Doug Fredrick

[Chris James]

Doug Frederick passed away Saturday, June 25. He was moved to Presbyterian Hospice Care in Albuquerque earlier in the week. Known to all by "Popeye," he served in a support position for the last 5-years, providing transportation for project materials and service to small engine equipment. Doug joined the Friends when he settled in Chama to recuperate from a serious vehicle accident. He quickly schooled himself on small engine repair and took over in repairing many of the Friends air compressors, generators and numerous weed eaters. As many of us recall he quickly became a fixture in the Chama Carpenter Shop.

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Outside the shop, Doug was practically everywhere, all the time, on both sides of the pass hauling tools, equipment and supplies along with equipment preparation. He will be missed.

[Jason Rose]

Fair Winds & Following Seas, Doug.

Semper Fidelis, brother.

[Sharon Evans]

A sad loss of this gentleman who will be missed for his smile when you went into the shop.

[Paul Davenport]

Doug was always good to the Friends tree and brush crew, striving to help in many ways regarding equipment, info and access. His work organizing and maintaining the chainsaws and other powered cutting tools made it possible for the crew to begin working along the ROW promptly upon the start of the work session, so we got more work done during our limited time on the ground. As another member of the crew put it, "on Monday morning of each Session D, you rounded the corner and saw him behind the desk you knew you would be in good shape for the week. Sad news indeed."

Paul

[John Cole]

I first met Doug on the Narrow Gauge Discussion Forum and backchannel emails became telephone calls. Dougs interest in the narrow gauge was huge, and when he had to quit driving big trucks for a living he wanted to do more than just talk about trains. When Dougs mother passed away, Doug decided to move to Chama so he would be close to the center of the narrow gauge and could participate in Friends activities. Doug joined the Friends in 2013 and had worked at almost every single work session since then. Doug set up a small engine and repair shop in the south end of the wood shop and kept busy repairing and maintaining all of the generators, air compressors as well as our Gators, tractors and all other work equipment that the Friends owned.

In addition to equipment repair Doug would use his truck driving skills to pickup and deliver equipment and supplies to Friends work crews all over the railroad. Doug would make regular trips as far away as Farmington , Pagosa Springs, Alamosa, and sometimes going much farther than that to drop off and pickup supplies that were needed for work sessions. Doug would do everything in his power to make sure no team was stalled on their job because of broken tools or needed supplies, and as a result more work was accomplished during work sessions.

Doug was always fun to talk to and a trip to Chama would not be complete without visiting him in his 'office', (workshop) catching up on the latest goings on with the railroad and the people who worked there, Doug always seemed to know what's going on.

The last two years saw Dougs health deteriorate to the point that Bob Conry remodeled a room and a bath so it was wheelchair accessible for Doug to use at his place. Whenever I stayed in Chama I would ask Bob if I could stay in a spare room just so i could visit with Doug when I came out. When Ian Kelly and I came out from Calif. to be wranglers on the rotary snowplow event int Feb/March, Popeye (Dougs nickname to his friends) was doing pretty bad. I had a sinking feeling when I said goodbye to go home, it might be the last time I saw him.

Fair well my friend, and thank you for what you did for the Friends and the railroad, and for being a friend to me and many others. (Popeye didn't know any strangers, just friends he hasn't met yet). Green signals, and clear tracks buddy till we meet again.

[Jason Rose]

Well said, John. Thank you for sharing that.

I wish I'd known Doug better than I did.