[PRCo] Re: John Baxter

[Mark McGuire]

 Very nice story John. Thanks for taking the time to send this. And also my sincere condolences on the loss of a wonderful man.

-- John Swindler <j_swindler at hotmail.com> wrote:
Thanks, Fred  
 
It is still too sudden to be able to put some words together.  Maybe I can work something around some old pix.
 
One thing John mentioned when I talked with him after Christmas is that he is probably the last person to have operated West Penn 832.  He was the PRC operator of the car when it was moved from Ingram to Arden, and may have also been the designated operator when it was moved from Charleroi to Ingram.  
 
I knew that he missed his wife terribly, but was hoping that he would 'hang on' long enough so that I could try and bring him for one last trip to Pittsburgh and at least see WP 832 in the shops.  Unfortunately time ran out. 
 
PRC would often assign a supervisor on the PERC fantrips during late 50s and early 60s due to the special movements frequently scheduled, and more often then not, John was the supervisor.  He started with the railways around 1940, was later an instructor then moved into scheduling.  He ended up in the Early Action Program at PAT in the early 1970s, possibly with real estate acquisition.  
 
John provided my first operator training at PTM in spring of 1972, but then I took a job in central PA.  So much for things not working out as planned.  He retired from PAT in 1975.
 
He had some nephews and nieces.  There might be a memorial service in Portsmouth, Oh on Tuesday, but I haven't heard anything definite.  I've heard it said that memorial services tend to be for those left behind, so the attendees will mostly be those how knew John during his retirement years.  It would be a nine hour drive to provide some recollections of his Pittsburgh days. 
 
It is difficult to realize that he worked for transit in Pittsburgh for about 35 years, then spent another 33 years retired in south central Ohio.  As Ed mentioned yesterday, most PTM active members have been with the museum for less then 20 years, and never knew John.   
 
I have been blessed to have known a lot of good people during life's journey, none more so then John and his wife Gertrude.
 
John   
 
 
 
> From: fwschneider at comcast.net> Subject: [PRCo] John Baxter> Date: Sun, 4 May 2008 23:38:31 -0400> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org> > For those who are unaware ... one more of the original members of the > Pittsburgh Electric Railway Club and the Arden Electric Railway / > Pennsylvania Trolley Museum passed away on Saturday. John Baxter > was in ill health and had fallen age 98 Sadly, John Swindler, who > knew Baxter as sort of a surrogate father when the Swindler and > Baxter properties adjoined in Edgewood, had left Washington PA on > Saturday morning for Portsmouth, Ohio for one last visit with John > but arrived too late. John thinks that the death of his wife Trudy > last year had a lot to do with his failing health.> > We credit Baxter for getting John into this crazy hobby. There are > pictures around of John Swindler on West Penn Railways fantrips at > about age 5 because of the railfan next door.> > In addition to his involvement with the museum, Baxter, like !
 > myself, Phil Craig, Jack May, John Swindler, Harold Geissenheimer and > others who have passed on, was an editor of ERA Headlights magazine. > > 
_________________________________________________________________
Windows Live SkyDrive lets you share files with faraway friends.
http://www.windowslive.com/skydrive/overview.html?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_Refresh_skydrive_052008
_____________________________________________________________
Recharge and relax.  Click for great vacation ideas.
http://thirdpartyoffers.netzero.net/TGL2221/fc/Ioyw6i4uHYunR4Re1RdrVZmDs6UrrQbHYpLBNGdIBgSIEVHuKBwZRu/?count=1234567890