The Seacoast Division NMRA lost a remarkable member and true railroad man on May 25. J. Emmons Lancaster, Jr., first joined the NMRA in January, 1948. His sizable home layout, called the New England Midland, located first in the basement of his Falmouth, ME, home and later on the second floor of his barn at his Gray, ME, residence, was often visited by several regular operators on Sunday nights. Emmons not only liked building and operating a layout, he liked collecting model railroad rolling stock. He rarely saw a freight car kit that he didn’t like, whether or not it fit in with the theme of his layout. He also participated in many New England train shows with his small side-business called Pine Tree Hobbies, offering a source of model train materials to other modelers.

Emmons not only modeled trains, he had a lifelong career working for railroads. Even before he had graduated from Clark Preparatory School in Hanover, NH, he worked two years during summer vacation for the Edaville Railroad as a “passenger trainman.” During his college years, he worked as a chain-man (member of a survey crew) for the New Haven Railroad and Maine Central Railroad. He earned a degree in civil engineering from the University of New Hampshire in 1955 and started full-time work for the Maine Central Railroad, initially on survey projects and soon thereafter as engineer of bridges and buildings. By the end of his 30 years at MEC, he had progressed to the roles of Assistant Engineer of Structures and Assistant Clearance Engineer. After 1984, he performed similar services for, in sequence, the Boston & Maine Railroad, Guilford Transportation Industries, and the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad (Chief Engineer 1989-1992). He also worked as a consulting engineer on civil and structural projects for various railroads until 2010. He belonged to many professional railroad associations and attended many professional education programs for railroad engineers.

His passion for all things railroading filled his non-work time, too. Emmons journeyed all over Maine and New England taking photos of railroad scenes, rolling stock and structures. With many other volunteers, he helped “produce” lengthy excursion trains in Maine and New Hampshire. He and his railroad buddies would also ride or “chase” steam powered excursion trains throughout New England and Canada. During his working years, he would devote some of his vacation time to week-long adventures seeking out short lines and steam locomotives, traveling as far west as Texas and as far north as Labrador. Recently, he donated his railroad images that he had acquired on such excursions and trips, plus his 250-book railroad library, to The 470 Rail-road Club’s archives so that others may benefit from his collections in the future. He held many offices in this club and he was often referred to as the “Elder Statesman of the Club.”

Emmons also volunteered many hours to other organizations that kept alive the history and heritage of railroading. He served as national president of The Railroad Enthusiasts, Inc. He was a consulting engineer for the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad and Museum in Portland, ME. He significantly aided the startup of the Conway Scenic Railroad, a tourist and heritage railroad in North Conway, NH, laying out rail yards and buildings. As his dear friend Dwight Smith said, “Conway Scenic Railroad would not be the success that it is today without Emmons’ help in the formative years. He was insurmountable. When a problem arose for CSRR, Emmons found a solution.” CSRR owner Russ Seybold added, “I personally will cherish the times Emmons and I spent together either walking the line or planning the rebuild of a bridge or culvert after some natural disaster had struck. His knowledge was invaluable to our success.” CSRR Operations Manager Paul Hallett deeply respected Emmons. “I learned a lot from Emmons while I was volunteering at the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad in Portland and I can honestly say that I don’t think that I would be the Operations Manager at CSRR without Emmons.” Emmons’ CSRR work also benefitted another preservation group. Sam Bartlett wrote, “I enjoyed working with Emmons on the CSRR. He taught me a lot about track work that I still use at the Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum.”

Emmons had a wonderful impact on all of the organizations that he touched, the NMRA, commercial and heritage railroads, and many other railroad-related organizations, as well as on individuals who shared his love for railroading. Emmons’ three children, Walter Lancaster, Nancy Martin, and Barbara Lancaster, have organized a memorial service to be held at the Falmouth, ME, Congregational Church at 10 a.m. on July 11. In lieu of flowers, they suggest consideration of donations to any of the following: Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad and Museum, North Conway Model Railroad Club, or The Seashore Trolley Museum.