Well-known railway journalist, photographer, rail transit expert and historian John D. Thompson, for many years a Railway Age Canadian Contributing Editor, died Sept. 2. He was 78.
Thompson was born and raised in Toronto, and studied journalism at the University of Toronto and, later, creative writing at Ryerson University. He joined the senior staff of the Toronto Transit Commission in 1977, subsequently becoming assistant editor of Coupler, the TTC’s employee magazine, as well as performing public relations and archival duties. Following retirement from the TTC, Thompson had been a freelance writer and editor for more than 20 years, for the Toronto Star newspaper and numerous trade publications, including Railway Age.
“John was quite active in the Upper Canada Railway Society Hamilton Chapter,” said Bryant Barbour, Chairperson, UCRS Hamilton. “Many of his acquaintances and friends were in the Toronto area, John having lived in that city for several years. After he moved to Hamilton, he was a regular attender at UCRS meetings held in the Hamilton area. He had travelled extensively throughout Canada and the U.S., by train of course, and his slides and photography of those events were very much enjoyed by all those who attended UCRS meetings. John’s last UCRS meeting was on June 27 at People’s Church, Cumberland Ave., in Hamilton. He managed to give his usual excellent slide presentation. John seldom missed a UCRS meeting and was always on the presenters’ list.”
