Railroad historian Herb MacDonald dies after a brief illness
We were saddened to learn of the death of author and railroad historian Herb MacDonald on Saturday, October 11, 2014, after a brief illness.
Herb was a meticulous researcher with a great love of railroads and delved into their history in great detail. He published numerous papers and gave many talks on a wide variety of subjects in the field. His book, Cape Breton Railways: An Illustrated History (CBU Press, 2012), was shortlisted for the Evelyn Richardson Non-fiction award (2013) and recently awarded book-of-the-year by the Canadian Railroad Historical Association (2014).
The award recognizes and honours an individual whose endeavours in the previous year have contributed significantly to the recording and/or preservation of artifacts of historical value related to Canada’s railways. A number of his research papers were likewise recognized.
Herb retired from the Nova Scotia civil service a number of years ago and spent his time researching and travelling with his wife Linda MacDonald. Our condolences to the MacDonald family.