Eastern Railroad Discussion > The Passing of a great Tower Operator, Edward Durnwald, Fostoria,

Eddie passed today after a short illness.  He work towers in Michigan Ohio all over the NW system.  
He shared his photos here on TO  ,,thoroughbred Ed,,and his movies from the 70's NW were done by Clear Block production.
He always welcome fans where ever he worked. 
no word on services yet, in Fostoria,
remember him when trackside, He was a good man
The Iron Triangle will always be his home ..
 

Ed was a fellow NS and N&W employee. A serious and dedicated railroader. I am saddened by his passing... Duane



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/30/21 19:37 by NKP-875.

That's sad news, I enjoyed seeing his posts and his photos... Rest in peace...

I am so sad to hear this.  He was a terrific photographer for both still and 8mm movies.  A terrific story teller and historian.  You will be missed Mr. Durnwald!

Erik Landrum
Cincinnati, Ohio

It's tough getting older and seeing so many others pass away and you start thinking you're getting closer to the end as well.
With men of a certain age such as this gentleman, a lot of good railroad men that worked in the days pre-automation are passing. Aka: the good old days. These are the men many of us admired and looked up to as we were growing up and and had a lot to do with us younger folks becoming interested in railroading - either as a profession or a hobby.
While I didn't know Ed, I know I read his posts here in TO and certainly am sorry to hear of his passing.

Posted from Android

I first met Eddie shortly after his retirement, and we ran into each other several times after, always in the parking lot across the tracks from the B&O depot. He was a pleasure to talk to, a great source of knowledge, and always had a smile on his face. I'm currently on loan to the state of South Dakota due to my own little railroad career, and so hadn't seen Eddie since 2013. But this news hits close to home. Thank you for sharing this.

I met Eddie yeas ago trackside in Fostoria as I was getting to other locations. Awesome man to talk to, wealth of knowledge about the area, and a huge help to this young railfan.

Clear signals ahead Eddie. Pic is tribute to Eddie.

Michael Fair
Royal Oak, MI

---

Sorry to hear. I met Ed in the '90's, and he was very helpful to me in getting hired by NS. A very generous guy. I was lucky to be able to purchase many of his slides when he wanted to sell them off. Rest in peace.

Edit. Here are some locations that he worked: Fremont OH; Blair Yard, Fostoria OH; RU, Lorain OH; Conneaut OH; Norfolk VA; Milan MI; Maple Grove OH. He may have worked at NE, New Haven IN. 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/01/21 18:29 by halfmoonharold.

Sad news indeed. I have watched some of Eddie's movies, and seen some of his still images, both here on TO and elsewhere. Neat stuff, and with a railroader's eye for things. And I am pretty sure that I met him once at Fostoria some years ago. If it was he, as I'm guessing, he was a font of knowledge and some great stories. We chatted off and on for about two hours while watching the action and taking some pictures. Sincere condolences to family and friends.

MC

halfmoonharold Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sorry to hear. I met Ed in the '90's, and he was
> very helpful to me in getting hired by NS. A very
> generous guy. I was lucky to be able to purchase
> many of his slides when he wanted to sell them
> off. Rest in peace.
>
> Edit. Here are some locations that he worked:
> Fremont OH; Blair Yard, Fostoria OH; RU, Lorain
> OH; Conneaut OH; Norfolk VA; Milan MI; Maple Grove
> OH. He may have worked at NE, New Haven IN. 

Yes, very sad to hear about him passing. Here is a thread in which he went into detail about where he worked:

NS - CSX - Hampton Roads - America's biggest coal exporting port. (trainorders.com)

I read about Eds passing on Facebook from longtime friend Dale DeVene. Myself and Allan Hunt met Ed at Fostoria back in the fall of 1991. Good guy and very knowledgeable on N&W and NS power and operations. 

RIP Ed. 

MILW86A 

A Tribute to Thoroughbred Ed - N&W in Ohio, 1970's (trainorders.com)