Right of Way Industries

[Big Walnut Railroader]

Does anyone know where you can find information on Right of Way Industries?

[Buckeye Riveter]

Does anyone know where you can find information on Right of Way Industries?

Big Walnut, I believe they went out of business. You see some of their products on eBay from time to time.   If I remember correctly, weren't they an Akron company? 

 

[Big Walnut Railroader]

yea, they were from Akron. All I know about them was that they made switches and locos/cars from brass. But, I haven't seen anywhere where you can read up on their products or history.

[Buckeye Riveter]

I have a signal that was made from them.  They made great products.

BTW, I am downstream from you and very close to Big Walnut Creek.

[wrmcclellan]

R-O-W has been out of business for many years now. Their products (i.e. brass articulateds, some cars, a nice docksider, signals and crossing gates) were innnovative for their time, but would be considered rudimentary today - like early Williams brass locos. One of the most desired items is a very powerful transformer for O gauge layouts. There was some chatter a while back regarding whether Bill Benson was still alive or not. I do not recall the outcome of that discussion.

Here is one of their B&O articulateds on the 'Bay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/3-Rail-Right-of-Way-Industries-B-O-2-8-8-0-enhanced_W0QQitemZ180112371484QQihZ008QQcategoryZ485QQcmdZViewItem

Note it originally sold for $1800 many years ago and now sells for around a few hundred dollars.

There where some rumors years ago that the crossing gates and B&O style signals R-O-W made were picked up by MTH. They look very similar.

[Bob Keller]

We ran an article "CTT Visits Right of Way Industries" in the December 1990 issue. We also reviewed the following products:

Right-Of-Way Industries Winter 89 Diesel sound system – Gordon Odegard
Right-of-Way Industries Spring 89 AC flasher unit – Dick Christianson
Right-Of-Way Industries Feb 90 O gauge C&O 2-6-6-2 – Dick Christianson
Right-of-Way Industries Jun 90 O gauge sound-equipped stockcar – Jim Bunte
Right-of-Way Industries Oct 90 400 watt AC transformer – Jim Bunte
Right-of-Way Industries Dec 91 O gauge brass B&O 0-4-0T Dockside switcher – Jim Bunte
Right-of-Way Industries Dec 92 AC fixed voltage transformer – Jim Bunte
Right-of-Way Industries Jan 93 O gauge brass Shay locomotive – Jim Bunte

If you can find a copy of the TM Books one-shot "3-Rail Illustrated Price Guide" listing three-rail trains (other than Lionel or K-Line) it also contains some handy production info.

[sir james I]

That R-O-W transfomer is still the best there is for heavy power loads. It will run trains all day and not even get warm.I use to run a fan on my post war ZW it would get so hot, not so with the R-O-W 400w.

[ben10ben]

I think that there's still some ill will toward ROW in the train world due to the fact that the owner made off with a large sum of money collected on a never-delivered engine when the company shut down.

In any case, the ROW transformer is a tank for sure. I believe that it used a pair of 200 watt industrial 120 volt to 18 volt transformers, with a variac behind each of them to vary the voltage. I don't think that you ever kill one. I had the oppourtunity to buy one once for a very good price, and have been kicking myself since then for letting it go.

[sir james I]

He seem to do well with what he offered,but you are right about his finances'I don't want to spread false rumers but I understand the state of Ohio went after him.