Ed Lowrance longtime Friends board of director and work session coordinator passed away Saturday night. Ed's first train ride on what later became the CATS was on the National Park train that was run in Nov of 1968 trying to get the National Park Service interested in the narrow gauge. As you know Terry Ross and the group got a thumbs down so they then directed their efforts of getting Colorado and New Mexico interested in buying the railroad which proved successful.
Ed took over work session leadership from Bob Tully and led each summer's efforts until health problems caused him to hand over the reigns to John Engs. Ed acted as the general contractor who oversaw the building of the Car Restoration Facility in Antonito and even did a lot of the grunt work himself, ( I have a photo somewhere of Ed on his knees tying the rebar that is used on the floor of the building). Ed scheduled and led many of the work sessions and made sure each team had the materials necessary for their projects for almost a decade.
Every time I look at our tank car fleet I am reminded that it was Ed who worked out the deal with the Montana Historical Society to have the Friends work at Alder Gulch for 6 weeks over three summers in exchange for 15 genuine UTLX trucks that now all sit under our tank car fleet at the CATS, so when you admire those cars sitting on their arch bar trucks, please whisper a silent thanks to Ed for not only putting that deal together, but he and wife Valley spent 6 weeks in Alder Gulch leading the 6 Friends work sessions for them.
God speed Ed, we are going to miss you, and THANK YOU for your service to the Friends. You and Valley have been such great supporters and friends to Joanie and I and we won't forget you.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/06/2017 04:12PM by John Cole.
