My newly-arrived, newly-made reproduction Thompson cap:

Oh, you got one of the "special" Thompsons, the ones that defy gravity. Hope the boys didn't charge you too much extra for that.

I have heard that the current stock of them is IT, no more when they're gone. Randy and Brent, any official comment here?

Howard P.

I want a hat (or even the whole outfit!) that "Hogger" wears in "Emperor of the North."





There's some great period railroad clothes in that movie.

Darn. You got the Australian version.

No wonder my home office is always a mess, everything is upside down (image orientation corrected).

Steve, the hat in the photos you show seems to look a lot like the pleated Kromer caps that Mr. Dailey mentioned in his thread. The maker of the reproduction ones has some denim styles on his eBay store page that closely resemble that.

Here are some Jack Delano photograhps. Lee overalls and wool winter Kromer caps seem to dominate. I also spot some Mackinaw coats. Note the switchman has ankle straps on, a wise choice given his profession.

Here's a couple of more Jack Delano photos. In the photo in front of the locomotive, the man wearing the big white hat appears to be wearing one of the Kromer pleated caps.

To me, the hogger's cap, with it's squarish visor, looks more like a Lee. See photo attached below. The first guy from the left (pointing his finger) in the second picture, however, looks like he might be wearing a Kromer, as the visor is round.

The Jack Delano pics are fantastic, especially the big Kodachrome color transparencies.

The guy standing at the switch is wearing a Kromer Blizzard Kap (that's what they called them), with the flaps that can be pulled down over your ears. Same pill shaped visor as all the rest of the Kromer line. Pics below. They quit making the Blizzard Kap about 10 or so years ago, and it was later picked up by an outfit called the Stormy Kromer Mercantile (named after George "Stormy" Kromer, founder of the actual Kromer Cap Company):

http://www.stormykromer.com/

I have seen at least one other company now making a replica of the Blizzard Kap.

Wonder what the guy in the caboose is drinking?

Joe,

Those are awesome hats. Is the Lee made from a twill fabric? I like the look of it.

The Lee is cotton twill, but the fabric has a herringbone looking pattern to it.

There use to be an old-school clothing store here in Durango called Hogan's. It's been closed for a few years now, but was in business for many decades. So old school that your purchases weren't bagged, they were neatly wrapped and taped in brown wrapping paper. I'm sure they sold plenty of stuff to D&RGW railroaders. I got to know one of the owners fairly well, and knew there was a lot of new old stock stuff still tucked away in the store. One day I asked him if he had any fitted RR hats left, and out came the blue Lee. He gave it to me. It still has a crease through the middle where it was folded for display.

Joe,

Thanks for the posts and photos! Like you, I've seen another maker of the Kromer winter cap, but cannot put my finger on where. I have one of the new-made "Stormy Kromer" caps. They are nice, and have kept my head warm.

My research indicates that Beaver Brand of New Haven, MO was the other maker of the Kromer-style wool "Blizzard Kap" that is now sold by Stormy Kromer.

Beaver Brand was founded in 1860 in St. Louis, but moved to New Haven in the 1920s. The company closed for good in late 2012 and the inventory and machinery was sold at auction last summer.

Here's an example from an eBay seller who appears to have picked up unsold inventory at the liquidation auction:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Beaver-Brand-Railroad-Style-Cap-with-Quilted-Lining-and-Earflaps-Tie-Front-/121307866273?pt=US_Hats&var=&hash=item1c3e8324a1

The firm that took on the Kromer Bizzard Kap is a firm out of Ironwood, MI (UP) named Jacquart Fabric Products. That had been making a number of fabric items for various customers (boat covers, pet beds, patio covers). The owners acquired the Blizzard Kap -- or the original Stormy Kromer -- design from the Kromer Cap co. in 2001. In 2002 they began stitching "Stormy Kromer" on the turn-down flap Reportedly, the sales volume went up significantly under the new and interested owner. They extended the product line to support that segment of their business.

"Made in the USA with globally sourced materials."

A history of the cap with pictures of trains crews can be found here http://www.stormykromer.com/content/our-story.asp

I recently lucked into this 1977 Kromer catalog and it reminded me of this thread, so I thought I’d share. Enjoy.