2023 Board of Directors
David Crumpton, Chief Executive Officer
I joined the TWMRC in August 2018. Since that date, I have met some terrific people and learned a lot about our current layout and the history of the club. Since my entry into the club, I have been deeply involved in helping build the switch control panels around the layout. My main interest is to see our TWMRC layout continue to become more complete. Also, I enjoy seeing new members come on board and add energy, and enthusiasm to our club. I am very honored to serve as the CEO of the club and look forward to growth in membership, development of our layout, and a lot of fun along the way.
My love of railroading began during the summer of ’69 and ’70, between college sessions. I worked on a track gang for the MKT Railroad out of Hillsboro, Texas. The work was hard and we spent most of the time replacing ties and rail between Hillsboro and Ft. Worth and Hillsboro and Waxahachie. I developed a love of trains, the smell of creosote, and the rumble of F7’s and GP’s as they shook the ground.
I have been married for 48 years to the love of my life, Margreat. We have one son, Matt, and three terrific grandchildren. We love being grandparents to three terrific children. After graduating from the University of Texas in Austin in 1973, with a degree in Education, I spent five years as a football coach and science teacher in the Grand Prairie and Ft. Worth public schools. I decided to change careers in 1978 and went to work in the welding supply and gas industry. I worked full-time for Airgas until the end of December 2020, when I retired after 42 years of service with them!
Darrell Cowles, Chief Operating Officer
Jay Waters, Chief Administrative Officer
Howdy!! I have been a member of the Texas Western Model Railroad Club since 2011 and have served on the Board many of those years. I am widowed and have one son, Jeremy. My grandson, Jace, is my train buddy, we play and ride trains together every chance we get. I am an Aggie, class of ‘86’. I developed my love of trains from my Grandpa’s 8’x12’ Lionel layout.
My favorite railroad is the Santa Fe– a holdover from the Lionel set. I began collecting HO scale in my teens. Shortly before I joined the Club, I started the construction of my own personal layout and realized very quickly that I needed to learn from the experts how to do it the right way. Fortunately, I discovered the TWMRC and have found that there’s no better place to sit at the feet of the Masters to “learn the ropes” of model railroading. This Club is full of knowledge and camaraderie; we’re a model railroading family.
Chris Mahan, Chief Development Officer
Robert Rathgeber, Chief Financial Officer
My love of trains all started one day at about the age of 5. My father knew an engineer for the Jersey Central passenger pool. A trip was arranged to ride with him in the GP40 locomotive, and cab car. I still have memories from that day sitting on my father’s lap in the conductor’s seat. From that day forward, I glanced down every track I crossed in anticipation something might be coming. I have never lost that feeling!
I have a wonderful wife, Christine who, like myself, is a native of the NYC metro area. We recently celebrated our 10-year anniversary. We have a 9-year-old son named Gavin who keeps us busy with hockey and soccer. We have lived in Keller for 3 years. I also have two children, Robbie Jr, 23, and Samantha, 18, from a previous marriage.