I thought this might be of interest here as I'm sure there are some here who knew Joe Merli in Duanesburg, NY (outside of Albany).
I met him once. I didn't really know him personally. If you ever drove west on Route 20 out of Albany you passed his property. You couldn't miss it, as the centerpiece was a cosmetically restored EMD 'E' Unit painted up in full New York Central dress (it was a former Pennsy unit originally). Joe was a master craftsman. A wood worker, metal worker, etc. You name it, he built it. He was a genius when it came to building old style wooden carts and wagons. It was an art. The locomotive was going to be a walk-in ice-cream stand for his little "village" that he was slowly building on his property. He had a fully original general store there, and the antiques were piled high. He even offered to loan me a vintage cast-iron D&H "No Trespassing" sign so that I could have a recasting/reproduction made...and this was on our first and only meeting! (I didn't take him up on it, simply because I didn't feel it was right to even THINK of borrowing something like that from a guy after only one meeting!)
For the last few years, I've had a few items I wanted to bring him and simply give to him for his village (a NY Central-vintage diamond crossing sign, and old D&H wooden crossing gate, etc.). These were items I have amassed over the years, but figured they would do everyone much more good to be on display and cared for by someone who could give them more love and attention that I ever could. I just never was able to get myself and the items down there again.
I just read that Joe passed away yesterday (2-13), and it makes me sad. I met him once. He was in my life for an hour or so at best, but he will always be in my memory as a guy who was more than willing to give a tour and talk 'shop' and history with a young guy (me) who just happened to stop by completely on a whim. Anyone who remotely has any interest in history and preservation is at a loss when someone like Joe leaves us, because it's one less link to the past that we have, and for *that* we are poorer.
