Robert W. Richardson
Encyclopedia
Robert W. Richardson, also known as Bob Richardson (May 21, 1910, Rochester, Pennsylvania
- February 23, 2007, Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
) was an American
writer and narrow gauge railway preservationist.
in 1915, and attended high school there. As a teenager, he enjoyed watching and photographing trains in Ohio
and Pennsylvania
: his photographic archiving of soon-to-vanish railroads began in May 1931 when he borrowed a camera to record a day with the Ohio River & Western Railway near Key, Ohio. Diverted from a college education, he worked for a local hardware concern before starting his own small print shop. The Depression years were especially hard for printers, and his shop closed in 1937. A keen philatelist, he then worked for George Linn as the second editor of Linn's Weekly Stamp News
.
Fortunately for rail hobbyists and historians, Richardson kept up his interest in railroad operations and history. Journeys to northwestern Pennsylvania during the 1930s and early 1940s took him to the Sheffield and Tionesta Railway, the Tionesta Valley Railway and the Clarion River Railway. Anticipating military service, he quit his job with Linn's. Subsequently learning that he would not be called up for some time, he took a job as an advertising representative for the Seiberling Rubber Company, which required him to travel extensively through the southern states.
In the summer of 1941, Richardson and a friend came to Colorado
for the first time, making an unforgettable circle tour on the narrow gauge. He become completely enamored of the slim gauge railroads of Colorado. After military service during World War II
with the Army Signal Corps in Iran
, where he studied the Persian railroads and learned to read Persian, he returned to his job with Seiberling, but made repeated vacation trips touring the Colorado's narrow gauge railroads in 1945, 1946 and 1947, eventually deciding to make his home there.
Quitting his job in 1948, Richardson and an Ohio friend pooled their resources to open the Narrow Gauge Motel in Alamosa. The grounds offered a fine place to display some of the narrow gauge equipment he had purchased, along with that saved by the Rocky Mountain Railroad Club. From 1948 to 1958 he sporadically published Narrow Gauge News, a newsletter which later became the Colorado Railroad Museum's Iron Horse News. At Alamosa, Bob Richardson tirelessly railed against the abandonment of the historic narrow gauge lines: his untiring efforts and the publicity he generated were among the primary reasons that the Silverton Train and the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad
were preserved for future generations.
While in Alamosa, Richardson amassed a formidable collection of railroad artifacts and equipment, including famed D&RGW locomotive No. 346, which he purchased with his own funds in 1950. Then Cornelius W. Hauck, another prominent railroad enthusiast from Ohio, acquired D&RGW 2-8-0 No. 318 and placed it at the motel. Bob's friendship with "Corny" Hauck led to the establishment of the Colorado Railroad Museum
in Golden
. Purchase of the former farm just east of Golden was completed in 1958, and the museum was officially opened to the public in July 1959. Construction of the Iron Horse Motel next door was intended to be an additional source of operating revenue, but instead proved to be overly time-consuming and was sold. Several years down the road, the motel was purchased and razed to make way for the roundhouse restoration facility and to enable completion of a loop of narrow gauge track. Bob served as Executive Director of the Colorado Railroad Museum until 1991, when he decided to retire and move back to join family in Pennsylvania, where he had been raised. The Robert W. Richardson Railroad Library at the museum was created and named in his honor.
Richardson wrote for both Trains
and Railroad magazines, and throughout his life published books chronicling narrow gauge railroads. It is no exaggeration to say that he did more than any other individual to preserve Colorado's unique railroad heritage.
Rochester, Pennsylvania
Rochester is a borough in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located northwest of Pittsburgh, it is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The population was 4,014 at the 2000 census....
- February 23, 2007, Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
Bellefonte is a borough in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It lies about twelve miles northeast of State College and is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area...
) was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer and narrow gauge railway preservationist.
Life
Richardson moved with his parents to Akron, OhioAkron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
in 1915, and attended high school there. As a teenager, he enjoyed watching and photographing trains in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
: his photographic archiving of soon-to-vanish railroads began in May 1931 when he borrowed a camera to record a day with the Ohio River & Western Railway near Key, Ohio. Diverted from a college education, he worked for a local hardware concern before starting his own small print shop. The Depression years were especially hard for printers, and his shop closed in 1937. A keen philatelist, he then worked for George Linn as the second editor of Linn's Weekly Stamp News
Linn's Stamp News
Linn's Stamp News an American publication, is the largest weekly newspaper for stamp collectors, with a paid circulation of just over 46,000 Circulation peaked at almost 92,000 in 1978 and has declined ever since because fewer new collectors are subscribing to replace those who subscribed in the...
.
Fortunately for rail hobbyists and historians, Richardson kept up his interest in railroad operations and history. Journeys to northwestern Pennsylvania during the 1930s and early 1940s took him to the Sheffield and Tionesta Railway, the Tionesta Valley Railway and the Clarion River Railway. Anticipating military service, he quit his job with Linn's. Subsequently learning that he would not be called up for some time, he took a job as an advertising representative for the Seiberling Rubber Company, which required him to travel extensively through the southern states.
In the summer of 1941, Richardson and a friend came to Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
for the first time, making an unforgettable circle tour on the narrow gauge. He become completely enamored of the slim gauge railroads of Colorado. After military service during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
with the Army Signal Corps in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, where he studied the Persian railroads and learned to read Persian, he returned to his job with Seiberling, but made repeated vacation trips touring the Colorado's narrow gauge railroads in 1945, 1946 and 1947, eventually deciding to make his home there.
Quitting his job in 1948, Richardson and an Ohio friend pooled their resources to open the Narrow Gauge Motel in Alamosa. The grounds offered a fine place to display some of the narrow gauge equipment he had purchased, along with that saved by the Rocky Mountain Railroad Club. From 1948 to 1958 he sporadically published Narrow Gauge News, a newsletter which later became the Colorado Railroad Museum's Iron Horse News. At Alamosa, Bob Richardson tirelessly railed against the abandonment of the historic narrow gauge lines: his untiring efforts and the publicity he generated were among the primary reasons that the Silverton Train and the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad
Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad
The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is a narrow gauge heritage railroad running between Chama, New Mexico and Antonito, Colorado. It runs over the Cumbres Pass, the highest point on a US passenger railway....
were preserved for future generations.
While in Alamosa, Richardson amassed a formidable collection of railroad artifacts and equipment, including famed D&RGW locomotive No. 346, which he purchased with his own funds in 1950. Then Cornelius W. Hauck, another prominent railroad enthusiast from Ohio, acquired D&RGW 2-8-0 No. 318 and placed it at the motel. Bob's friendship with "Corny" Hauck led to the establishment of the Colorado Railroad Museum
Colorado Railroad Museum
The Colorado Railroad Museum is a non-profit railroad museum The museum is located on at a point where Clear Creek flows between North and South Table Mountains in Golden, Colorado....
in Golden
Golden, Colorado
The City of Golden is a home rule municipality that is the county seat of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. Golden lies along Clear Creek at the edge of the foothills of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Founded during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush on 16 June 1859, the mining camp was...
. Purchase of the former farm just east of Golden was completed in 1958, and the museum was officially opened to the public in July 1959. Construction of the Iron Horse Motel next door was intended to be an additional source of operating revenue, but instead proved to be overly time-consuming and was sold. Several years down the road, the motel was purchased and razed to make way for the roundhouse restoration facility and to enable completion of a loop of narrow gauge track. Bob served as Executive Director of the Colorado Railroad Museum until 1991, when he decided to retire and move back to join family in Pennsylvania, where he had been raised. The Robert W. Richardson Railroad Library at the museum was created and named in his honor.
Richardson wrote for both Trains
Trains (magazine)
Trains is a monthly magazine dedicated to trains and railroads, and is one of the two flagship publications of Kalmbach Publishing. The magazine is read both by railroad enthusiasts, commonly referred to as railfans, and those within the railroad industry....
and Railroad magazines, and throughout his life published books chronicling narrow gauge railroads. It is no exaggeration to say that he did more than any other individual to preserve Colorado's unique railroad heritage.
Works
- Chasing trains : the lifetime story of the founder of the Colorado Railroad Museum, 1995
External links
- 'A Colorado Life - Love for trains kept career chugging for decades', Denver Post obituary