John Sneyd RIP.

[andytrains]

I have been informed that John Sneyd, a prominent member of the EM Gauge Society, has passed away.

He was also a member of the East Ham and District Model Railway Club. 

I have no further details at present.

 

Andy Neil.

Edited January 18, 2020 by andytrains

[t-b-g]

Very sad news.

 

I knew John for many years. He was, shall I say, one of the great characters in the hobby.

 

Not always easy to get along with, he took being grumpy to new heights but I always enjoyed seeing him and exchanging a few very friendly insults.  I would say "How are you John?" and he would reply "Big, ugly and old but still better than you!" which always ended in a big smile and  him pinching some of my wine gums!

 

I recall going to the pub after an EXPO EM show one year and him downing around 10 pints, one straight after the other as fast as the barman could pull them. As the last empty went back on the bar, he announced "I can start drinking now" and had another 10 or so at a more sedate pace. He could still walk in a straight line, when I would have been  comatose.

 

Later in life, I think his lifestyle caught up with him and he hadn't been a well man for some time.

 

I have much to thank him for, especially when he issued our group with what amounted to a standing invitation to EXPO EM. As we would leave one year, it was always "See you next year, what would you like to bring?"

 

His public address announcement when the show reached closing time were magnificent. "We have had your money now b****r off" would echo round the hall!

 

Happy memories.

 

RIP John.

[beast66606]

A larger than life character - RIP John.

Edited January 19, 2020 by beast66606
spelling

[pete55]

t-b-g sums up John very well, not much I can add to that.

A larger than life character certainly, and one that will be missed.

 

RIP John.

 

Pete Hill

Edited January 18, 2020 by pete55

[Izzy]

Sorry to hear this. Sadly our paths hadn't crossed in recent times, but I have nothing but good memories of John.

 

RIP

 

Izzy

[5050]

Oh dear, more sad news and another great character of the hobby taken from us.  He regularly came up for the Wakefield show and may even have been a 'Country Member' of the club at one time.  We used to meet at Expo EM events and some of the larger shows and it was always an 'experience' chatting to him.  He was someone I hadn't seen for some time and was, like certain others, not in the best of health the last time we met which was probably a few years ago.  The EM Society - and the hobby -  will be poorer without him.

 

RIP John

[andytrains]

The last time we saw John was at the East Hams Clubs Christmas do' at the Pipe Major pub in Dagenham on 16th December last. He seemed very well and being grumpy with a wry smile on his face.

John will be missed.

Andy Neil.

[Gravy Train]

Wow, this is very sad for sure, had many a laugh with John over the years At Expo EM events and during his ventures up North, my condolences to his friends and family.

Pete A L.

[steve1]

I can remember being harangued by him when helping put at EXPO EM but it never lasted long. A definite character and one who will, no doubt, be missed.

 

steve

[MartinWales]

John was a great help to me when starting out in EM some 20+ years ago, with valuable practical advice delivered with a sneer!!

 

RIP Mr Sneyd.Gone but certainly not forgotten!

[andytrains]

Johns funeral details are as follows:-

3.15pm on 4th February 2020 at Honor Oak Crematorium, Brockley Way, London. SE4 2LJ.

[wainwright1]

I remember John very well, he having been a member of our Southwark Model Railway Club for a number of years, one of many I believe he belonged to all over the country, although you might say we were his home club as he lived in our borough.

We took part in his East London Finescale Show which he ran up in Wanstead for a few years and consumed many a pint, both after exhibitions with the likes of Alan Browning and Alan Garden also no longer with us and at the end of club nights, in the early days in the Sultan on St James Road, now bulldozed and replace by a block of flats.

Not seen him since I think Railex last year, but he was looking o.k. 

 

Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend his funeral as I will be at another one on the same afternoon for a member of the vintage bus group which I also belong to.

 

God bless John.

 

RB

[Swindon 123]

Very sad to here of the loss of John to the modelling fraternity. I got to know him in the mid 1980's, when he and I were part of the EM section of the Ilford MRC exhibiting "Eastwell". He used to refer to me as "son" as in those days I sported a beard and resembled a younger version of John, and I refered to him as "dad". Something that stuck up to our last meeting in 2019.  John was passionate about the GNR, and I can remember having a heated argument with him as to whether it was uphill or downhill from Grantham to Stoke Tunnel. He insisted it was downhill, whereas I assured him it was uphill. The matter was only resolved by me taking him on a cabride from Kings Cross to Doncaster and back (I was a Drivers Assistant at Kings Cross at the time). I remember walking back down the platform with John at Doncaster to relieve the Newcastle crew for the journey back to "The Cross". As my Driver that night was a bit behind us, the Newcastle crew thought John was my Driver, but he just walked past them without saying a thing. As the Newcastle Driver passed me, he muttered  "miserable b#gger you've got with you tonight". That is my enduring memory of John.  A wonderful guy, who would help you out of any trouble if he could. The attached photo below show a group of us having a day out back in 1986, on the Bluebell Railway, travelling in the GNR Directors Saloon. I'm the one far left, John is far right. Next to me is the late Alan Browning, who sadly died not long after the photo was taken, but another wonderful person and modeller. The name of the 4th person I sadly cannot remember.

 

RIP John.

 

Paul J.

Edited January 28, 2020 by Swindon 123
Correct spelling mistake.

[davefrk]

First met John when a friend and I exhibited his layout at Expo EM, John was a great character, he caught me out whilst operating, I was aware of someone watching the layout, I looked up and saw this big guy in a dinner suit and a black curly wig, I nearly fell off me seat....

Another time at the Glasgow show he stopped to say hello and was admiring the layout I was helping on, 'Hewisbridge'. He said 'I think we'll have this layout to EXPO EM', I said are you sure, He said yes it looks just the job, I said are you really sure cause it is 'OO', What! Ah, for Fxxx sake no one will notice anyway.....

That was John, RIP oldyin.

 

Dave Franks.

[wainwright1]

31 minutes ago, Swindon 123 said:

Very sad to here of the loss of John to the modelling fraternity. I got to know him in the mid 1980's, when he and I were part of the EM section of the Ilford MRC exhibiting "Eastwell". He used to refer to me as "son" as in those days I sported a beard and resembled a younger version of John, and I refered to him as "dad". Something that stuck up to our last meeting in 2019.  John was passionate about the GNR, and I can remember having a heated argument with him as to whether it was uphill or downhill from Grantham to Stoke Tunnel. He insisted it was downhill, whereas I assured him it was uphill. The matter was only resolved by me taking him on a cabride from Kings Cross to Doncaster and back (I was a Drivers Assistant at Kings Cross at the time). I remember walking back down the platform with John at Doncaster to relieve the Newcastle crew for the journey back to "The Cross". As my Driver that night was a bit behind us, the Newcastle crew thought John was my Driver, but he just walked past them without saying a thing. As the Newcastle Driver passed me, he muttered  "miserable b#gger you've got with you tonight". That is my enduring memory of John.  A wonderful guy, who would help you out of any trouble if he could. The attached photo below show a group of us having a day out back in 1986, on the Bluebell Railway, travelling in the GNR Directors Saloon. I'm the one far left, John is far right. Next to me is the late Alan Browning, who sadly died not long after the photo was taken, but another wonderful person and modeller. The mane of the 4th person I sadly cannot remember.

 

RIP John.

 

Paul J.

The mane of the 4th person I sadly cannot remember.

Could that possibly be the late Alan Garden  ? He used to be invovled in the battle recreation movement, hence the long Cavalier hairstyle.

[wainwright1]

15 minutes ago, davefrk said:

First met John when a friend and I exhibited his layout at Expo EM, John was a great character, he caught me out whilst operating, I was aware of someone watching the layout, I looked up and saw this big guy in a dinner suit and a black curly wig, I nearly fell off me seat....

Another time at the Glasgow show he stopped to say hello and was admiring the layout I was helping on, 'Hewisbridge'. He said 'I think we'll have this layout to EXPO EM', I said are you sure, He said yes it looks just the job, I said are you really sure cause it is 'OO', What! Ah, for Fxxx sake no one will notice anyway.....

That was John, RIP oldyin.

 

Dave Franks.

 

He did the same with my Hawkhurst layout at the East London Finescale Show, that is also 00.

[andytrains]

Found this picture of John at the Ilford show with Clatterford in 2013.

 

[chris p bacon]

On 27/01/2020 at 19:57, Swindon 123 said:

John was passionate about the GNR

 

He certainly was.  We will miss him in the society and I'll miss meeting him at various exhibitions and meetings.  

[Kirby Uncoupler]

I've only just discovered this sad news. John was a larger than life character,

who encouraged people in their modelling endeavours, and could often be seen demonstrating various techniques at shows. As many will know, John could often lose his temper, I had some blazing rows with him, but give it 20 minutes, all was forgiven, and everyone was mates 

again down the pub.

   Back in the 1990s, I remember an ill-fated trip with John, by train to the NEC. On arrival, 

John decided he needed some cash, so he popped his card into an ATM on the concourse. No sooner had he done this, and there was a power cut, power returned after 20 seconds, but that was enough for the ATM to go into fail-safe mode, and poor John's card stayed in the machine for the weekend. He went ballistic, and started marching around, remonstrating with all the staff of the various shops and kiosks, but of course it wasn't their fault. (I was busy biting the inside of my cheeks, so as not to laugh). When he had cooled down, I lent him the money (using the same ATM, to add insult to injury). As expected, his card was posted back to him, a few days later.

      John's gruff, then jolly, manner probably came from working on building sites, he was 

a bricklayer by profession, he was also a stickler for time-keeping, again probably from having to turn out for contractors. John will be missed at the shows, from now on they will be emptier (and quieter) places.   R.I.P.  John.

                                                                                 Brian Kirby.

    

[davegreenly]

Oh! John would have made So Much of his obituary being next to that of a peer of the realm!