and his family.  May he Rest In Peace.

My condolences to Jim's family and his OGR family and friends. Jim was a great guy and I always enjoyed his articles on how to. He always had a smile on his face.

This is sad news indeed. Condolences to friends and family. RIP Jim.

Deepest sympathy.  Learned so much from his columns and videos.  He will be sorely missed. 

What a loss! Wow. Sending prayers for the family and all close friends.

Man, these are tough times for us model RR people.

I did not know him, but I knew of him. I just read his article on lighting in run 315. He will be missed.

Wow. We were talking last night about his visit to the club a few years back. Very sad indeed. Prayers to his family and friends. This has been a really bad year.

Prayers for and condolences to his family.  It has been a tough year.

My condolences... Jim was one of the good ones! He will for sure be missed

Shocking News !!  I've met and spoken with Jim Barrett and Rich Melvin a couple of times and purchased OGR Magazines and videos at the OGR stand at York.  We just can't seem to catch a break here in 2020.  I'm stunned, may he rest in peace and hope his family will receive all the prayers and blessings due them in this very sad time.  - MARSHELANGELO

Oh this is very sad news...My condolences to Jim's family.

He will be sorely missed.

WOW!  This is a gut-punch to the O Gauge community.  My sympathies to his family and friends.

Tom

Wow, just stunned to hear this news. Indeed 2020 continues to be a sad year for the O gauge community.

Jim's expertise and help that he lent to readers over the years was immeasurable. I can only imagine how many trains run today because of Jim's work through the years.

One of my favorite memories of Jim happened hear on the forum more than 15 years ago. The forum was in it's first or second year. We were still a small group but a boisterous one. Jim still worked for Davis Electronics and they had just gotten their shipment of JLC Challengers. Jim spent days on end crafting a story about it's unboxing, break in runs, etc. I wish I would have saved it. The excitement and humor with which he wrote were enchanting.

Until next time Jim, may your signals be green.

So sorry to hear this about Jim.  He will be missed deeply by many.

That is a real bummer. My condolences to his family.

I am shocked. Great guy, always willing to help.

This is very sad news indeed.   I met Jim once at a West coast train show.  He was very nice.  I have nearly all of his "backstop videos".  The videos plus his numerous articles have been very helpful to me as I constructed my and my club's layouts.

This is huge loss for the entire hobby and the OGR community.  My prayers go to Jim, his wife and his family.  NH Joe

My deepest condolences to his family and friends.  He will be missed.

To say I learned a lot from his articles and videos is a huge understatement! He will be greatly missed.

My sincere condolences to his family and friends.

Very sorry to hear this awful news.  Jim will be missed by so many of us in the hobby!

Wow...just wow.  I met Jim Barrett at Davis Electronics in Milford Ohio.  He took my family upstairs to Mr. Davis private layout and ran the trains for us.  We talked about Mr. Davis collection, about the change in career that he was going through, my sister described the American Flyer set my father had and Mr. Barrett identified it by set number and contents.  It was Mr. Barrett that got me back in the hobby and excited my family about it.

This is a loss for the community and hobby.  I'm pretty shook.  Bye Jim.

I am a bit late in commenting on this thread, but that is only because I have been busy contacting folks both in and out of the hobby who needed to be made aware of Jim's passing. His death certainly came as a shock to me, as well as to my fellow partners Alan Arnold and Ed Boyle, and it's difficult to find the right words to adequately express my feelings at this time.

When I last spoke with Jim a week or so ago about his column topic for our next issue, he indicated that although he was not in anything close to tip-top shape, and was still working to get over a recent hospitalization, he was gradually getting his strength back. I took that as a hopeful sign.

I have known Jim for a good many years, dating back to well before I joined the OGR team, and will write more about him and his many contributions to this hobby in our Feb/./March issue of the magazine.

To say Jim will be sorely missed would be a gross understatement. I will miss him for his friendship, for the kindness he always showed to me, and for his many significant contributions to our hobby. Many O gauge layouts throughout the nation and the world run better today because of hints, tips, and advice Jim shared with their owners. He will not be forgotten!

Very sad news, indeed... my sincere condolences to Jim’s family and friends.

When I was starting to build my layout several years ago, I knew I wanted to use my two PW ZW transformers to power it, but knew that I needed to add some fast acting circuit breakers to protect my engines. Unfortunately, every explanation of how to do it might as well have been written in hieroglyphics... then someone suggested one of Jim’s backshop videos. His presentation was clear and simple to follow. His circuit box has saved me countless times since. His passing is a great loss to the hobby.

May his memory serve as a blessing.

I’d like to suggest a permanent column in OGR dedicated to “The Backshop” and Jim Barrett

So Sorry to hear Jim was a great ambassador for our hobby and will be greatly missed. Condolences to his family!!

I knew Jim Barrett for many years.  I was first introduced to him when he was the sole editor of LOTS Magazine.  He turned the LOTS Magazine into one of the top rated club magazines -- then he was no longer with them. Our path crossed for quite a long time when Jim worked at Davis Trains in Milford, Ohio.  Jim had many friends at Davis Trains.  He had unique ways to work with trains and accessories.  I still have all of his VHS Tapesl -- In the Back Shop. I had been to his house several times in Cincinnati, Ohio and saw his Toy Train Layout.  He joined OGR and did a great job.  In fact, a group of gentlemen (including Jim) bought OGR the Magazine from the Myron Bigger Group.  I still remember going to the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois (one summer in the early 2000s) and  seeing Jim and Rich Melvin making Video Tapes on a very hot summer day.  These men turned OGR into a top rated Train Magazine, equal in scope to Classic Toy Trains.   Jim Barrett is one of the finest men in the Toy Train World,  He probably is looking down on all of us smiling that one day we will all meet him in the Big Train Heaven in the Sky.                             

Rest in peace Jim.   Sincerely yours,  railbear601

I'm truly saddened to read this. Jim was an asset, wonderful ambassador to this hobby, and friend and will truly be missed. I have great memories from the first Train Stock at the NJ Hi Railers, especially the night before the event when a large group of us from the train club (including Jim and Ed from OGR) went out for some great Brazilian rodizio in nearby Bellville. His family, business partners, and friends in the hobby are all in my thoughts.

-Mat

Sorry to hear of Jim's passing.  I met him at the Amherst Show a number of years ago and he was fun to talk with.   This indeed has been a difficult year.  My prayers for his family, he will be greatly missed.

Marty

God Speed Jim. I've followed Backshop for years. You will be sorely missed.

My deepest condolences and prayers for him and his family.

Good evening, this is very sad news for the model railroad community and his family.

You sincerely have our condolences

The Strittmatter’s

Did not know Jim personally, but since I picked up my initial issue OGR,  Jim's Backshop column was the first article I would read . He will be greatly missed.

God Bless and Rest In Peace Jim.

So sorry to hear of his passing.  My prayers and sympathies for his friends and family.

Neal Jetr

Very sad news, indeed. Jim's layout building instructions and his videos helped many of us create our "railroad empires."

RIP Jim Barrett

John

So sorry to hear of Jim's passing. Hus contributions to OGR were immense and he will be missed.  Rest In Peace

My memories of Jim were talking to him at the Amherst train show, some twenty years ago.  Jim was the go to guy in the early days of TMCC and DCS.  Jim Rest In Peace, you will be remembered fondly and will be missed.

My deepest condolences to his friends and family.

I have used his many helpful tips/tricks from the Backshop. In 2004, I met Jim at the Aberdeen Hobby Shop (Aberdeen NJ) when OGR and MTH were having a joint event. I got Jim to sign my first ever OGR magazine Run 204 (DEC 2004). At that time I never heard of this magazine that and I am forever grateful to him for introducing me to OGR.

Very sad news. I met Jim at a Great Train Show in San Diego about 13-14 years ago. He was so nice and spent time explaining my many questions as I just got back into the hobby after about 25 years.  At his urging,  I checked out this forum. I have enjoyed reading and responding here and have learned so much. I will be ever thankful for his patience, he spent over an hour putting up with my questions, and letting me know about this forum.  I've enjoyed his backshop articles and videos. My prayers to his family and friends,

Bob

Wow. So sad. Condolences to his family, his friends, and to all of us.

I will miss my friend.  

Oh man, very sad news. I didn’t know Jim, but I enjoyed his series and sent several folks to back issues for information on a project they were doing. His series will be sorely missed. RIP!

Godspeed Jim.  You will be missed by all. Condolences to your family.

To say I am in shock is a complete understatement. I had no idea he was having severe health issues. My condolences to his family, the OGR family, and the community at large.

I am grateful for all his help over the years, both in person and through his many articles. I first met him when he was Editor for the LOTS Switcher magazine.  With his moving on the OGR, he greatly expanded the number of people he influenced in this hobby. His articles and ideas were both practical and innovative. I was especially fond of the continuing series on his layout build, and looked forward to them in the OGR magazine. I was disappointed when he skipped a month, but knew the next article would more than make up for it.

Here is a shot of Jim at the New Jersey HiRailers TrainStock II in 2010.

Keep the rails polished until we meet again, Jim!

Chris

LVHR

What a loss to the OGR community.  Jim was a sincere Talented and awesome gentleman.  I had the pleasure to have lunch with him a couple of times.  He will be missed.  God bless,

Mark

I am stunned, saw him last York, and he looked great.

Jim was a great guy, I hung out with him some at York. I will miss him, and I will never forget him.

See you on the other side, Jim.

God bless this man.....he will be missed in our hobby!

Very sad. I enjoyed his projects especially how he incorporated Lionel uncoupling magnets into Gargraves track. He was one of a kind.

Tom

So very sad to hear this.  I spoke with Jim at York on a couple occasions over the years  He was a kind humble person with a fountain of knowledge about our wonderful hobby.    I'm glad I was able to tell him how much I enjoyed his Backshop articles.  My heartfelt condolences to his partners and staff at OGR, and certainly to his family.  Jim will be missed in a big way.  

Very sad news.  One of the best in the hobby.  Condolences to all of his family and friends. 

Eternal Rest Grant Unto him O Lord.

I want to "like" all of the posts so far for all of the heartfelt thoughts. Very sad. I still have jim's Backshop series on VHS tapes and have been following him for at least 20 years.

My heartfelt condolences to Jim's family and friends.

Jim, you will be missed

Very sad to hear. Jim was a wealth of knowledge for the O Gauge community... He will be missed.

Sad news. Condolences and prayers for Jim and his family.

Prayers!!!

Wow.. What a great asset to the hobby he was.. Jim was always willing to share his expertise with us.. Seems too many 'cornerstones' of  our hobby  have passed on.. RIP, Jim.. My condolences to his family..

Terrible news'.. Jim's column will be sorely missed'.. May he rest in peace.

I am very sorry to hear this news.  My condolences to his family and the OGR staff.  

Jim was very approachable at the York train meets and would readily entertain many train and layout questions.  I enjoyed when Jim was posting to the forum his layout progress updates.  His enthusiasm was entertaining and contagious.

Sincere condolences to Jim's family and many, many friends.

Oh such sad news. I have all of Barrett in the Backshop within arms reach. His contributions to this hobby are vast, and his smile contagious.  My most sincere condolences to his family. 

Paul

Very sudden for those of us that didn't know he had been ill.

My condolence's to the Barrett family.

As if 2020 wasn't challenging enough and then news like this.  Peace to all his family and friends.  Such as loss for the O scale community. 

Prayers and condolences for Jim, his family, friends and all who he may have touched in this world.

Sorry to hear this, prayers to friends and family.

Dean

Wow...too bad.  I met him at Davis Electronics, which closing was a loss to the area.  Way too many pillars of this hobby seem to be sinking under the waves of time.  Scary, and l don't like it. Thanks to him for his many contributions.

Like Tom Densel said on page 1 this is like a punch in the gut. I didn’t know Jim well but I met him once at York and he was really nice. I guess you could say I was a Jim Barrett fan. I remember the early days of this forum and how he helped so many folks. When you think about it, it really is amazing how he helped so many people outside the forum with his enthusiasm which was evident in his videos and articles. I am stunned and extremely sad to hear this news. I didn’t know he had any health problems but just by going by how he looked in recent pictures he looked young to me. Unfortunately, I assumed we had many more years of Backshop articles coming from him. My sincerest condolences to his friends and family.

Wow.  I am so sorry to hear this.  I offer my prayers and condolences to his family.

I have fond memories from the days that this forum started up,Jim was always a true gentleman and always helpful.

Norm

I am at a loss for words about this news.  I will miss Jim and his personality.  God's blessings and my sympathy to his family and friends.  He will be greatly missed.  

Very sorry to read this. While I didn't know Jim or some of the other recent passings personally, their videos, writings, and postings and contributions here on the forum made Jim and the others all seem like friends.  Condolences to those who knew him.

I am so sorry to hear of Jim's passing. My sincere condolences to his family, friends and all at OGR. I met him a couple of times and he got me started on building and then kitbashing Ameritowne buildings. I always read the Backshop first when each new issue arrived. We have exchanged emails in the past and he was always ready to answer any question or offer help.  A very big loss.

Tom

Geez, what sad, deflating news.  Jim was certainly one of the real mainstays of the O Gauge community, a figure who’s passing leaves a huge void in the hobby.  Condolences to his family and to all his OGR co-workers.

Wow!  Another horrible tragedy this year!  I had started to write a recent response to his column in the Backshop about dust and our layouts (2 runs ago) but had not finished it to send in to him.  I thought I had more time   Another good friend in the hobby that didn't know me but I think I knew him hobby-well through meeting him in person, once at Train Fest, and re-watching him in videos clinging to his words of wisdom, and ingesting his columns because they were like he was giving an apprenticeship class as the master teacher.  My heart is heavy on this news.

Mike

So sad to hear this news. Our hobby suffers another huge loss. Prayers for Jim's friends and family.

This is certainly very sad news as he was always super fun to be around at the York meets. He will be missed very much. I have more to say, but I need to get dates and names correct before submitting. May the Lord be with his family, friends and business associates. It’s a sad day. Thank you Alan for giving us the news. Your Tennessee connection.  

I am very sorry to hear this. God bless Jim.

A large loss to the model RR community.  May his family be comforted by knowing how much he was appreciated for helping so many.

I’m sorry to hear of Jim’s passing.  Alan said that many O gauge layouts run better today because of Jim’s advice.  I know mine does.

Very sad news. Jim's work leaves quite a legacy for the model railroad community and surely leaves a big hole in the hearts of many. My condolences to his partners at OGR, his family, and all those who loved his work.

Oh my. I’m devastated to hear this. I did not know there was a health issue. I feel like I’ve lost a brother. What a wonderful man. Condolences to his family.

Oh man very sad news. He will really be missed. Have a small TV and a VCR DVD player in train room just for Jim's back shop videos. Was always hoping he would bring out some more. They were so helpful. Kind of smile when I think back Jim saying in the videos not for the faint of heart. Condolences for his family and friends. Sad to say here today gone tomorrow.

Wow what a shock.  His contributions will be missed by all of us as well discussions and presentations at York.   Condolences to family friends.   Big loss in the RR community.

I am very sorry to hear about Jim. He made me smile at my first York in October 2017 by teasing Rich. He told me the simplest thing about using water colors and scotch tape for grout lines and putting windows in a building I bought. I remember telling him that I would have never thought about something so easy as that. I guess it is often we tend to overthink modeling things and there is an easier solution.

This picture was last year at the NJ Hirailers hosting the OGR 50th Anniversary which I was fortunate to attend. Jim was introduced by Allan Miller shortly before I snapped this. We all had a good old time there on what was a very rainy Sunday, but trains, food and friends really made it grand.

I just remember on all the occasions I talked to Jim at York, he always smiled and laughed. My condolences to his family, and his family at OGR, he will be greatly missed. God bless you Jim.

So sad, so sorry. Jim was a superlative ambassador of our beloved hobby.

Steve

I just read this now and I am shocked also. I have met Jim and talked to him a couple of times and he was always cheerful and a fun humorous person. Godspeed and prayers for the family.

I'm shocked by this news as all of us are.   His contributions to this hobby and his fellow hobbyists are immense.  My condolences to his family and friends.

-Greg

I am devastated to hear this news.  Jim always has a smile on his face and we had many good times at our club with him. Rest In Peace Jim.

I'm so sorry to hear this. I have some of his video's. R. I. P.  Jim, you will be missed.

For the few times Ive met him at shows, he was a really nice Guy. his Video segment on OGR the Video were just awesome to watch. He will sorely be missed! May God bless him and his family! He will be remembered greatly.

I am stunned. For the first time in a long time, I am at a loss for words. I just lost my partner and a magnificent pillar of our hobby. Jim was always willing to help a fellow hobbyist, fun to be around and a good writer and teacher to boot and now he is gone. I am still trying to wrap my head around his loss and not doing a real good job of it.

I want to thank Allan Miller and Alan Arnold for letting me know the awful news within minutes of each other. God bless them both and, more importantly, God bless Jim Barrett.

Ed Boyle

This is a real shock. Jim always had a smile on his face and was a great ambassador to the hobby. Condolences to his family and friends.

I feel like I just lost a great friend, even though I never met Jim in person.  My deepest condolences to his family, his partners at OGR and all of his friends.  By every measure, he is a Hall of Famer.

Dave

I am also shocked, Jim was a great teacher, video star and a very nice guy, who, I've had the pleasure quite a few times over the years. we all will miss him and the backstop.

Jim's passing is a terrible loss for our hobby. Condolences to his family.

Mark A. Hoffman

I am so sorry. A great loss to all his family and friends.......and, a great loss to the hobby.

Prayers for Jim and his family. I feel so fortunate for having known him all these years......He will be missed as a friend and O Gauge colleague to all of us. A sad day for us all......

Peter

Very sad news. A true gentleman who always had time to stop and talk to me when I would see him at York.  Not a good year for the hobby with the losses of some very good men, but there is very interesting train talk in heaven today!

Talked to Jim several times on the phone about my layout ideas. Great man and very knowledgeable about our hobby. He will be deeply missed.Thoughts and Prayers to his family and God Speed Jim.

So sorry to see and hear about this. Kindly, informative, interesting, a fount of knowledge, etc., etc. His columns were great.

I was fortunate to spend time with Jim largely through my friendship with Marty. And in at least one way, Jim was my idol. I don't recall how many years ago it was, but Jim came to York with his wife on his HONEYMOON! I mean, how many of us beg, cajole, etc. simply to take a couple of days to go to York? (I do not. My wife has always been supportive of my trips to York. I would come home and she would ask, what did you get? I would tell her. She could figure out what I spent. She then went to a jewelry store and I kept my mouth shut. Her jewelry did much better than my trains.) My recollection is that marriage did not end well for Jim.

Jim will be sorely missed.  My condolences to his family and friends.

Gerry

My condolences to his family.  He will be sorely missed.