RIP John Pawson

[ExCon90]

I just learned on Friday that John Pawson, username delvyrails, passed away (I believe on January 31). His book Delaware Valley Rails remains an authoritative source of information on Philadelphia-area rail operations especially in the second half of the 20th century.

[Matthew Mitchell]

http://www.phillyburbs.com/obituaries/t ... 5fa2b.html

John was also DVARP president in the 80s.

[tgolanos]

I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Pawson twice in person. His wisdom and insight into the world of Philly-area transit will be missed.

[Clearfield]

John's book, "Delaware Valley Rails" published in 1979 remains a valuable desk reference despite all of the changes that have occurred since then.

[JeffK]

That is sad news. I met John once, on a traction fan trip. He will be greatly missed.

[Thomas K. McHugh]

The news of the death of John Pawson came as a shock to my wife and me. It is a sudden and tragic loss. We liked his quick mind and quiet voice of reason. We liked having conversations with John. We learned so much from him. He was a gentleman and the perfect example of gentle persuasion. We will all miss delvyrails.

[Pacobell73]

We are at an utter and total loss with John's passing. He was the standard by which many of us were compared. I met him several times and he always made simple sense without interjecting emotion. He was 73 and died at home. Unsure of his cause of death.

March 26, 1938 - February 2, 2012

John R. Pawson of Willow Grove, Pennsylvania died Thursday, February 2, 2012 at his residence. He was 73 years old. John was born March 26, 1938 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, son of the late William E. Pawson and the late Florence Kathryn Pawson (nee - Lutz).

John is survived by his brother William E. Pawson, Jr.

John was born and raised in Philadelphia. He graduated from Drexel University, served in the United States Army, and was part of the office staff at the Asplundh Tree Expert Company. He was an avid model railroader.

Relatives and friends were invited to his graveside service on Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 1:00 PM at Ivy Hill Cemetery, 1201 Easton Road, Philadelphia, PA 19150 www.ivyhillcemetery.org.
http://www.wetzelandson.com/fmi/xsl/bro ... find=-find

www.wetzelandson.com

[PARailWiz]

I'm sorry to hear this - I only recently obtained a copy of his book, and it would have saved a lot of time if I'd gotten it when I first became interested in local railroad history.

[MACTRAXX]

Everyone: I am finding out literally just now (Monday 2/20) of John Pawson's passing...

I had the opportunity to meet him also on occasions and I spoke to him on the phone many times...

He was a wealth of information on the railroads of the Delaware Valley (his book is a must-read for
those interested) and he will be missed...My condolences go out to his family...

MACTRAXX

[trhickey]

I am saddened by this news. John taught me much about constructive advocacy when I was starting out in this business and always generous in sharing what he knew. When I left SEPTA for Bi-State in St Louis, an envelope arrived at my door with copies of USGS maps of the region marked with key segments of abandoned railroad rights-of-way which he figured I should know about. His advice and industry will be missed.

T. R. Hickey
Malvern PA

[Wingnut]

I too will miss John. I considered him a friend and we've had many great train conversations. And he was an outstanding advocate for better train service in the Philadelphia area.

[iamapokemonlegend]

i wish i could have met mr. pawson in person. he talked to me a few times on here and his information was always insightful. he will be greatly missed

[Clearfield]

I pulled John's book off my shelf tonight to lookup the vintage of the 2 Silverliners I bought the number boards from. One was a II, and one was a III. I bought the book in 1980 and binding fell apart, but the book is still a wealth of information even today. RIP John.

[Owen Robatino]

Besides Delaware Valley Rails, John Pawson had a big role in another publication about Philadelphia area rail lines. The 1979 report Year 2000 Rail Transportation System for the Delaware Valley (Based on an Energy-Short Scenario) proposed vastly expanding rail passenger services in the region. It was a group effort by the Delaware Valley Association of Railroad Passengers (DVARP), of which John was chairman at the time. The report is posted on DVARP's website http://www.dvarp.org" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; under the link to Documents. It has an introductory letter signed by John, as well as maps and technical data like those for which he is known. Recent discussion of the report can be found in the RAILROAD.net forum What might have been...

[Clearfield]

I referred to DVR just last evening while writing a post for this board. I knew John, and for me, he's still alive as long as I have his book and its wisdom to draw on.