David Eslick
Husband, Father, Brother, Uncle, and Friend

Born in 1927, the age of "Lucky Lindy", David was raised by an extended family of Grandfather, Uncles, and Cousins, who assisted his mother when his seagoing Merchant marine Sea Captain father was away. He learned the art of precision metal working with measurements within one thousands of an inch. This developed into a lifelong interest in lathes and milling machines, which translated into his building inch scale models of railway locomotives.

Cutting short his formal education to join the Merchant marine during World War II, he never stopped his personal education in all areas, especially technical and history.

After service on merchant ships where he served in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, including combat, and the Persian Gulf. He returned to a railroad career which had started as a part time after school job. By 1947 he entered the Tower/Switching service.

Marrying in 1950, the start of a 63 year plus relationship, which added a daughter in 1952, and a son in 1955.
In 1954 he was promoted to Train Dispatcher, controlling a very busy freight and passenger route into the New York metropolitan area.

His railroad knowledge, combined with the precision machinist mind of his youth, sitting with his Grandfather and Uncle, learning their skills, and adding his own, he realized that diesel locomotives could be utilized more efficiently than the steam locomotives they replaced.

In 1964 he joined Azure Lodge in Cranford, NJ, and continued his Masonic journey in the Mt Dora Lodge in Florida, after retirement.

His finest hour was as a Motive Power Dispatcher, which allowed him to realize his vision of vastly increased utilization of his railroad locomotive fleet.

His model railroad hobby did tie in with the real railroad, when he helped design a paint scheme for the Jersey Central. He used one of his models to test the design. The railroad adopted the scheme, known as the "Red Baron". This was a case of the railroad copying the modeler, rather than the reverse.

He retired in 1987. He moved to Florida where he was active in model railroading and also the WWII Merchant Marine Veterans. These seamen finally received their veteran status from the government in the early 1990's, a delayed national recognition of their dangerous service.

Also he was in the CNJ-Jersey Central Railroad Veterans, and assisting Railroad History preservation efforts, and teaching younger model railroaders, the technical skills of metal working.

To the Merchant Mariner- Fair Seas on your next Voyage.

To the Railroader- may your signal be high green.