Dave Decker
David Decker passed away on 29 March 2011 in Dayton, Ohio at the age of 68. He grew up in Massachusetts and worked for the Boston and Maine railroad as a towerman. He retired several years ago as a machine designer.
David was an avid photographer and rail fan. Prior to moving to Ohio in 1985 he owned Adventures in Sound and produced and sold audio recordings featuring steam locomotives.
David was an active model railroader. He was a life member of the National Model railroad Association (NMRA). He was also a life member of several NMRA Regions. He had served as Division 3 Mid Central Region Train Show Chairman for several years. He also helped organize the George Mueller Memorial Model Train exhibits in 1998 and 1999.
David was the creator and prime builder of the Dalmatian Switching District and liked to be called the "Dog Father". The "Dog", as it was sometimes called, is a large portable layout that has many unique features and is one of a kind. It was shown at many train shows from 1992 to 2008. The Dalmatian also hosted the switching contest at the 1995 and 2005 NMRA National Conventions and the 1995, 1996 and 2002 Mid Central Region Conventions. The Dog is currently undergoing renovation and is located in the warehouse area of EnterTrainment Junction in West Chester, Ohio.
David pioneered several scenery techniques and gave demonstrations at shows and hobby shops. He was particularly well known for his tree building techniques having created several instructional books covering his methods. He was a past member of the Whitewater Valley Railroad. He was on the operating crew of several model railroads.
He is survived by his wife, Susan, daughter, Rusti, son, David Jr. and a sister. There will be a memorial service sometime later this year and a tribute to Dave and the Dog will be presented at a future Division 3 meeting.
Review a video
We are looking for volunteers to submit written reviews of the videos in the Division Library. No special qualifications are needed. Just check out a video, watch it, give us your written opinion - good, bad or indifferent - and you're an author! We'll publish the reviews in the Call Board as they're submitted, and eventually post them in the on-line database of the library that is being developed! Contact
Jim Montgomery, J Hedge, Norm Courtney or any BOG member for more information.
Need Container Models Fast and Free?
There is an extensive collection of "print and fold" containers in several scales available for download HERE! These are in full color and are in .pdf format. We have heard from other modelers who have had good results on paper, card stock, and even styrene sheet if your printer can handle it. The site is in German, but that doesn't hinder its usefulness!
Flying Shay!
Lima Stone Shay #10 went airborne on Monday, December 14, while being transferred from its temporary display housing to its new home in the Allen County Historical Society museum. There is an interesting series of photos HERE The main site for Scott Trostel's Lima Locomotive Works page is HERE.
V&O Gondolas!
The V&O 41' Gondolas are, unfortunately, sold out. We wish to thank all of our customers and also the folks whose work made the production of this fine model possible. Special thanks to Al McClelland for his permission to use his roadname and logo on this authorized model. This finely detailed Accurail car represented the first ever V&O gondola. Keep checking back to this website for our next project.
