Minton Cronkhite - Pioneer Model Railroader in Balboa Park
Minton Cronkite accomplished several "firsts" in his life. He manufactured the first scale model railroad equipment in North America. He called his company Crovan with headquarters in Greenwich, CT until burned down in 1931. He developed "Q scale, a more accurate than O or quarter-Inch to the foot scale for model railroads that became the most popular toy train gauge. As a young man he and his friends in the Radio Club of America broadcast the first trans-Atlantic shortwave radio message received in Ardrossen, Scotland Dec 11, 1921.
He designed and directed construction of a number of scale model railroads in the 1930s including a large exposition O scale model railroad in Balboa Park. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company as well as the Pennsylvania Railroad hired him to create giant model railroads for world fairs to stimulate Interest in train travel and help revive the national economy during the ears of the Great Depression. For the California PacifIc International Exposition in Balboa Park in 1935, his exhibit was the "chief transportation of the fair that year consisting or a 40 X/O' model railroad exhibit. His exhibit was moved into the new Ford Building for the 1936 Exposition. It contained a condensed representation of the section of the country traversed by the Santa Fe Railway, from the prairies through the desert southwest to San Diego. The system was governed by an automatic electronic block system so trains could proceed at correct scale speeds.
His exhibits were featured at a Fort Worth, TX expo, and the 1939 expo on Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay. The locomotives displayed along the west aisle of the Balboa Park Model Railroad Museum ran at the layout on Treasure Island expo. These featured the streamlined all stainless steel coaches pulled by the new Diesel locomotives manufactured by General Motors. After World War II, the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry displayed his layout up to about 1980.
His second love was boating. He commanded a subchaser during First World War and was air raid warden of San Marino, CA during the Second World War. Minton was president of a zoning board for Rancho Santa Fe in the early fifties, and President of Chappaqua Realty Company in NY, a family business.
source: Balboa Park Model Railroad Museum
see also: https://midnightrailroader.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_27.html
Minton Cronkite accomplished several "firsts" in his life. He manufactured the first scale model railroad equipment in North America. He called his company Crovan with headquarters in Greenwich, CT until burned down in 1931. He developed "Q scale, a more accurate than O or quarter-Inch to the foot scale for model railroads that became the most popular toy train gauge. As a young man he and his friends in the Radio Club of America broadcast the first trans-Atlantic shortwave radio message received in Ardrossen, Scotland Dec 11, 1921.
He designed and directed construction of a number of scale model railroads in the 1930s including a large exposition O scale model railroad in Balboa Park. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company as well as the Pennsylvania Railroad hired him to create giant model railroads for world fairs to stimulate Interest in train travel and help revive the national economy during the ears of the Great Depression. For the California PacifIc International Exposition in Balboa Park in 1935, his exhibit was the "chief transportation of the fair that year consisting or a 40 X/O' model railroad exhibit. His exhibit was moved into the new Ford Building for the 1936 Exposition. It contained a condensed representation of the section of the country traversed by the Santa Fe Railway, from the prairies through the desert southwest to San Diego. The system was governed by an automatic electronic block system so trains could proceed at correct scale speeds.
His exhibits were featured at a Fort Worth, TX expo, and the 1939 expo on Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay. The locomotives displayed along the west aisle of the Balboa Park Model Railroad Museum ran at the layout on Treasure Island expo. These featured the streamlined all stainless steel coaches pulled by the new Diesel locomotives manufactured by General Motors. After World War II, the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry displayed his layout up to about 1980.
His second love was boating. He commanded a subchaser during First World War and was air raid warden of San Marino, CA during the Second World War. Minton was president of a zoning board for Rancho Santa Fe in the early fifties, and President of Chappaqua Realty Company in NY, a family business.
source: Balboa Park Model Railroad Museum
see also: https://midnightrailroader.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_27.html
Minton Cronkhite - Pioneer Model Railroader in Balboa Park
Minton Cronkite accomplished several "firsts" in his life. He manufactured the first scale model railroad equipment in North America. He called his company Crovan with headquarters in Greenwich, CT until burned down in 1931. He developed "Q scale, a more accurate than O or quarter-Inch to the foot scale for model railroads that became the most popular toy train gauge. As a young man he and his friends in the Radio Club of America broadcast the first trans-Atlantic shortwave radio message received in Ardrossen, Scotland Dec 11, 1921.
He designed and directed construction of a number of scale model railroads in the 1930s including a large exposition O scale model railroad in Balboa Park. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company as well as the Pennsylvania Railroad hired him to create giant model railroads for world fairs to stimulate Interest in train travel and help revive the national economy during the ears of the Great Depression. For the California PacifIc International Exposition in Balboa Park in 1935, his exhibit was the "chief transportation of the fair that year consisting or a 40 X/O' model railroad exhibit. His exhibit was moved into the new Ford Building for the 1936 Exposition. It contained a condensed representation of the section of the country traversed by the Santa Fe Railway, from the prairies through the desert southwest to San Diego. The system was governed by an automatic electronic block system so trains could proceed at correct scale speeds.
His exhibits were featured at a Fort Worth, TX expo, and the 1939 expo on Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay. The locomotives displayed along the west aisle of the Balboa Park Model Railroad Museum ran at the layout on Treasure Island expo. These featured the streamlined all stainless steel coaches pulled by the new Diesel locomotives manufactured by General Motors. After World War II, the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry displayed his layout up to about 1980.
His second love was boating. He commanded a subchaser during First World War and was air raid warden of San Marino, CA during the Second World War. Minton was president of a zoning board for Rancho Santa Fe in the early fifties, and President of Chappaqua Realty Company in NY, a family business.
source: Balboa Park Model Railroad Museum
see also: https://midnightrailroader.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_27.html
Minton Cronkite accomplished several "firsts" in his life. He manufactured the first scale model railroad equipment in North America. He called his company Crovan with headquarters in Greenwich, CT until burned down in 1931. He developed "Q scale, a more accurate than O or quarter-Inch to the foot scale for model railroads that became the most popular toy train gauge. As a young man he and his friends in the Radio Club of America broadcast the first trans-Atlantic shortwave radio message received in Ardrossen, Scotland Dec 11, 1921.
He designed and directed construction of a number of scale model railroads in the 1930s including a large exposition O scale model railroad in Balboa Park. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company as well as the Pennsylvania Railroad hired him to create giant model railroads for world fairs to stimulate Interest in train travel and help revive the national economy during the ears of the Great Depression. For the California PacifIc International Exposition in Balboa Park in 1935, his exhibit was the "chief transportation of the fair that year consisting or a 40 X/O' model railroad exhibit. His exhibit was moved into the new Ford Building for the 1936 Exposition. It contained a condensed representation of the section of the country traversed by the Santa Fe Railway, from the prairies through the desert southwest to San Diego. The system was governed by an automatic electronic block system so trains could proceed at correct scale speeds.
His exhibits were featured at a Fort Worth, TX expo, and the 1939 expo on Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay. The locomotives displayed along the west aisle of the Balboa Park Model Railroad Museum ran at the layout on Treasure Island expo. These featured the streamlined all stainless steel coaches pulled by the new Diesel locomotives manufactured by General Motors. After World War II, the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry displayed his layout up to about 1980.
His second love was boating. He commanded a subchaser during First World War and was air raid warden of San Marino, CA during the Second World War. Minton was president of a zoning board for Rancho Santa Fe in the early fifties, and President of Chappaqua Realty Company in NY, a family business.
source: Balboa Park Model Railroad Museum
see also: https://midnightrailroader.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_27.html
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
