| Rollin Lobaugh October
18, 1895 - February 1965 |
| Model Railroader |
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Manufacturer Lobaugh, 1931, began selling small screws
in the 080 and 00-90 sizes. In addition to small parts, during WW II the US military also ordered their gyroscopes
- Lobaugh Scale Models: a
complete broad line of locomotives, cars and parts. Noted for good mechanisms and realistic detail. Parts were
made of sheet brass using punch press methods, larger castings were done in bronze.
- Lobaugh Scale Models gained
a wonderful reputation with O Scalers; unfortunately, in the business world it was noted only as a "hobby"
company manufacturing beautiful O gauge equipment but not commanding a price sufficiently marketable to grow. Super
products, but none made in volume.
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- 1932,
first line of freight cars offered for sale followed by (in no particular order; most of the list below was produced
in 1/4 scale. Lobaugh did manufacture a few 17/64 scale models that are fairly rare these days. Those seen were
1930's production models and featured a very heavy solid core frame and exposed worm gear drive; the same prototype
was released post-WW II by Lobaugh in 1/4 scale with lost wax castings, an enclosed gear box and sprung drivers.
O Scale evolution.). Noted machinist Al Ellis was Lobaugh's main designer and he continued adding to the Lobaugh line over the few years
that he owned it. Many locomotives were built during the Rollin Lobaugh period that were never listed in the Lobaugh
catalogs. These locomotives were sold both in the US and overseas occasionally surfacing at public auctions. Known
catalog items:
- bronze
side frames on his trucks which seemed to roll on forever
- CNW Berkshire 2-8-4
- SP S12 0-6-0 with slope
back or round tender
- SP 0-6-0 with short Vanderbilt
tender
- Mongrel Mogul 2-6-0
- USRA light Pacific 4-6-2
- SP 2-8-2
- 2-8-2 with LW castings
(added to line by Al Ellis, 1957)
- NH
4-4-0
- 4-6-2
with Low Drivers
- B&O
4-6-2
- MP
& SP 4-8-2
- C&O
Greenbriar
4-8-4
- UP
FEF-1 4-8-4
- SP
Daylight 4-8-4
- UP
and D&H 4-6-6-4
- UP
Northern (made 1941 only)
- AC-8
SP 4-8-8-4
- AC-9
SP 2-8-8-2
- D&H,
NP and DRGW 4-6-6-4
- UP
Challenger 4-6-6-4
- Climax
- fairly
generic 40' box car with metal underframe with coupler pockets and bolsters
- old-time
passenger car trucks, bronze sideframe and brass bolster
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- 1941,
typical locomotive sold for $175 ready to run or $114.50 in kit form. To compare this to current, an average worker in of this period made
about $45 (US) a week, and the end model was crude by modern standards... most would rework the model, detail and
paint it to suit their tastes after purchasing it — modern O Scale modelers are getting much more affordable and
highly detailed models.
- 1941
catalog noted that Jerry White and his father, I.E. Lobaugh, worked to assemble the kits.
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- A history
of these early manufacturers has been published by Carstens Publications: 150 Years of Train Models by Hal Carstens. "Patent models were among the very first locomotive and train models made over 150
years ago. As railroads expanded, a demand grew for models of these fabulous, smoke belching locomotives. Wood
and paper models were followed by lithographed tin pull toys and cast iron windups and then electric models. The
scale model industry started small as men like Paul Egolf, Fred Icken, Rollin Lobaugh, Bill Walthers, Gordon Varney,
Hugh Nason, and Howell Day began producing scale kits. Read about the start of NMRA, TCA, TTOS, HIAA, and MRIA.
Features over 400 photos of pioneers, products, and layouts. 152 pages, hardcover."
- Additional information
is available upon request from the Walthers Collection library of the National Model Railroad Association (NMRA). E-mail them for more details.
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LOBAUGH ownership through
the years…
- R.J.
Lobaugh, 1930-1956
- Al Ellis, 1956-1959 prime designer and builder for R.J.
Lobaugh for many years. Chosen successor by R.J. Lobaugh,
but he was a better designer and machinist than as a builder. Several items (Mikado and other dies) were sold to
Henry Pearce during this period (1956-57) and these later were sold by the Pearce estate to Stevenson Preservation
Lines. Al was a man of few words and a fine craftsman..
- Jack Campbell, 1959 - December
1982
- Occasional Lobaugh employee
under Al Ellis, he moved Lobaugh shop and inventory into his own garage and property. The transition of the inventory
from Ellis possession to Campbell began with storage and shipping in the began long before the sale was complete
by 1958-59, Campbell was listed as the proprietor (in ads & catalog) and handled all sales and orders. When
Al was unable to keep up the payments, or work, due to illness, then the ownership reverted to Lobaugh. Eventually,
by the mid-1960's, the sale was finalized with Jack Campbell buying the company from the Lobaughs.
- OSN records show some limited
advertising and catalogs through the 1970's but little manufacturing.
- OSN records note Mr. Campbell
as the caretaker of the Lobaugh materials, but he did add one model to the line. Once the last of the original
inventory of kits created in the Lobaugh-Ellis period sold out. Vince Waterman reports that Jack did advertise
one "new" model in the 1960s, a Suburban locomotive, which was unique even though it was assembled using
available parts. By the 1970s, Lobaugh catalogs issued by Jack Campbell focused on Lobaugh parts including frames,
wheels, and drivers.
- Alan
Drucker, brief period early 1983,
bought the Lobaugh inventory from the Campbell estate and moved it into his garage. He owned Lobaugh inventory
(including dies etal.) only long enough to sell the company some said (others recall buying Lobaugh kits from him
during this brief time). He advertised this sale in OSN (1 issue, display ad) and other publications with classifieds.
But after a few months Jan Lorenzen and Vince Waterman banded together to buy out his interest. Of course it wasn't
easy as they had to move the Lobaugh inventory (parts/dies/tools) back East and…
- 1983 LOBAUGH Split! (35,000 pounds of parts and dies for less than a penny
a pound)
- Jan Lorenzen, Locomotive Workshop, 1983-2001
- Acquired most of the Lobaugh
line along with Rollin Lobaugh's drill press. In all, Jan received about 2/3rd of the parts and all of the dies
except for the 4-4-0 Climax.
- 2001 update, Lobaugh dies and molds sold to Bob Stevenson, Stevenson Preservation Lines
(now in Iowa, see SUPPLIER page)
- 2002 update, no true Lobaugh kits remaining in
stock — a few parts and screws remain available found in bins following sale of stock to SPL though Jan still has
the drill press which is being sold in late 2002 before LocoWorks moves to a new home. In preparation for the move,
Jan located a number of additional parts, dies and castings. Most were sold to Stevenson Preservation Lines. The
exception was truck sideframes. The Lobaugh truck sideframs (and means to make more) are still for sale at LocoWorks
as of 7/16/2002.
- 2003, last tools sold.
- Jan retains documentation on Lobaugh.
- Vince
& Edith Waterman,
Trackside
Specialties/Trackside 'O' Specialty,
1983-2002
- 1983, after buying the
Lobaugh inventory and working to move the load cross country, Vince's share included the molds for a 4-4-0 Climax
and 1/3rd of all other parts (frames, drivers, and misc.) in the inventory. Vince also has Lobaugh's lathe and
drill press which he uses for business and personal modeling to this day.
- 1996, Vince sold the balance
of spare parts back to Jan Lorenzen.
- 2002 update (March), the
4-4-0 Climax items (dies and parts) in the inventory of Trackside 'O' Specialty will be sold this year with the
business. Vince & Edith Waterman plan to retire in 2002. Sale and new owner will be announced in OSN. Vince
will continue selling parts and doing business as Trackside 'O' until the sale goes through and afterwards help
the new owner get on their feet.
- Stevenson
Preservation Lines, Bob Stevenson,
2001-present
- 2001, [St. Charles, IL] re-release, updated Lobaugh
Mikado (over 380 parts in kit form) from his archive of some of the Lobaugh tooling and lost-wax patterns with
the remaining parts filled in. These came from Henry Pearce along with a number of other patterns. SPL has also
issued an illustrated catalog of their many parts and acquired many Lobaugh parts, molds, and masters from Jan
Lorenzen of Locomotive Workshop.
- 2002, [Iowa] relocated to Iowa (see VIA MAIL)
and after settling and sorting the parts, expanded yet again the size of his ship. Added more drivers and Southern
Pacific brass parts to line. REALLY NICE drivers from the look and feel of samples examined in March 2002 as well
as 13 separate styles of boiler fronts. His table at the 2004 March Meet was heavy with quality polished brass
castings. Continues to acquire bits and pieces of the Lobaugh line making Bob the man to see if you are working
on Lobaugh equipment. Bob Stevenson continues to release more parts each year.
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Publisher — Lobaugh Publishing Co.
- Brochures, Catalogs, Short
Booklets mostly to promote Lobaugh products. such as:
- Lobaugh, Rollin J. Lobaugh.
Catalog of Model Railroading: The
Standard Quarter-Inch Scale Authority. San Francisco, Calif.: Lobaugh Publishing Co., 1940. 76 pages, printed wrappers, illustrated
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Lobaugh References
- "The Lobaugh AC-8
Cab-Forward, Builder's Corner" column by Bob Turner. 1989, 48/ft, O Scale News OSN 103 pg. 25.
- "The Lobaugh Berkshire,
Builder's Corner" by Bob Turner. 1992, 48/ft, O Scale News OSN pg. 53.
- "The Lobaugh Challengers,
Builder's Corner" by Bob Turner. 1995, 48/ft, O Scale News OSN pg. 28.
- "The Mongrel Pacific"
by Martin H. Ackroyd. 1986, 48/ft,
O Scale News
OSN 86 pg. 18.
- 150
Years of Train Models by Harold H. "Hal" Carstens. Hardcover, 152 pgs.; Carstens Publications, Inc.,
1999. (section on Lobaugh written by a contemporary)
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| Model Railroad Industry Association (MRIA) Hall
of Fame, 1996 |
