Robin, thank you and goodbye

I hang out at several train-related sites online. The Gauge is one of my favorites, partly because I learn so much there.

One of its great teachers, who was known both by his handle, Matthyro, and his first name, Robin, died today. In some ways he was the heart and soul of The Gauge–not many have their own entire section named after them.

You owe it to yourself to take a look at what Robin could build. What you’ll see isn’t the work of a hobbyist. It’s the work of a true artist.Unfortunately not many build like Robin anymore. Robin’s main material was, of all things, cardboard from cereal boxes. Sometimes he’d add corrugated cardboard, and wood was almost a last resort.

In an era when most people buy their structures for their layouts already assembled, and people can wow a crowd by dripping thinned gray paint into the lines that are supposed to represent mortar and drybrush a little grime on it, Robin stood out.

And he wasn’t the least bit shy about sharing his methods. He patiently took pictures of each step of most of his projects, posting them online and explaining just about everything he did–the master teaching his captivated students.

I learned a ton from reading his posts on the forum the last 18 months or so. I know I’m not the only one who will miss him.

I count myself fortunate to have been able to follow some of the last of his projects while they were still in progress.

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