John Armstrong

Model Railroader Magazine and the Washington Post report the death of John Armstrong, author of many articles and books on model railroad track planning. I never met him, but as an armchair model railroader and dilettante of the graph-paper-and-pencil fraternity of model railroad trackplanners, I spent many an hour poring over his work, sometimes noting things that I would do differently, but more often being pleasantly surprised by his characteristic efficient use of space, clever illusions, and excruciatingly bad puns. And, most importantly, by his encyclopedic knowledge of actual railroad operations and the way that he incorporated that knowledge into his modeling. In doing so, he helped change the nature of the hobby. May he rest in peace. Although his genius was in an area that remains obscure to most people, his ideas will continue to bring pleasure to thousands of people for decades to come.