Neil Blair 1987-2023

Neil with Elsbridge at Mickleover, January 2023

The last few weeks have seemed a little surreal, with little time or inclination for model making as other far more serious life matters took over with the news that my good friend and fellow Trent Valley Group conspirator Neil Blair had passed away suddenly and unexpectedly aged just 35. 

We first met Neil at a couple of model shows we were running the Association stand at. Neil then changed jobs and by chance moved to the desk next to Mike, one of our group Members. I’m told that the ‘Two Beards’ made quite the double act at work! It wasn’t long before Mike brought Neil with him to our group meetings in the Brunswick pub and our friendship which was to span the next decade or so was born. Neil’s warm and generous nature meant that he would get along in any crowd and his ability to join in the leg pulling and Mickey taking meant that he fitted in very well with the rest of us!

Neil was a very much a doer and he followed me in spending a few years organizing the Association’s annual convention in Burton and running our area group’s annual members days in Mickleover. A task he excelled in. After we lost our chief protagonist Tim, Neil took the lead in organizing our local group and breathed important new life into the group by setting up the fortnightly Zoom meetings at the height of the pandemic. They’ve been so successful that we carried on zooming even after we could’ve returned to the pub. 

Neil and I soon found that we shared similar views to modelling, we shared progress with our projects with each other, we both liked a good silly idea and would share these with each other on an almost daily basis, much to the amusement of our other halves. 

Over the last couple of years, it’s been great watching Neil build his model railway Elsbridge, a fantastic piece of imagineering. He was so proud of his efforts and it is comforting to know that he saw his efforts in print in one of the national magazines just before his untimely passing. Neil was very much looking forward to taking his layout to Burton, with agreement with Dan, we will make sure the layout goes and ensure it lives on as a memorial to our friend. 

Shunting at Elsbridge

Elsbridge in British Railway Modelling Magazine.

Neil was such a good natured human and the best kind of friend that one could want to have. His passing leaves a massive hole in our lives. The last few weeks have felt eerily quiet without having Neil to talk to. We have lost a great friend, but our thoughts are also with Leigh and Dan who have lost a son and husband. 

We shared so much of our model making. Neil had a great passion for scratchbuilding wagons and I will always cherish the one he built for me for Abermelyn. 

Rest in peace my friend.