RIP Bob Barlow
?
Bob had been a friend for more than thirty
years.....a fine modeller of both SG and NG railways and an even better editor
of model railway magazines. ?
Model Railway Journal would have been good (think
back to what else was around in the early 1980s) but, giving due respect to founding
co-editor Gerry Beale and publisher Paul Karau, it would have been nowhere near
as influential, innovative and thought provoking, even crusading at times,
without Bob's hand on the red pen and his mind behind the green eyeshade. ?When he retired many readers thought it was
the end of the world but, fortunately, he and publisher Paul Karau had created
such a strong ethos that, a few minor hiccups apart, MRJ has continued to
thrive and follow the principles that Bob established. ?
NGIRM had all the same attributes but with?a much
tighter focus; Bob's assumption of the roles of editor and publisher was the
best news that devotees of the Review could have had but now he has been taken,
much too soon, from his family and friends.
We shall mourn the loss of our friend at Cambridge
on Tuesday but, I hope, we shall also celebrate the life of a man who, though
his enthusiasm and skillful communication, had a profound influence on so many
people and helped to shape the development of the finer end of the model
railway hobby.
Adrian
