RIP, Ernie Labovich, a Model Railroad Friend

My two cars from Ernie's old layout, the Cherry
Point & Western. 

My friend Ernie Labovich passed away December 1, 2011. In addition to being a skilled jazz musician, he was a model railroader. His layout, called the Cherry Point & Western. was named after the song Cherry Point by Neil Hefti--one of his favorites.

Ernie's layout, built in the 1960s and 70s, was a product of its time. It had low benchwork, tight curves, duckunders, lots of track filling small spaces. But as a newcomer to the hobby, it impressed the heck out of me; I always enjoyed visiting his layout.

Among other things, it featured a bandstand in a park; Ernie had rigged up a tape recorder (remember those?) to play jazz songs. He always liked showing it off.

Ernie.

As Ernie's health declined, he could no longer get downstairs, much less navigate the duckunders. When he and his partner moved to an apartment, the layout came down. He gifted me with two cars--both completely out of my era, but which I still cherish.

I made a short slide show of the CP Rail M & M Sub. in Ernie's honour, using a song from his CD "A Taste of New Orleans." You can watch it here.