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Ottaway for sale
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Author:  bobyar2001 [ Sat Jun 04, 2005 8:27 am ]
Post subject:  Ottaway for sale
Here is an Ottaway minature train setup for sale on eBay if anyone is interested. They are live steam and 12" gauge.http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 5979271256
Author:  John Deck [ Sat Jun 04, 2005 7:21 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Ottaway for sale
Just a note about the Ottaway's. These were all built in Wichita, Kansas before and after WW II. They were mfg by L. A. Ottaway and then his sons Herb and Harold under the company name Ottaway Amusment Co. There were over 120 of these made not 89. The first ones did not have a code boiler, there were only a few of these made and can be identified by the fire box beind inside the frame. The Ottaway Amusment Co. also built kiddie rides and was later bought by Chance Mfg. of Wichita which is one of the leading producers of park rides today. I have fired several of these locomotives as well as worked on them. They are fun little engines to run and kids of all ages and sizes love to ride them. They are not built to scale but do run on 12" gage track. Just in the Wichita area alone I know of 6 of these of which several are in operation for special occasions.One of these was owned by the late Herb Ottaway and I had the pleasure of helping Herb reflue this engine. His son now has it and it is in good hands.Herb and Harold Ottaway also ran a local amusment park known as Joyland. This park was an old style park with a wooden roller coaster, 30's era merry go round, and a train around the park. When I was a small boy the steam locomotives were still running at the park but were soon replaced by a set of ABA SantaFe Streamliners and then by a C.P. Hunington made by Chance. They also held Steam Tractor Shows at the park till 1956 and were avid collectors of both steam and gas engine tractors as well as other interesting things. One of the most interesting things that Herb Ottaway shared with me as a teenager was his invention of a gasoline powered pogo stick. It was a two stroke engine and you could really go with it. Sorry about the walk thru memory lane but seeing the post about an Ottaway brought back some great memories of a couple of guys that got me started in the world of steam as a young kid. My first job was running a Cretors Steam Powered Popcorn Wagaon at the park.
Author:  Ed Kelley [ Sun Jun 05, 2005 1:25 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Ottaway for sale
Interestingly enough, the streamliners at Joyland (which the Ottaway Bros. started) were used as the basis for the Ottaway's B-14 "Rocketliner" model, a 14" (and 12") streamliner. They were Miniature Train & Railroad Co. G-16 models. The current CPH train is the first production model and 20" gauge.Some Ottaway owners and enthusiasts are starting a new venture, a society for 12" railroad owners (with a strong emphasis on Ottaway trains, even the 14" and larger ones) and a quarterly newsletter, the "Twelve Inch Gauge Tribune". Some information is up on the site already.Foot-Gauge Societyhttp://tribune.bjwrr.comAn article at 'ON TRACK' (needs updating) on the Ottaways can be found at:http://www.bjwrr.com/ontrack/ottaway-chance.htmAnd for those wondering what a "Rocketliner" looks like, crtsy. Carey Williams, at Sedalia MO:Image
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