Not only was Richard an essential part of the O-Gauge hobby and Lionel in particular, he also played an instrumental role in the story of a REAL steam locomotive! With help from Bill Benson and Ross Rowland, he was able to buy Reading 4-8-4 no. 2100 and spend $1 million of his own money to restore the locomotive and put it back in service. The locomotive had previously been used as a parts donor for sister no. 2101, used in the Chessie Steam Special and American Freedom Train. As seen in the video below, the locomotive had some break-in runs, but following these there was nowhere to run the engine, and the idea of returning her to the high iron was scratched. The locomotive's ownership ended up changing hands about a half-dozen times, and is now in the hands of the American Steam Railroad, where her long unusual journey looks a lot brighter.
Richard's contributions to the world of railroading will never be forgotten, and he will be missed.
