By Railfan & Railroad Staff

Earl Walter Roberts, the co-founder of the Canadian Trackside Guide and long-time editor of the Bytown Railway Society’s Branchline magazine, died on December 1, 2023. He was 84 years old. 

Roberts first came up with the idea of a Canadian locomotive guide back in 1981 and while some were skeptical at first, the annual publication has blossomed into the nearly 800-page annual it is today with rosters, timetables, scanner frequencies and more. Roberts co-edited it along with Dave Stremes. The guide is a must-have for any trackside adventure from Corner Brook to Cranbrook and has been dubbed the “bible” of Canadian railfanning. 

Besides the annual guide, Roberts edited Branchline magazine from 1985 until 2015, transforming the publication from a stapled, black-and-white publication to a glossy color magazine. He also served as Bytown’s president. In 2004, Roberts was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Canadian Railroad Historical Association

“Earl had an encyclopedic knowledge of railway motive power and the uncanny ability to recall engine and train numbers even years after an event had taken place,” Bytown officials wrote in a memorial to Roberts. 

Roberts was also heavily involved in railroad preservation, having helped with the restoration of Thurso & Nation Valley business car 27 and serving on the crew of Canadian Pacific 4-6-2 1201, which Bytown operated in the 1980s. 

Roberts is survived by his wife Barbara, three children and many grandchildren.