Keith Taylor

Keith Taylor served as the IBLS Secretary of the East-Coast Region from 1998 until 2002. He is a retired locomotive engineer from Maine.

History
To: Ken Shattock

From: Keith Taylor

Sent: Saturday, February 02, 2013 11:51 AM

My maternal grandfather worked for the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. He and I used to ride on his pass from his home in Stamford, Connecticut into New York City just so I could ride a train. I never suspected as a kid that when I was riding behind a NH EP-5 into NYC, that someday I would be running the train that delivered the last EP-5s to the scrap dealer, Naporano Iron and Metals.

I found the Eastern Live Steamers when I was five. My dad was supportive of my hobby and the best present I ever got was a six inch swing Atlas lathe and castings for a Friend's Models Tom Thumb when I was eight.

I ended up as an engineer on the Lehigh Valley Railroad and later with Conrail and Amtrak, where I was a Road Foreman of Engines.

I didn’t care for the management job and went back to being an engineer. About twenty two years ago I was totally disabled in an accident at work. I had a “disagreement” with an SD-50 locomotive, and I lost.

Now that I am retired, I needed to find ways to occupy my time. In addition to the live steam hobby I am also involved in restoring and installing at our home a 1919 Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ.

I still prefer the smaller scales in the steam hobby. And they have the advantage that my wife is able to load my little Maisie into our car by herself. It is a little tough for me to help with a cane in each hand.

I have attached a photo taken of me just weeks before my accident. Last August’s meet at the PVLS was the first time in over twenty years that I felt well enough to run one of my engines.

Thanks again!

Keith

To: Ken Shattock

From: Keith Taylor

Sent: Saturday, February 02, 2013 7:19 AM

Subject: IBLS Secretaries

Hi Ken

I took over from Bob Hornsby and during the time that I was East Coast Secretary Ken Rodig was the Mid-West Secretary and Paul Winslow from Winnipeg was the Canadian Secretary. Dick Thomas was the West Coast secretary during that time.

I got one of the first copies of the Charlie Purinton book and it is a treasure trove of live steam history.

It is especially meaningful for me as I knew several of the men in the book. In the book you will see several pictures of Herb and Joe Hild and their ¾" scale Coventry B&O President's Class Pacific. These men were mentors to me when I was just a kid with a love of live steam locomotives. They never cared that I was just a kid; they could tell that I had a real and genuine interest in live steam and machining. They took the time to teach me how to run a lathe and the safe operation of steam boilers. I have a photo that shows me running their engine at the Pioneer Valley Live Steamers 60th meet this past August. Their engine was begun in the late 1920's and finished in the 1930's. It is now owned by Robin G. of the PVLS. And it still is a top performer.

Keith