Remembering Paul Joyce (3rd Rail)

He was a wealth of knowledge, a strong advocate for public service, and a great voice for public transit. He was a key participant in many heated debates, like myself. And through such debates, regardless of what side we were on, I developed an incredible amount of respect and admiration for this gentleman, this scholar.

It is with a heavy heart that I post my last message to our friend Paul "3rdRail" Joyce.

This is awful. I had just emailed him last week.

Paul was a great man, he gave me a personal tour of the Bussey Bridge accident when I came to visit him last year. He also had an amazing dog.

I will cherish the map he gave me after winning one of the contests in the Quiz forum.

So SAD!

Wow, just came across the news on Twitter. How awful! Paul was a great asset to this forum and transit history in general. I know I will hold on dearly to the book he mailed me for winning a quiz once. I'm truly stunned to hear this news, and deeply saddened. I feel there is still so much more he could have shared with us. RIP Paul, you will be missed.

I've found so much enjoyment in reading others' contributions here, not least Mr. Joyce's. I wish I could've met him.

Rest in peace, sir.

Well, damn. We lost a mighty fine man today. I think half of us in this forum have something from him - Paul was exceptionally generous with his quizzes. He'll be well missed; wherever he is, may the El always be arriving as he steps onto the platform.

Wow this is terrible news and quite a suprise :/ may he Rest in peace!

This is true loss to our community. He was always there to share his wisdom with us on so many subjects. He will be noticeably missed for sure!

Such sad news. I always enjoyed his posts here, and had hoped to have had the opportunity to chat with him in person some day. May he rest in peace.

The source of T, BPD, and JP history all the way down to the footnote level is gone. No retirement is long enough.

Even though I just joined this Forum, I still saw many of his posts in the past. Rest in peace Paul.

Very sad news. I never met him personally but I always enjoyed his knowledgeable contributions to these forums. May he rest in peace.

RIP. He could be easily irritated by stupid questions from us newcomers, but he also was a fountain of information and history -- institutional knowledge is always important. I'm glad he shared so much of his knowledge here on this forum, and I wish I'd had the chance to meet him. RIP.

(Was he ill? It seemed like his presence here lately had been much reduced.)

R.I.P., Paul. I am seriously bummed at this news. I remember the words of the Roman Catholic Cardinal of NYC at the death of Pope John Paul I:

"We woke up this morning disappointed, and a little annoyed with God."

Sgt Paul Joyce (3rdRail) was ga great historian who was up there with
The late George Sanborn on his vast knowledge of history. Paul won't
Be the same wih you. Eternal Rest be granted to your son Paul Joyce

Wow. That is a gut-punch.

Beyond being one of this forum's preeminent historians, he was without a doubt one of the nicest chaps around. He was a joy to read. Whether he was talking streetcar history or BPD or old-time Boston or rail miscellany he brought his subjects to life with humor and enthusiasm. It wasn't just information...he was painting vivid pictures of how an ever-chaotic city "worked" through the years. And that's rare.