In Memoriam - Pete Schmidt

We've just received the sad news that longtime IRM volunteer and member Pete Schmidt has died following a period of illness. Pete had lived for quite some time in Baltimore, but during the 1960s and 1970s he was a fixture at IRM, especially in the Track Department. He's the person for whom Schmidt Siding is named. He was also a longtime volunteer at the Baltimore Streetcar Museum and, in more recent years, at the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore. He acted in various roles at IRM over the years, including for a time as editor of Rail & Wire, and recently he was known for publishing impressively detailed track maps of a number of different railway museums, including - of course - IRM. He also contributed the Schmidt Photo Collection of pictures taken by his father, William Schmidt, to this blog. Pete was always a friendly presence and his wisdom, experience, and support of IRM and of railway preservation in general will be sorely missed.

Thanks to John Engleman for the information regarding Pete's death.