We are currently looking for any additional information concerning white pleated top caps used by railroads such as WP and SP, specifically the type of material used. If anyone has photos, please share them, or better yet, if anyone has an original, please provide detailed photos. Thanks.

Thanks to the RMNE for bringing a great piece of history back to life! The reproduction looks to be fairly faithful except for the bill/brim of the hat. The new one looks to be a bit more squarish than the more rounded original. The stitching pattern on the bill is also different. Not that it's a big deal, but is this just a difference in the pre-production sample vs. the final product or is it an optical illusion to my deceiving eyes?

BTW, can't wait to see the white versions - they were apparently popular on the L&N Henderson Division as well.

Best,
Mike

I received my hats the other day and they look great! Being a Rhode Island railroader in the 1960s, the hat very closely matches the original Thompson product. I've read in another forum that there were production accommodations made in the new hats, especially in the shape and stitching of the bill. The changes made were actually improvements from the original, e.g., the originals had a cardboard bill covered with the denim cloth which didn't survive well getting wet in rain or washing.

Don't be confused by the squarish shape of the hat. I have an old Thompson catalog card from the 1970s that lists dozens of style numbers and shows several styles of railroad caps offered by Thompson. The Otis pin-stripe style #300 and #303 caps had a more rounded look to them while the Otis pin-stripe #301 to #305 (except #303) had the pleated "military" top on them.

What was also gratifying to see when I got the caps is the small tag with the size that also had printed: "Made in USA."

Please remember this weekend those who have fallen in the defense our of country and reflect on the liberties we all enjoy because of their supreme sacrifice.

Thanks!

Mike, thank you for your comments. I do have to make it clear that this is not an effort by RMNE. This is purely through the joint efforts of Brent Bette and myself. Brent and I just happen to be members of RMNE and that is how we were brought together.

I was shocked, and pleasantly surprised, to see that on mine I bought from Brent. I actually wound up buying two and giving my father one.

Alright, folks! We have been loaned a sample of the Thompson Style #803 cap (Thanks Bill!). The #803 is the WHITE cap with black band and brim. We will run both the #803 "Shoreliner" and #801 (white overall). The #801 was a style popular to railroads such as KCS, SP, WP, and the Southern to name a few.

Please send an email to thompsoncapslimited@gmail.com if you are interested in either style so we can guage the demand.

Don't forget! The #305 Otis Pin Stripe caps are still available as well!