Grayson County TXGenWeb

The Interurban

Robert W. Richardson (1910-2007)

2007
..."After graduating from high school, Bob embarked on the first of several careers. He worked for a local hardware company, started and operated his own print shop until the Depression forced him to close it, and, as he was to do later in another field, turned a hobby - stamp collecting - into a career. He was hired by George Linn, owner and creator of Linn's Stampe News," which is still being published today, as second editor. As he did with all of his many interests, Bob learned all he could about stamps, their countries of origin and the various aspects of collecting. Even in recent months, he had been corresponding and answering questions on philatelic matters. Thinking that he was about to be called up for military service, Bob left Linn's employ, but when he learned that his induction was put off for a while, he went to work for the Seiberling Rubber Company as an advertising representative, in which capacity he traveled extensively through the southern states. All of this traveling enabled him to indulge in his real passion, riding trains, and he took every opportunity he could fine to ride the many short line railroads. Bob had been captivated by trains and trolleys since he was a little boy, spending hours watching trains at the rail yards near his home and riding them in the yards when indulgent engineers and conductors would "look the other way" as he put it. When Bob went into service, it was with the Army Signal Cops in Iran. While there, always anxious to learn about everything, he learned to read Farsi and studied and photographed Persian railroads and equipment, as well as building, monuments and people. As one of his many talents, Bob was a top-notch photographer all of his life. After he came out of the Army, Bob and a friend pooled their resources and moved out to Colorado, a state with which Bob had fallen in love years before, and opened the Narrow Gauge Motel in Alamosa. While operating the motel, Bob acquired narrow gauge railroad artifacts and equipment, which he displayed on the grounds of the motel, along with artifacts and equipment owned by the Rocky Mountain Railroad Club. He also began the publication of a newsletter that he called "Narrow Gauge News," which in time, became the Colorado Railroad Museum's "Iron Horse News." Most of the content of these publications was written by Bob, who was a gifted writer. Through his writing and the many speeches and programs he gave on the subject, he was a tireless advocate for the preservation of historic narrow gauge rail lines and equipment, being substantially responsible for the presence of the popular Silverton and the Cumbres and Toltec rail operations today. Bob continued to acquire railroad equipment and artifacts, including the famous Denver and Rio Grande Western Locomotive 346. Along the way, he formed a friendship with Cornelius W. Hauck, a financier and rail enthusiast from Cincinnati, Ohio, who worked with Bob in setting up and supplying with equipment the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, outside of Denver, which opened to the public in 1959. In addition to displaying rail equipment, cars, locomotives and artifacts, under Bob's guidance, the museum became a first class source for books and other memorabilia for rail fans to purchase and eventually, the repository of a first class library on railroad matters. The library recently moved into a larger new building which was dedicated a few years ago and name the Robert W. Richardson Library. Bob served as Executive Director of the Museum until 1991, when he retired and moved to Pennsylvania. But he didn't really retire because he became a prolific writer, being the author of several books on railroad history, especially pertaining to Colorado. One of the books, "Chasing Trains," is largely autobiographical and all of the books contain a number of photographs that he has taken over the more than half a century. He has also written scores of informative letters to hundreds of correspondents, not only answering questions on railroad matters, but matters pertaining to streetcars and philately. Additionally, Bob spent hours traveling around the country surrounding Bellefonte, learning more about its history and geography, probably than many who have lived here all of their lives. And he was a regular at the YMCA, where he water walked several times a week for exercise and made many friends in the process.