Bill Roff's Clinchfield

[dnevil]

Does anyone know anything about Bill Roff of Tryon, N.C. and his "Clinchfield" 7-1/2 inch gauge railroad? It was featured in the November 1976 issue of "Railroad Model Craftsman".

http://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?tit ... linchfield

Would like to add more information to this article. Google turns up nothing.

Thanks!
Daris

[Pontiacguy1]

I may be wrong, but I think that Scott Baxter owns at least one of those locomotives now, although I haven't seen it in quite a few years. It may not be the same, but I do remember him running some Clinchfield diesels that looked an awful lot like that down at Mid-South in Columbia, TN. I remember seeing those diesels I do believe.

My memory may be fading, though. It's been a long time and I was just a kid.

[mlong4]

What a funny coincidence that I would find this link online on Father's Day, 2016. My father, the referenced Bill Roff of Tryon, NC, passed away suddenly in 1982. A close friend in Tennessee helped my mother find new homes for Daddy's extensive train collection, including the Clinchfield-motif items mentioned in the first post of this chain. I do not know where those items are now, given that >30 years have passed since they were ours. However, given how much care and attention Daddy put into building his collection, I am sure they found a home with an appreciative collector, and I hope that someone is still enjoying them.

Bill's elder daughter

[Pontiacguy1]

I do believe that Scott Baxter still has these locomotives. I remember seeing them, and I think that he still owns them.

Funny story... about 4 or 5 years ago, someone came onto his property and stole the box trailer that all of his trains are stored in. I imagine they were after the trailer and didn't realize what they had actually stolen. Well, an APB went out to all local railroad clubs, local law enforcement, and even the local TV and news got involved. Once the thieves figured out that they were not going to be able to get rid of the stuff they had without being found out, they abandoned the trailer on the side of the road where it could easily be found, undamaged. Scott said that all of the stuff was fine and nothing was damaged, although it had moved around just a bit in the trailer.

The story is funny only because it had a happy ending. I imagine a lot of people aren't so lucky. There has been a lot of theft of trailers around here in Tennessee in the past few years. Mainly, because a thief can hook up to and drive off with something that they know is worth several thousand dollars, and since Tennessee doesn't require a trailer tag on most stuff, they are not easily traced down to their original owners.

[Fender]

Yeah, in Tennessee you'd best remove one of the wheels, if a trailer is going to be parked outside for any length of time.