Remembering Paul Joyce (3rd Rail)

I have enjoyed exchanges with "3rd Rail" on here from time to time. This is a tragic loss for everybody on here.
Noel Weaver

I too just got to this post. We've lost a wonderful resource and person. Reading railroad.net won't be nearly as informative or as much fun as it used to be.

I mainly lurk on the site, but I always enjoyed reading his posts. Wish I stopped in more to post, from everything Ive read he was a great guy with a ton of knowledge about Boston, as well as the patience to share it with those around him. Rest in peace.

Damn!

I just came across this thread while searching for something else. I had no idea.

Damn...

I never met Paul but we had many, many conversations via email over the years. I learned a lot from him. We had occasional disagreements but he was never disagreeable, and he always displayed that sharp Boston wit that never failed to bring a smile to my face.

I am shocked and very sad to hear this news.

We've lost some truly fine people here at RAILROAD.NET recently. Thanks to the permanence of the internet, their contributions will not soon be forgotten.

With a very heavy heart, I extend my sincerest sympathy to Paul's family, friends, and colleagues.

As everyone above has stated, Paul was a great person to discuss and debate with. Having spent the last two weeks at Seashore, the fact that we are losing knowledgeable people at an alarming rate is readily apparent. My best to Paul's family. May he rest in peace.

This is awful news. I was gone for a week, not looking at the internet, and just found out. Rest in peace, Paul. I grew up using the old MTA, and I felt a real bond with Paul on the history, and how much he cared about those times. It's a world that was so magical and special, long gone, and so now is Paul. I honor his memory, and will pray for him and his family tonight at Mass.

Will be missed in numerous ways...up to and including his creative perspective on the FY galas!

I'm only now catching up after three weeks up and down the east coast, and I am greatly saddened by this news. Even though I didn't have a ton of knowledge I always enjoyed his quizzes and trying to track down information based on them. He will be very missed.

Wow, what a shock and what sad news. Never met him in person, had some PM exchanges with him, and always valued his intelligent and witty posts. Paul, you will be missed!!

I am deeply saddened at the loss of Sgt. Paul Joyce. He was a well respected contributor here and a wealth of knowledge. I have only a few things to remember him by and never had the privilege of meeting him. The first one was a book he gave me after winning one of his great quizzes, and in the box the book came in was his BPD Business card. The back of the card read congratulations and he signed it Paul. The second thing I remember him doing was the last post in the quiz thread directed at me gave me a compliment I won't ever forget anytime soon.


Here is what he said in full after I asked him if 17 is young enough to guess on the quizzes.

"MBTA Fan - Some of us here were at your level of understanding...and never moved on. Some of us did. Just keep truckin' my friend. Keep truckin', readin', and Quizn', in other words participatn' because that's how you learn. Some of it is learned and some just picked up by osmosis. For example, your answers regarding the 60's would immediately send off bells and sirens in many here only because something is different in the photo than what we would expect to see in a photo from the 60's. On your own, can you see the three items that stick right out at you that tell you that this is definitely not the 60's ? Well, it's the double junction which didn't exist on the Main Line then, early cars which were way extinct by then (they were running 01100's !), and the lack of vacant lots on the street (In the 60's, the B.R.A. was knocking anything they could down like a drunken sailor in a china shop !) Carry on, buddy, you're doing a great job, and you're already half way there. (You already know more about the El than most of the male population of Boston !)"

Rest in peace Sgt. Joyce aka 3rdrail on here. You served Boston proudly and you won't be forgotten. Best wishes to friends and family of Paul Joyce

Sorry for making this a separate post but I felt it was needed.

I found the link for his obituary on the funeral home website.


Sgt. Paul Joyce (Ret) http://currentobituary.com/ShowObit.asp ... mber_id=77" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I added my condolence on it already.

Wow, this is devastating news, this last couple weeks has been simply terrible for rr.net, over on the NJT boards we lost our great Jtgshu Monday of last week (thread here- http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopi ... 7&start=90" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) and now Paul too? I always enjoyed his insight into various topics and I have had a few conversations with him. This just goes to show you, life is short, live it to the full, enjoy every second, both men will be sorely missed. R.i.P to them both.

Just seeing this now. Another tremendously sad loss.

All I can say is that 2013 has been a tough year for all of us here on railroad.net and everyone in the Boston area after what happened in April. I keep Pauls business card in my wallet and will cherish that and the book he gave me after winning a quiz. That's my only connection to him outside of RR.net

RIP to the 2 great people we lost(Jtgshu and Paul) They won't be forgotten and we will keep their memories alive.


Hopefully 2014 comes soon and it's a great year for all of us.

Just seeing this now for the first time. What a terrible blow to this forum and our community in general. Paul Joyce was a wealth of knowledge not only about "old time" Boston, but all things related to Boston transit history and the region's railroads as well. He was a good contributor to this site, supporting it from nearly the very beginning. I am terribly shocked to hear of his passing, and a little disappointed I just found out now. I haven't been frequenting the T forum as much as I used to, so someone was kind enough to post this in another thread over on the New England Railfan Forum.

My condolences and respects to his friends and family.

-otto vondrak
former railroad.net co-owner and administrator