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Maynard W. Krug, 88, train enthusiast

Maynard Webster Krug, 88, of West Chester and Dyken Pond, N.Y., a railroad company engineer and longtime train enthusiast, died Friday, Feb. 19, of dementia at home.

Maynard Webster Krug
Maynard Webster KrugRead more

Maynard Webster Krug, 88, of West Chester and Dyken Pond, N.Y., a railroad company engineer and longtime train enthusiast, died Friday, Feb. 19, of dementia at home.

Born in Yonkers, N.Y., he was the son of John Alfred and Martha Beatrice Fine Krug.

Mr. Krug graduated from Gorton High School, Yonkers, in 1945 and enlisted in the Army Air Corps, serving in World War II until November 1946.

He attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., on the G.I. Bill, and graduated in 1951 with a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering. In college, he was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. He was a founding member of the Rensselaer Model Railroad Club, and sang with the institute's Glee Club.

Mr. Krug joined the engineering department of the Pennsylvania Railroad Co. in 1951, worked for the Penn Central Railroad, and retired from Conrail in 1989. (In 1968, the Pennsylvania Railroad merged with rival New York Central to form the Penn Central Transportation Company. The merged entity filed for bankruptcy in 1970, and the viable parts of the business were transferred in 1976 to Conrail.)

He attended Berwyn United Methodist Church. He was a 32nd Degree Mason and a member of Thompson Lodge Free and Accepted Masons, Paoli.

Mr. Krug married Doris Marie Binseel on July 4, 1949. The couple had three children. The family lived in Berwyn and then West Chester.

He was a devoted family man who enjoyed spending summers at the family's cottage on Dyken Pond in upstate New York, where he swam, sailed, built boats, made wine, and explored the outdoors.

Besides being a career railroader, Mr. Krug shared his love of railroading with his family. In his retirement, the Krugs traveled across the country visiting tourist sites that featured trains. He was a member of the Hershey Mills Model Railroad Club.

"With him, it was not just a career, it was a passion," said his wife. "Maynard drilled [his love of] trains into the family," and his children and grandchildren have carried on his interest.

"He exerted a thoughtful and positive influence over those he loved that will endure into succeeding generations," his family said.

Besides his wife, he is survived by sons Robert M. Krug and Charles C. Krug; daughter Merideth S. Mueller; five grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. A sister died earlier.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 5, at Berwyn United Methodist Church, 140 Waterloo Ave, Berwyn. Burial will be private.

Donations may be made to Friends of Dyken Pond Center, 475 Dyken Pond Rd., Cropseyville, N.Y. 12052.

bcook@phillynews.com

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