Andy Sperandeo

Very sorry to hear this, Chris.  

 

RIP, Andy. You were a big part of it for me.

 

Jim

 

With a heavy heart, I’m sad to report that Andy Sperandeo, who has been a part of our lives at Model Railroader magazine for more than 30 years, has died.

 

As some of you know, Andy had been fighting cancer and other ailments, and the combination finally caught up with him earlier today.

 

Andy started work at Model Railroader in 1979, becoming editor in 1993. In time he became executive editor and upon retirement a few years ago became a contributing editor. Readers today are most familiar with Andy through his monthly The Operators column.

 

Information on services or memorials remains pending at this time.

 

Neil Besougloff editor

 

                   

Neil Besougloff

editor, Model Railroader magazine

 

Andy will be missed. He had a great influence on my modeling when I started out in HO scale.

 

My condolences to his family.

Andy's book on yards was my muse for many months. It helped me understand how to create one and all the fundamental fixtures and functions. Reading it, I knew this book was a labor of Andy's love.  He will be missed...

Very sad indeed. He was a major contributor to the world of model railroading and his expertise will be missed.

 Rest in Peace. Although we dedicate ourselves to a scale, our model RR community crosses all scales. Enjoyed many an article and editorial from Andy

My condolences to his family.....I believe Andy actually participated in operating sessions on John Allen's Gorre & Daphetid.

 

Peter

I think my favorite Andy Article was the one with pictures of him after he jumped in the pool to save his Hornby Live steam model of the Stevenson Rocket from sometime in the early 1980's. I guess he had been testing it poolside and something knocked it in. It went for a swim and so did he.

 

I never knew him but enjoined his articles. Anyone named Andy can't be that bad.

I was saddened to hear of Andy's passing. Of all his writings, this one has been the most influential to me. It has hung near my desk since it was first published, and serves as a constant reminder of what this hobby is all about.

 

 

I will surely miss his writing. The first page I read in every Model Railroader was his note on prototypical operation on the last page.

Wow, Elliot, I had never seen this before.  Thanks so much for posting.

 

Steven J. Serenska

Steve, that appeared in the MR special annual Great Model Railroads 2004 as a preface. I enlarged it to 8.5 x 11 back then. I will put it in a frame today, and re hang it in the train room. Even when I'm not rereading it, it stays with me in the back of my mind.

Bummer. Was big in HO till about 95.  Read much authored by him.

 

Fred

Condolences to the Sperandeo family and Andy's close friends.  Many of us here probably got our first Lionel childhood train and then ventured into the world of HO scale model railroading for a period, before returning full-circle to O-Gauge.  During those HO years, I fondly remember much of Andy's influence in Model Railroader magazine. 

 

Very sad to hear of another contemporary passing on.

 

David

Even though I'm in O scale I always read Andy's articles which were well written, informative and could be applied to any scale.

I have read MR since the 1950's, and instantly recognized this name in the posting...

we are sorry to lose another expert in this hobby.

Another model railroad great lost. Condolences and best wishes to his family. I have read some of his writings on layout operations and an older book on wiring. He was a great contributor to the hobby for many years and will be missed by all model railroaders.

Very sad as we see are friends and mentors pass on. I caught Andy's name when I first started back into model railroading. I had relatives with the same last name but they were not related. Rest in peace Andy.

My condolences to his family. I'm sorry to hear of his passing.

-Greg

I am very sorry to hear of Andy's passing.  He was one of the first authors I encountered when I got back into the hobby.

 

Ed Boyle

 

 

I'm sorry to learn of Andy's passing as well.  I've read Model Railroader since the late '60s and he certainly influenced my modeling over the years.  What I remember best is his Lincoln Funeral train.  My sympathy to his family and friends.

That's awful news.  Andy was a nice fellow and a real authority on Santa Fe cabooses.  He contributed greatly to model railroading in general.

 

Requiescat in pacem.

My condolences to his friends and family. I too enjoyed his articles in MR.