Farewell to Fellow Contributor and Friend, Jtgshu

I've struggled with the decision to return to this board in order to comment on this, but decided that since this was indeed how John and myself first became acquainted it only seemed right. John was a good employee, a great friend, and an even better person. I won't regale you with stories other than to say that when I first sought out his advise it was for a project I was working on for NJT. Not for a second did he ever let the notion of me being from "management" ever get in the way of how we conducted ourselves. I valued his friendship and wisdom and learned much from him over the years that we knew each other.

Nick - I believe that you were right to take down the posts regarding John's arrangements. I know his viewing will be well attended because that was the type of person he was; I don't know of a single person who has ever had a bad thing to say about him. But this is not the venue for people from this board who might have exchanged some messages with him to show up. I know that you all have the best intentions; but if you've never met the man, why would you want the first time you see him to be after he's passed away?

Beanbag (and others) - Please stop with this ridiculousness of putting placards on engines you think he might have operated out of last. As Sully very rightfully pointed out; NJT has lost, and will continue to lose, well liked and respected employees. I understand that John's passing seems prominent to you all because of his contributions to this board, but it would be unfair for the memories of all those other employees to do so.

The true testament to John's personality will be to see how many trains are annulled during his viewing due to employees marking off to pay their respects. I for one hope that tens of thousands of people's commutes are affected. Take solace in the fact that if your train gets annulled or your express gets made a local, it's probably due to a lack of available manpower because all John's coworkers are seeing their brother one last time.

R.I.P. John

-Cruiser939

Cruiser, nice to see you around again, as Ive said already, I understand that with Johns passing, I failed to see the big picture with the whole of NJT, and I take back my support of the idea. Your last paragraph was very touching.. my prayers are with John, his friends, his family and his coworkers in this difficult time, and I hope you are doing okay in light of this tragedy.

Well said cruiser, thanks for sharing your thoughts. I'll certainly keep John, his family and friends in my prayers.

srock1028 wrote:

beanbag wrote:Seeems fitting to use them both then as tribute engines. 4014 gave him his last ride in revenue service and 4002 gave him his last push down the rails in general. I will definitely be on the lookout for both PL42s in the future.

See the only thing here is it was either one OR the other. 4014 to High Bridge, 7055 back to Raritan. Or if things were out of wack, 4002 to High Bridge, 7038 back to Raritan.
I'm not 100% sure which one it was.

I can confirm that the 4002 is with the 7038.

I always knew JT's posts (and his popcorn) were ones to read and appreciate

Reminds me of what a good dude he was, and how even-keeled he was. The "popcorn" comments were a great way to ease the tension when two people were needlessly arguing about trivial stuff.

trainzrok wrote:
I can confirm that the 4002 is with the 7038.

Does it really matter what engine it was? Do any of you even bother to say a prayer or remember our brother killed on 4219 (ex-4148) when you see it? My guess is probably not. Stop the obsession over what engine it was or wasn't he last operated and just remember the guy properly.

Do good for your fellow man, and you'll honor his name.

I'm so sorry to hear this very sad news. I never met Jtgshu, but we chatted occasionally here at RAILROAD.NET and I always found his posts interesting and constructive.

It is clear from the number of posts in this thread that he was a good man and very well-liked by his friends and peers.

I extend my heartfelt sympathy and condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew him.

A buddy of mine who works for NJT was just telling me the other day of a coworker he lost, who was age 34. He mentioned his name, and middle initial for whatever reason. It wasn`t until later on that night that 2+2=4 in my head... JTG....and I felt sick to my stomach.
Like many others here, I had several chats with him online, and he seemed to be as genuine of a person as they come. I always enjoyed reading his posts, as they were always informative, unbiased, and based on his real-life experiences with the railroad.....Having lost a coworker myself in a tragic accident this year, my thoughts go out to all of his NJT coworkers and friends, and family.
To all NJT employees that post here, thank you for the job you do. While you probably cringe just like everyone when the alarm clock goes off, your job keeps this state moving, and its much appreciated. Just wish I had the chance to tell "Jtgshu" that. Take care everyone.

I only just came across this news. I feel stunned. I joined into rr.net back in 2005 and JT was a core member then. I always had an interest in railroads, but never knew anything about their operations. JT was a fountain of knowledge as I would read his posts. I even had the good fortune to have 1 or 2 side conversations thru PM with him. I appreciated his expertise and passion for his profession as well as his love of local railroad history. The skies are grey and dreary today. I didn't know JT personally, but I know I will truly miss him.

this fella's gonna be missed. it was rare that someone could be equally civil and patient with professionals as much as foamers on these boards. always quick with a reply and always something intelligent (or funny) to say. never met the man, but i'll miss his insights. deepest condolences to family and friends from here in ineptaland.

-joe

Just seeing this now. This is a tragedy, not just because we've lost a man not yet 35, but from in all my years of experience here on RR.net, I knew he was a good man. He always managed to dance the difficult line of clearly knowing his craft but not making those of us who weren't quite as experienced feel talked down to or inadequate. RIP man.

Hello all,

I must say, I too was stunned to hear about the John's passing tonight. It is never easy to deal with someone's passing. I can only imagine what his family and close friends are going through right now. While I only had a small handful of communications with John over the years, I can certainly agree that he was always willing to share his knowledge and love of railroading with others. My condolences to his family and friends.

Over 25 years ago, and friend and fellow railroader once handed me a piece of sheet music and said, "Kid, if you're going to make railroading a career, you'll need to learn this song." As I glanced over the music, I was slightly bewildered by what I was reading. As a youngster, the words of the song did not seem to resonate with me at the time. But as the years passed, and I had to attend the funerals of fellow railroaders, it began to take on more and more meaning. Today, it resonates in many different ways with me. Indeed, it really is the railroader's hymn.....

So, with that, I will simply provide the following link for those who are mourning the loss of John. While it is only two of the song's four verses, it captures the an important slice of the essence of a railroader's life. Indeed, a story about Life's Railway to Heaven ......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aic0WaD2gqQ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Rest in Peace John.....

I think we've had a lot of people here trying to understand how this could happen at a young age, and a lot of us have tried to understand how we can pay tribute to such a good guy. Ideas like naming a locomotive or piece of property have been floated, amongst others.

I think the best way to pay tribute to JT is this - embody the values that he held dear, the values that made him such a good guy.

1. Love what you do
2. Spread the love
3. Have patience with your fellow man
4. Try to keep things in perspective
5. Have a sense of humor - laugh at other stuff, laugh at yourself.

Guys, this is the kind of stuff that would totally make JT smile if he was watching over the train buffs of the internet. If you want to honor the guy, and I think we all agree he's worth it every bit, try to remember the above five things.

I've read and heard people say the internet is very "impersonal"... I have to disagree. I've never met JT - and I've been on these boards since 2004 (generally a quiet reader with a few posts) ... I was so very sad to read here yesterday that he'd died. I, like many/most/all of you, stared at the screen and thought "that CANNOT possibly be true"... that can't have happened. I had to log off and just walk away from it for a while.

So this poor young guy who I've never met and probably never would have, is gone -- and I only know him from the posts and a few private messages over the years - and I was really saddened and affected. And it's obvious that all of you were as well...and that speaks well to JT - but also to the quality of people in this forum and that the internet is more personal than we sometimes give it credit for being. It sounds like he was a wonderful man in real life... all I can say is I send prayers, thoughts and sympathies to his family, friends and colleagues. God bless him. 35 is MUCH too young... Never take a single day for granted... not ever.
BigDell