Chuck Hitchcock, well-known modeler and Model Railroader author, passed away Saturday, Feb. 14, at age 89.
A Santa Fe modeler
Chuck’s passion for passenger trains and the Santa Fe fueled his modeling. As a child he had, like many, a Lionel train set which featured the Santa Fe. Subsequent layouts also featured the Santa Fe, including the passenger-themed Argentine (Kansas) Division, the Argentine Industrial Division (also featuring transfer-trains of other railroads) and most recently, the Ottawa Jct. Railway, a Santa Fe double branchline based on a layout plan from MR.
I first met Chuck at a Santa Fe Modelers Organization national convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1984 [The Santa Fe Modelers Organization was a predecessor to the Santa Fe Railway Historical & Modeling Society — Ed.] I thought of him as a well-known personality and author, but we didn’t “pal-around” or anything like that. I saw him the following year at the SFMO convention in Dallas, Texas, and got to chatting with him while standing in the banquet food line. Chuck was asked to serve on the board of directors in 1988, and asked me to join him on the board. That was Chuck’s way of grooming a successor. He became a good friend and mentor to me, imparting many real-world or life lessons that he had experienced and processed into success.
A model mentor
When my wife, Deborah, and I started looking at places to live after being in Washington, D.C., for 10 years, Kansas City was on our short list because of Chuck and his wife, Jenny. They took the time to squire us around KC and educate us on life there, convincing us it was a good place to live. Must be, as we’ve lived in the KC area for over 35 years! One of Chuck’s insights was the value of friends in the model railroading community. He always felt that model railroaders were special people and his friendships with John Allen, Whit Towers, Cliff Robinson, David Barrow, Andy Sperandeo, Tony Koester and several others proved that. He took the time to introduce me to many of these folks and as a result, I’ve developed friendships that I’ll treasure. One of the more special friendships was with Model Railroader Editor Andy Sperandeo. Chuck and I flew up to Milwaukee to visit with Andy, knowing Andy’s time was short. It was a bittersweet visit, as Andy was indeed down to his last few days (he died two days later), but as much as we felt we had brightened Andy’s day, he made Chuck and I feel special; we came away from the visit uplifted. Chuck and I always talked about that visit. I like to think I’ve done the same when we visited Chuck in hospice a couple of days before he passed.
A pillar of Kansas City model railroading
Chuck was born in Kansas City, MO, and spent most of his life in the area, with a few years spent in Denver, Colo., after graduating from the University of Kansas in Lawrence. Chuck was an avid KU supporter and alumni member. Growing up in Kansas City, Chuck used to help out his dad, who owned a gas station/auto repair shop in the Rosedale (Kansas) section of KC. There he saw the evening parade of passenger trains headed west from Union Station.
Chuck had spent the last few years dealing with the effects of dementia, and had received a diagnosis of leukemia only about a month ago. He passed while in hospice, surrounded by family. He’s survived by his wife, Jenny, son Doug and daughter Megan. His other daughter, Sara, passed away in 2014. Chuck was a special guy and I’m going to miss him, so will the hobby.
