I am currently cataloguing the furnishings of our restored Pullman lounge-restaurant-sleeping car Lotus Club. I'm trying to track down the donor of the car, Mr. Peter Tilp, formerly of Short Hills, NJ. We have several questions to ask him that will aid us immeasurably in our cataloguing efforts. He owned (and restored) the car while it was stored at Tilp Industries in northern New Jersey from 1967 until 1981, when he donated it to the RR Museum of PA. Previous attempts to track him down were fruitless. If anyone knows of his whereabouts, I'd be interested to know. Thanking you in advance!

K.R. Bell
RR Museum of PA

> I am currently cataloguing the furnishings
> of our restored Pullman
> lounge-restaurant-sleeping car Lotus Club.
> I'm trying to track down the donor of the
> car, Mr. Peter Tilp, formerly of Short
> Hills, NJ. We have several questions to ask
> him that will aid us immeasurably in our
> cataloguing efforts. He owned (and restored)
> the car while it was stored at Tilp
> Industries in northern New Jersey from 1967
> until 1981. Tilp Ind. was in Union, NJ. This car used to sit at the plant, which was right off Rt. 22, while I was going to Kean College(Now Kean University)in Union 1970 - 1978.


Martyhuck@aol.com

(snip)> I'm trying to track down the donor of the
> car, Mr. Peter Tilp, formerly of Short
> Hills, NJ. We have several questions to ask
> him that will aid us immeasurably in our
> cataloguing efforts. He owned (and restored)
> the car while it was stored at Tilp
> Industries in northern New Jersey from 1967
> until 1981, when he donated it to the RR
> Museum of PA. Previous attempts to track him
> down were fruitless. If anyone knows of his
> whereabouts, I'd be interested to know.
> Thanking you in advance!

> K.R. Bell
> RR Museum of PA

I can't give you a current address or phone number, but do know that he segregated his rail-related business under the DBA of Calumet East, Inc., so you may be able to track something under that name. Some of the earlier heads in AAPRCO who are still around may also be of help. Unfortunately, one AARPCO person with a veritable encyclopedic knowledge of '50's and '60's private car ownership and operations and who probably could have rattled off the information right from the top of his head, Larry Haines, passed away a couple of years ago.

FWIW, Peter also owned a second car, ERIE ONE, which was sold 10/83 to megacollector Al Nippert of Cincinnati and later went to the Morristown & Eastern in New Jersey, where it was stored for a while at their company shops and later moved to the old High Iron Co. siding in Lebanon, NJ, which leads me to believe it was probably privately- and not railroad-owned. Am unsure of its present whereabouts or ownership.

pullmandave@juno.com

> Sorry--the New Jersey reference should have been Morristown & Erie, not Morristown & Eastern.


pullmandave@juno.com

I used to work for Peter Tilp in 1976 at Adams Industries in Union, NJ. As company "handyman" it was my job to maintain the "Lotus Club" Pullman car, and to maintain a garage full of classic antique automobiles in various states of restoration.

Yesterday, I was searching for the whereabouts of Peter and I came across this death notice. I was deeply saddened to see that he is no longer with us......I truly cherished our friendship.

http://www.genealogybank.com/gbnk/ssdi/ ... D038593390

I am not an expert, by any stretch of the imagination, regarding Pullman cars.......but Peter did educate me quite a bit about Lotus Club and Pullmans in general. If there is anything still left unanswered concerning Lotus Club, I might be able to answer that for you. I'll be happy to share my experiences with you concerning the Adams Industries days -- as they relate to Lotus Club.

Please know that Peter had, in the basement of the guardhouse of Adams Industries, the world's largest Pullman commissary. Walking into that basement was like stepping back in history 60 years!