Here is a picture of Tim standing on Bertsdorf Platform. Many thanks to Karl-Heinz and Anita Stange
I think its pretty cool picture, and if Bertsdorf gets completed, it will be a detail that goes on the platform.
*** (Below is John's tribute to Tim read by John at Tim's Funeral last week) *** (Cookee)Hello, my name is John and I have known Tim for over thirty years through what some would say was our obsession with but I like to refer to as my hobby of model railways with Marklin Model trains.
Tim was a great supporter of the Wellington Marklin Model Railway club, and was the clubs honorary auditor for over 30 years. He was influential in the clubs decision to obtain it's first club rooms in Silverstream. His wise counsel and steady approach will be sadly missed by the club
While in Khandallah he embarked on his first great model railway project, The HO empire of the Back Forest. He devoted much time and effort into research for this layout. This research was not without some issues. Freiburg station was destroyed during World War 2 and of course Tim wanted to model it as it was in the 1930’s Finally, he found some photos and was able to build it, with of course the working clock tower.
Once a month a group of modelers would arrive on a Sunday afternoon to operate the layout. Margaret as ever would put on an amazing afternoon tea.
It was also at this time when he began one of his great collections, that of Marklin items from the 1952 Marklin catalogue, the year he was born. It never ceased to amaze me how he could find some of the items that he did. Locomotives and wagons are relatively easy, but unused packets of wire, now that is dedication and showed just how important this project was to him. I doubt anyone else could have completed such a unique collection. Once that collection was done he moved onto the Faller building and prieser figures from 1952, again not easy items to find, but he did.
Tim was a founding member of the gauge one special interest group in Wellington, who collectively own and operate the exhibition layout Istein.
At the initial planning of the layout, Tim decided that he would build a station for the layout. On a trip to the black forest, Tim would say it was a holiday, Margaret knew it was a research expedition, The family were driving around and as dusk was falling Caroline spotted Istein, a station on a curve, which became the foundation of the exhibition layout. In the time available Tim was taking measurements, pictures and quick drawings so he could model it when he got home. He would have spent longer there but ran out of light.
His last grand model railway projected started in earnest when he moved to Oriental Parade. I will note that prior to the move he had built a scale model of the layout, and there are a couple of unique parts of the basement that allow the trains to pass through the concrete wall. No doubt some of you here may have been down to the basement in Oriental Parade where the Zittau Project as it has become known as resides, a large scale empire encompassing a number of scenes as Tim referred to them of the area around saxony. To give context to this the Zittau station building covers almost 3 quare meters of space
Many people helped over the last 8 years with the layout. Peter L who cannot make it here today, Peter C and Jan were instrumental in it's early phases. My friend Douglas became an important contributor with his laser cutter producing all manner of items, the biggest being the platform canopy’s for Zittau station some 10 meters long. Tim if nothing else was doing it on a grand scale
In the last five months a small team of Douglas, Jason, Mark, Michael, Nikoli and myself have all contributed to get the layout to where Tim was able to see some progress in his last days, and I also must mention Steve who has put considerable time into the HO and Z layouts at the back of the garage.
While the dream was not completed, it had started to take substantial shape.
My lasting memory of Tim is a simple one that summed up the man in my opinion. On his last visit to the layout the Fairhall family were all in the train room. They were having chocolate cake to celebrate James’s birthday. His much loved granddaughter was running one of his narrow gauge trains back and forth along the line. And you could tell just how much pleasure Tim got from that. Margaret then got given the controller and for the first time ever, ran one of Tims trains, It had only taken over 40 years but Tim got to see her not only running a train but having a great deal of fun doing it.
To Margaret, James, Caroline and your families, your father was a well respected modeller, and a true gentleman. It was my privilege and others within the model train community to call him our friend. He will be sadly missed.
