Railroad Supply History

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Mikadoguy
Posts: 72
Joined: Wed Dec 24, 2014 10:23 pm
Location: Nashua, NH

Re: Railroad Supply History

Post by Mikadoguy »

Question, Is Chet's Mikado still around?

Going back to the 2-8-0, Don Marshall of Woodstock, VT had built the first 3 RRSC 2-8-0. One is in New Hampshire which is the green one in the pictures. Number 97 is owned by Nick Edwards son (Loren) and is at Nick's track in Texas. Number 99 was rebuilt by my dad (Mike) and later shipped back to California to Railroad Supply. I am not sure where it is today but it was sold to a customer in California back in the 90's.

Here are a few pictures of the engines. Guy in the overalls is Tom Summers and the pictures were taken in the early 90's at Nicks first track he built in Nashua NH, which is still around today but in very very bad shape. The owners of the house really have not kept up the keeping.

Note: The last picture Tom Summers has stopped to take a pose. The main line to the right is the Northern Main Line (ex Boston and Maine Railroad) now owned by Pan Am Railways the company i work for.
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Nashua Meet.jpg
97 Nashua.jpg
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Nashua Meet2.jpg
Mikadoguy
Posts: 72
Joined: Wed Dec 24, 2014 10:23 pm
Location: Nashua, NH

Re: Railroad Supply History

Post by Mikadoguy »

I never knew he was friends with Walt and Roland Reagan. Short story he had dinner late one night during work. He sat with an older gentleman not sure of the name, but he invited him to Dick Jackson later that Sunday. That sunday he listened to the guys talk about their railroads they had in the back yard. Chet was fascinated with it. LOL he want home and talked to his wife if he could get one. His wife said only if you build me a car port. So he did, that is how the northern he built came to life. This was in Moldtec i think june 1984 and this was also in part of the theme park trains RRSC was doing. 15, 18, and 24.

I Will be adding a history page in Memory of Chester (Chet) Peterson. It will be in the new Catalog i am working on for RSC. I would like a list of people that have worked for Railroad Supply past and present. I have the list of owners. If anyone has more info or history please feel free to message me. I am very very happy how the catalog is coming out and i hope when i publish it with the web site i hope you guys like it as well.

Steve
Mikadoguy
Posts: 72
Joined: Wed Dec 24, 2014 10:23 pm
Location: Nashua, NH

Re: Railroad Supply History

Post by Mikadoguy »

Preview of the new Catalog.
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lfisher
Posts: 69
Joined: Sat Mar 01, 2014 2:19 pm

Re: Railroad Supply History

Post by lfisher »

As previously mentioned Gerry Bowden was a very talented contract builder from Oregon. Gerry built several 173s during the time I worked at RRSC. One of his 173s appeared on a display trestle on the cover of the catalog. I don’t recall which edition.
Berkman
Posts: 679
Joined: Wed Aug 16, 2017 7:55 pm

Re: Railroad Supply History

Post by Berkman »

That green 2-8-0 is stunning. It looks to have an extended smokebox ?
griffithparktrains
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Aug 23, 2018 2:12 pm

Re: Railroad Supply History

Post by griffithparktrains »

Hi All
This is Don Gustavson, son of Gene Gustavson, current owner of the Griffith Park Train Rides and former shareholder in and President (albeit briefly) of Railroad Supply and it's successor GP Recreations. I found this thread while doing research for my Dad's eulogy. He died a couple of months ago at the age of 104. I knew Chet and Jim and Jerry and Royal and Nick Edwards (who is alive and well in Texas).

I plead guilty to not being a train or model machinist although I admire the beautiful work you guys do. I would like to offer to any appropriate person (not sure who) my couple of boxes of RRSC material including a few old catalogs from RRSC, Little Engines, Winton, Severn Lamb, Scale Models and miscellaneous including the Recreational Railroad Engineering Handbook my father wrote in the late 70's. I might even have some original engineering drawings, I will have to look for them.

Interesting reading all of this. Let me know if I can be of help.
Cary Stewart
Posts: 542
Joined: Wed Jun 08, 2011 5:54 pm

Re: Railroad Supply History

Post by Cary Stewart »

That Engneering Handbook started out as Winton Brown's engineering notes in his catalogs. Chet put it all together in a little red or orange booklet that RRSC sold.
Gerry Bowden lived in Oregon and was a designated builder for RRSC.
I think there was early on some talk about a series of USRA locos. The plan probably was more expensive than the investors were willing to take on. Chet always referred to some of the investors as heart people. Many men tried to talk Chet into doing 1870s-1890s Baldwin locos as many of the parts would be interchangeable. Chet chose to build the CP173 and the O-4-0s because they already had sales records. CP173 was no longer available and there was some demand. The 0-4-0s were from the Varney HO "Docksider" and the tender version. The 2-6-0 and 2-8-0 were extensions of this but had no actual prototype. I think the 2-8-0 was the best looking of the three.
Cary Stewart
Posts: 542
Joined: Wed Jun 08, 2011 5:54 pm

Re: Railroad Supply History

Post by Cary Stewart »

That big wood pattern for a diesel truck may be for the trucks under the Travel Town diesel. I don't remember Winton planning a 15" gage diesel.
Cary Stewart
Posts: 542
Joined: Wed Jun 08, 2011 5:54 pm

Re: Railroad Supply History

Post by Cary Stewart »

Don,
Please consider the Los Angeles Live Steamers RR Museum as a recipient of that box of paper. The engineering prints probably should go to Mike of RSC if they are for any of the RRSC product.
Cary
JohnK
Posts: 241
Joined: Mon Aug 15, 2005 11:13 am
Location: Beverly-by-the-Boston & Maine, MA
Contact:

Re: Railroad Supply History

Post by JohnK »

Mikadoguy wrote: Wed May 31, 2017 10:09 pm Here are a few pictures of the engines. Guy in the overalls is Tom Summers and the pictures were taken in the early 90's at Nicks first track he built in Nashua NH, which is still around today but in very very bad shape. The owners of the house really have not kept up the keeping.
In your first picture, I don't know whoever's at the left. The lady in red is I believe Barbara Purinton, wife of Charlie Purinton (not 100% sure, though). The man next to her (on her left) is Carl Purinton. The guy in the plaid shirt, I'm not sure and will check other photos from that day. The kid in the white-ish sweatshirt with the horizontal stripe, is me, about age 19. Nick Edwards at extreme right.

Photo 3 is Carl Purinton at left, I think it's Steve Hawes leaning against pole (not sure), Tom Glod on 1st engine, Tom Summers 2nd engine, me (seated or crouching), & Bob Hornsby standing.

I remember this meet like it was yesterday.
Mikadoguy
Posts: 72
Joined: Wed Dec 24, 2014 10:23 pm
Location: Nashua, NH

Re: Railroad Supply History

Post by Mikadoguy »

Here are some pictures I have found as I was going through the railroad supply stuff. I found a few pictures of the USRA 0-6-0 that the were going to offer.
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Mikadoguy
Posts: 72
Joined: Wed Dec 24, 2014 10:23 pm
Location: Nashua, NH

Re: Railroad Supply History

Post by Mikadoguy »

Few more Pictures.
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RRSC1.pdf
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RRSC2.pdf
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RRSC3.pdf
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RRSC4.pdf
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GE 25 Toner Adver.pdf
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4-4-0 and 0-4-0 adver.pdf
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