Paul DeKeyser

[DJM Dave]

It is with great regret and sadness that i have to announce the passing of Mr Paul DeKeyser at the age of 86 at home in Leicestershire.

 

Paul was a model maker through and through, but also an avid photographer of trains especially in the 60's cataloguing many a now closed branch line, of his favourite the Great Central.

 

Paul was trained as an engineer, and recounted often working at Radlett on his own design (as apparently the original design wasn't too clever) of fuel system for the Victor tankers. Indeed, he remembered his work bench backing onto the flying bedstead.

His move to Hucknall gave him great stories to tell about flying in the jet powered lanc, or flying on 1 engine in the same aircraft etc.

 

Later, he was also in charge of a department of Balfour Beattie when tinsley yard was built and had lots of pictures of his engineering and track laying gangs setting about re-laying the ECML in varous places

 

He put his engineering to model railway use by designing and making a 2mm live steam locomotive that worked for 30 seconds at a time, before needing more water etc.

 

His passion was live steam, and N gauge, and more the latter in the last 30 years that i knew him. His collection grew almost every day seemingly, and he soon went onto have a large collection of American Model Railway items too.

 

We went on holiday a few times, railfanning in places such as Ohio, California, and Florida as well as UK destinations aplenty

 

In later life ill health prevented him from travelling on a plane, and so stayed at home venturing out on his Bromton Cycle along old track beds he remembered travelling on when they were open.

 

As the years passed, illness spread and new ones came along to give him grief which limited his movement, and ability to do things on the fly.

He died peacefully in his sleep last week at home.

 

Funeral in Countesthorpe, Leicestershire on Friday the 10th November

 

A good friend, a good laugh, a real story teller, and i wish, like most good things in life, i'd have had more time with him.

Goodbye old mate, rest easy.

Dave