Former NY Subway motorman / modeler EDWARD DAVIS Sr. , passed away

All City Subway Models & Elevated Lines
Joseph Frank1
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Former NY Subway motorman / modeler EDWARD DAVIS Sr. , passed away

Postby Joseph Frank1 » Tue Nov 10, 2020 12:18 am

Hello all ---

I have sad news -- I received a phone call earlier tonight from a long term mutual friend of myself and ED DAVIS, Sr., that Ed Davis Sr., passed away on September 5th this (2020) year, at age 77, of cancer. I spoke to Ed last on a hot day in August this year -- I suspected nothing but Ed sounded sort of tired.

I met ED back in the early 1960's at Ma Webster basement Hobby Shop on W. 45th Street (Model RR Equipment Co. store I think) - Manhattan NY where Ed worked as a counter clerk. Always with his trademark pipe. We became friends after he joined the TA and later became a Conductor and finally a Motorman. I rode with Ed who was Motorman on BMT Standards on the Canarsie Line, BMT Q-Type Wooden EL Cars (then the LAST wooden El cars in operation in the USA) on the BMT Myrtle El in the later 1960's, and other consists - on my photo taking joyrides.

I moved to Pennsylvania end of 1969 and lost track of ED until we re-connected in the 1980's by phone and mail -- and more so thru the very early - and now long gone - Model Sub Talk forum and the SUB TALK forum (hosted by nycsubway.org then and long gone now) and its replacement, Sub Chat -- Ed then living in Montana since 1977 and working as a locomotive engineer on Burlington RR freight trains. Ed wrote / authored the book THEY MOVED THE MILLIONS -- a history of NYC Transit and its rolling stock.

Ed was a regular (forums handle was "bigedirtman") on old Sub Talk Board and present Sub Chat -- but Ed has not posted at Sub Chat over the past few years. He was a regular poster on my own NYC Transit Modelers Group Forum up until his death.

Anyway, here BELOW is Ed's Obituary link - and for me, another in a series of my long term lifetime pals has passed on -- too many happening in the past few years; Joe Saitta, Doug Diamond, Vince Seyfried, -- too many more names to go on .

Ed modeled NYC Subway and EL trains and trolleys in S GAUGE and hand built ALL of his rolling stock - yes, I have photos of much of it. My condolences to his current wife and grown children in Boise, Idaho -Regards - Joe F

[ EDWARD DAVIS SR., OBITUARY]
https://mtstandard.com/news/local/obituaries/edward-davis-sr-77/article_480e1c75-6982-5d70-a204-05aa84447a86.html
Last edited by Joseph Frank1 on Sun Jan 03, 2021 4:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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healey36
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Joined: Fri Sep 03, 2010 3:43 pm
Location: Westminster, MD

Re: Former NY Subway motorman / modeler EDWARD DAVIS Sr. , passed away

Postby healey36 » Wed Nov 11, 2020 11:14 am

Sorry to hear of his passing. As with most of these guys, a lot of the unwritten history likely goes with them, which is really unfortunate.

This has been a bloody awful year. It's beginning to feel like sand slipping through one's fingers.

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healey36
Posts: 6352
Joined: Fri Sep 03, 2010 3:43 pm
Location: Westminster, MD

Re: Former NY Subway motorman / modeler EDWARD DAVIS Sr. , passed away

Postby healey36 » Fri Nov 13, 2020 6:39 am

Joe - Saw the pics of Ed’s work you posted over on OGR...he certainly was an extraordinary modeler. Choosing S-scale to model subway and interurban operations is something to see.

Healey


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