Eugene Hindin, 89, mechanical engineer

Eugene Hindin, 89, of Narberth, a mechanical engineer who developed a combination truck-trailer and rail car, died of heart failure Saturday, April 23, at home.

Mr. Hindin held numerous patents for freight-carrier components. In the late 1970s, he was president of the trailer division of Budd Co. when he left to establish RoadRailer Corp. with other engineers.

He became vice president of engineering and manufacturing at the firm's plant in West Chester, which produced a truck-trailer capable of traveling on a highway or on a rail line with special wheels.

He was known for his stamina and "hands-on" approach, his family said. Even late in his career, they said, he inspected rail cars' undersides and traveled on a number of sometimes harrowing test runs for RoadRailer.

After retiring in 1988, he continued to consult.

Mr. was born to Russian Jewish immigrants. When he was 9, his father died, and he worked odd jobs to support the family.

"Between my freshman and sophomore years at Central High School our family - mother, older sister and myself - was facing a losing financial struggle," he told The Inquirer in 2000.

His mother's $8-a-week earnings and his sister's $5 weekly salary were inadequate. He was able to remain at Central thanks to a $3 weekly stipend from White Williams Scholars. Since 1917, the organization has provided support for high-achieving students.

Mr. Hindin was very grateful to White Williams. Aside from the vital financial help, he told The Inquirer, he received wise counsel and encouragement.

Mr. Hindin graduated from Central, and worked in ironworks shops in Philadelphia and Brooklyn, N.Y., and at the Frankford Arsenal while attending Drexel Institute of Technology.

During World War II, he served in the Army in North Carolina.

After his discharge, he earned a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in mechanical engineering from Drexel. He then joined Strick Trailers and for two years managed a plant in Chicago. He was later an executive for Gindy Trailers, which was acquired by Budd in 1975.

Mr. Hindin and his wife of 31 years, Marylyn Hindin, were frequent world travelers, journeying across six continents, including a 1988 adventure through the Central Asian Soviet republics and western China.

In addition to his wife, Mrs. Hindin is survived by a son, Gregory; a daughter, Stephanie Katz; stepchildren Soren Holsbo, Suzanne Bennett, Kenneth Jarin, and Diane Jarin; 11 grandchildren; and his former wife, Barbara Hindin.

A funeral service is scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 26, at Levine & Sons Memorial Chapel West, 2811 West Chester Pike, Broomall. .

Donations may be made to White-Williams Scholars, 215 S. Broad St., 10th floor, Philadelphia 19107.