Steam & Excursion > Very Sad News For The Steam Fraternity- We Lost Jim Gertz.

It is with a heavy heart this morning that I learned that we lost my old friend and a true icon in the steam community just a few hours ago with the passing of Jim Gertz in Port Angeles, Washington.  Jim was just recently put in the hospital with what we believed were non-life threatening ailments, but they turned out to be worse than we suspected.

Jim is best known by many for having single handily saved the very last Willamette Locomotive ever built and for authoring the definitive book on the Willamette Locomotive with his long-time friend Steve Hauff.  However Jim was even more than that to the steam community.

Jim loved all things steam and all things logging.  His knowledge of the subject was second to no one.  Jim never ceased to surprise me.  Just this past June our crews at the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad arrived at Jim's place to load out the former Rayonier crew speeder that Jim had saved from Rayonier's Hoko Camp decades earlier.  While there, Jim and I were in his shop looking for more parts to the crew car when I came upon a couple rectangular plates in the bottom of a cabinet.  When I pulled them out they turned out to be the back-head plates of UP Big Boys #4004 and #4024.  I asked Jim, where on earth did you get these and he replied, "Oh, Heck, back in 1963 I drove to Cheyenne, Wyoming and went into the roundhouse and told the master mechanic that I wanted something off a Big Boy.  This is what I got".  That is just how serious Jim was about his love for steam.

I took the first photo during one of my steam charters at Mount Rainier Scenic RR back in 2012.  I had invited Jim and Steve up to the event.  I caught them both in the cab of Jim's beloved Willamette #2 as we passed them in the yard.

The second photo shows Jim posing with #2 along with Tom Murray and myself on that same day.  Tom was always appreciative of Jim's generous donation of #2 to MRSR so she could finally be returned to operation as Jim had always intended.

The last photo was taken by me on my last visit to Jim's place this past June.  We see Jim overseeing the loading of the big Rayonier crew car.  While Jim was sad to see her leave, he remarked that he saved her so she could go on and be restored to operation one day and he was glad we would see to that.

There is so much more that I will miss about my old friend Jim Gertz.  God's speed Jim.

Martin



Edited 7 time(s). Last edit at 11/26/15 03:59 by LoggerHogger.

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For those of us that didn't know Jim, which individual is Jim?

Victor A. Baird
http://www.erstwhilepublications.com

Jim is the short man in the blue coat and blue cap with the cane in the second photo.

Martin



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/26/15 06:16 by LoggerHogger.

Thanks Martin.

Victor

Oh what sad news this Thanksgiving morning. I met Jim on several occasions while working on the restoration of (his) Willamette #2 up at MRSR. He was a true inspiration to us all! His knowledge of all things steam and logging are certainly going to be missed by those of us who were fortunate enough to have known him. He had a good sense of humor and could always bring a smile to your face while listening to his stories! God Bless You, my friend.,.......Pat

Another from MRSR 2012.  Jim will be missed.  Sorry to hear the news.

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Jim,

Thanks for this great photo of all of us.

Martin

Great pics and it's sad to hear about Jim's passing!

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I never got to meet him, but did ride the speeders at Hoko camp, I think there were 2 of them. Rode both while working on the track crew
at Hoko in summer of 1966 and 1967, earning college money.