April 14, 2007 + Jack Emerick Lucks+ (updated: 2/5/07)

Jack Emerick Lucks, 1918 – 2007

The live steam fraternity lost one of the hobby’s most revered members when Jack Lucks passed away peacefully at his home in Ft. Worth, Texas on April 14, 2007 at the age of 89.

Jack was born in February 1918 in Spokane, Washington. He grew up in southern California where he met and married his beloved Shirley. During his long career he worked on movie sets, both behind the scenes and occasionally as an extra, he was a licensed radio officer on merchants ships before WWII, during and after the war he worked at Consolidated Aircraft, which later became General Dynamics. One of the many jobs he had at Consolidated was as a pilot delivering newly completed aircraft to the military. His fascination with trains, big and small, was most likely based on the years he lived close to the Southern Pacific mainline in California. That fascination would remain with him for the rest of his life.

Jack was a stalwart in live steam in Texas. He was a major contributor to building and maintaining many of the prominent Texas tracks including Terry McGrath’s Annetta Valley and Western, David Hannah’s Browning, Ed Leatherwood’s Dublin and Rio Grande, Roy Pickard’s Comanche and Indian Gap, and Jack Haskin’s Able Springs and North Texas. He was a charter member of the Annetta Valley and Western Railroad Club and active member of Southwestern Live Steamers and the Houston Area Live Steamers. He traveled with his trains all over the country and was widely known as truly a gentleman, always ready to help.

Jack often outworked those a generation or more younger than he and his knowledge and expertise were vast. He was always ready to jump in and help with any problem, big or small, and he worked at it until it was fixed. His wide smile, quick wit, and down home attitude of get it done will be greatly missed. (Submitted by Bill Laird, Annetta Valley and Western Railroad)