Gone too soon. Here's a photo I took on June 27, 1992 of William A. Farmer. This was on a High Iron Travel "Explorers" special train that ran in Minnesota, North Dakota, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, Idaho and Washington. Bill accompanied almost all of Clark Johnson's Explorers trips, as he was extremely knowledgeable in so many areas: mechanical intricacies and repairs on private cars, railroad radios, computers, cameras, railroad operations . . . you name it, he was a master of it. This photo was taken somewhere in Saskatchewan and you can see a wooden grain elevator, out of focus, in the distance. A young-looking Jim Fetchero is standing behind Bill. Coordinated with the late Ed Von Nordeck, Bill published two editions of "Train Times in Mexico" in the 1990s, an invaluable book for any serious train rider in that country. It was like an "Official Guide", containing information that he gathered from employee timetables.

Sadly, Bill died of cancer in February 2006 at the young age of sixty-one. He had a great personality, a good sense of humor and a sharp wit. I miss him to this day. His final resting place is Train Mountain in Chiloquin, OR.

Rest in peace, Bill.