SBRHS Acknowledges The Passing
Of Steam Supporter/Videographer
Dave Goodheart
PASSING OF DAVID GOODHEART
SBRHS Acknowledges The Passing PASSING OF DAVID GOODHEART
SBRHS and 3751 supporters were saddened to learn of the recent and untimely passing of David Goodheart. Dave, as he was known to us, chronicled most, if not all, of the major steam operations during the last two decades. Through his video company, Goodheart Productions, the many steam trips he recorded will continue to bring enjoyment to railfans for many years to come.
Those of us who worked closely with Dave to record the operation of 3751, especially during the trip to Sacramento in June, 1999 for Railfair and to the Grand Canyon for the NRHS Convention in August, 2002 will remember Dave for his efforts to capture both the operation and the human side of what it takes to pull of a mainline steam trip. With Dave’s efforts and the assistance of Tom Kelcek, the Railfair video captured the cab experience of veteran Santa Fe enginemen George Clous and Phillips Kaulke running 3751 eastbound over Tehachapi Summit, just as they would have done it 50 years earlier.
As a sidebar to the NRHS Convention of 2002, Dave organized the ‘stealth’ trip of 3751 for a select group of rail photographers. The trip operated with a short vintage passenger consist from Williams to the Grand Canyon without diesel assist that permitted 3751 to be photographed and recorded in spectacular fashion.
One thing is for certain…Dave liked locomotives to make smoke for run-by sequences, the more the better, and hopefully for the operators, when no “environmentalists” were around to witness the “artistic license” of what would be considered poor firing practice at any other time. I can still hear Dave’s voice over the cab radio on the Grand Canyon calling for “more smoke” on the photo run-by while watching the huge billowing black cloud float off to the west over the pristine landscape and early morning clear blue sky north of Williams.
According to the obituary in The Pantagraph, the newspaper serving Bloomington-Normal, IL, David was born in Salem, Ore., March 4, 1947. David was a former resident of Bloomington. He graduated from Bloomington High School and attended Illinois State University in Normal. As a toddler Dave loved trains and as he grew older became a true railroad enthusiast who turned that enthusiasm into his profession by starting Goodheart Productions specializing in steam locomotive action.
According to information that appeared on the Trains.com website, Dave’s work took him to over 20 countries in addition to his work in all parts of the U.S., and he made many friends and acquaintances worldwide. He also collected railroad memorabilia and was a Chicago Cubs baseball fan.
Again from The Pantagraph, Dave is survived by his mother, one uncle, and one aunt, all in Bloomington; a sister in Scottsdale, Ariz.; two more aunts, in the Kansas City and Chicago areas, and several cousins. A memorial service for Dave was held on Tuesday, November 30, in Winnetka, Ill., a northern suburb of Chicago.
Dave will be sorely missed by his many friends and family.
Paul Prine - 12/6/04
This was posted on the internet by Don Crimmin who attended Dave's Memorial Service -
Date: 12/01/04 21:42
Re: David Goodheart's Memorial Service
There were many familiar faces at the memorial yesterday. John Burke, Don Phillips, Victor Hand and Dave's minister all spoke about Dave and his contributions to the hobby and to his church. Dave made sure that the younger members of his parish had sufficient funds so that all of them who wanted to go to church camp each summer could. His video camera and ever-present hat were displayed on his tripod at the front of the church.
His minister related a great story which came to the family in a letter from a friend. It seems that while Dave was in Cuba on "expedition" once, he dined in a restaurant which had a quartet of musicians who serenaded the patrons. Dave struck up a conversation with the band and found that the "gig" was necessary to supplement the musicians' meager-paying day jobs just so they could support their families. But they only played for tips. Dave looked down at the empty tip jar and determined that he needed to "prime the pump" to get other patrons to ante-up some "dinero". He was quite generous with his "seed money" and the four men went home that night with $15.00 each....not much by our standards but nearly two weeks' salary for each of them, over and above their day job pay.
Dave dined at the restaurant the next night and became the band's unofficial agent, working the dining patrons with the tip jar and encouraging them to show their appreciation for the hard work of the four men. Dave approached a group of French tourists who ultimately were poor tippers, but at the end of the night, thanks to Dave, the tips were better than the previous night.
The third night, Dave appeared again, dined and then worked the diners for tips for the band. That night there was a group of German tourists who Dave made sure to tell exactly how cheap their French counterparts were the previous night. The Germans, as a matter of national pride I suspect, tipped handsomely. The "agent' routine went on for the next two nights and the band even invited Dave on stage the fourth evening to sing "Guantanamera" with the band. Of course, Dave changed the words to "One Ton Tomato". The band did not understand this parody until someone explained it to them. They all had a good laugh and the last night of Dave's visit, they did the "lost verse", singing "One Ton Tomato" in his honor.
He obviously touched many more people than just his steam and railroad friends and admirers. His generosity, humor and support of steam will be missed in our fraternity. Hold a place in the photoline for the rest of us Dave, we'll all be along eventually!
Silver Sky
