Robert Jacob Van Pelt Parr was born December 5, 1885 at his grandfather's home in Jersey City, N.J., while his family was living in Deans, N.J. His childhood was spent in Deans, Piscataway and Sayreville, where his first job was trimming bricks in a local brickyard. When he was a young man he moved to Bayonne and alternated among several jobs, including operating pumps for the Tidewater Oil Company and firing locomotives on the New York Central and Central Railroad of New Jersey railroads.
Bob also worked in the erecting shops of the Cooke Locomotive Works in Paterson, N.J. It was during this period that Bob became associated with the miniature steam railroad trains which became his lifelong vocation. He worked intermittently for the Cagney Brothers of Jersey City. The Cagney's were inventors and manufacturers of the Cagney Steam railroads and other amusement park rides.
Bob traveled all over the country installing the Cagney rides in amusement parks and operating miniature trains in carnivals. During the 1930's he operated trains at the Chicago and New York World's Fairs. Into the 1940's and 1950's he also operated the miniature steam trains at Seaside Park, Point Pleasant, Keansburg and Atlantic Highlands, all located in New Jersey.
Bob became interested in working on full size steam engines and joined the Pine Creek Railroad in 1957, at the time located at Marlboro, NJ on Route 9. Pine Creek is the operating division of the New Jersey Museum of Transportation (NJMT), now located in Allaire State Park, Farmingdale, NJ. He was an integral part of the Museum as its Master Mechanic and was always willing to lend a hand and provide his expertise and knowledge. Bob never failed to amaze Museum members with a simple solution to what appeared to be an insurmountable problem.
Bob moved Allaire State Park when the Museum relocated there in 1964 – 65. He eventually moved into a caboose at the Park, where he lived and worked helping to establish the foundation of the current NJMT. Bob died on February 12, 1969 after a short illness. His funeral was February 15, 1969 at the O'Brien Funeral Home (Bayonne / Jersey City) with Father Frank Marshall of Trinity Episcopal Church officiating. Bob was buried in Bayview -New York Bay Cemetery in Jersey City, N.J.
He will be missed by all that knew him. May he Rest in Peace.
Bob also worked in the erecting shops of the Cooke Locomotive Works in Paterson, N.J. It was during this period that Bob became associated with the miniature steam railroad trains which became his lifelong vocation. He worked intermittently for the Cagney Brothers of Jersey City. The Cagney's were inventors and manufacturers of the Cagney Steam railroads and other amusement park rides.
Bob traveled all over the country installing the Cagney rides in amusement parks and operating miniature trains in carnivals. During the 1930's he operated trains at the Chicago and New York World's Fairs. Into the 1940's and 1950's he also operated the miniature steam trains at Seaside Park, Point Pleasant, Keansburg and Atlantic Highlands, all located in New Jersey.
Bob became interested in working on full size steam engines and joined the Pine Creek Railroad in 1957, at the time located at Marlboro, NJ on Route 9. Pine Creek is the operating division of the New Jersey Museum of Transportation (NJMT), now located in Allaire State Park, Farmingdale, NJ. He was an integral part of the Museum as its Master Mechanic and was always willing to lend a hand and provide his expertise and knowledge. Bob never failed to amaze Museum members with a simple solution to what appeared to be an insurmountable problem.
Bob moved Allaire State Park when the Museum relocated there in 1964 – 65. He eventually moved into a caboose at the Park, where he lived and worked helping to establish the foundation of the current NJMT. Bob died on February 12, 1969 after a short illness. His funeral was February 15, 1969 at the O'Brien Funeral Home (Bayonne / Jersey City) with Father Frank Marshall of Trinity Episcopal Church officiating. Bob was buried in Bayview -New York Bay Cemetery in Jersey City, N.J.
He will be missed by all that knew him. May he Rest in Peace.
Robert Jacob Van Pelt Parr was born December 5, 1885 at his grandfather's home in Jersey City, N.J., while his family was living in Deans, N.J. His childhood was spent in Deans, Piscataway and Sayreville, where his first job was trimming bricks in a local brickyard. When he was a young man he moved to Bayonne and alternated among several jobs, including operating pumps for the Tidewater Oil Company and firing locomotives on the New York Central and Central Railroad of New Jersey railroads.
Bob also worked in the erecting shops of the Cooke Locomotive Works in Paterson, N.J. It was during this period that Bob became associated with the miniature steam railroad trains which became his lifelong vocation. He worked intermittently for the Cagney Brothers of Jersey City. The Cagney's were inventors and manufacturers of the Cagney Steam railroads and other amusement park rides.
Bob traveled all over the country installing the Cagney rides in amusement parks and operating miniature trains in carnivals. During the 1930's he operated trains at the Chicago and New York World's Fairs. Into the 1940's and 1950's he also operated the miniature steam trains at Seaside Park, Point Pleasant, Keansburg and Atlantic Highlands, all located in New Jersey.
Bob became interested in working on full size steam engines and joined the Pine Creek Railroad in 1957, at the time located at Marlboro, NJ on Route 9. Pine Creek is the operating division of the New Jersey Museum of Transportation (NJMT), now located in Allaire State Park, Farmingdale, NJ. He was an integral part of the Museum as its Master Mechanic and was always willing to lend a hand and provide his expertise and knowledge. Bob never failed to amaze Museum members with a simple solution to what appeared to be an insurmountable problem.
Bob moved Allaire State Park when the Museum relocated there in 1964 – 65. He eventually moved into a caboose at the Park, where he lived and worked helping to establish the foundation of the current NJMT. Bob died on February 12, 1969 after a short illness. His funeral was February 15, 1969 at the O'Brien Funeral Home (Bayonne / Jersey City) with Father Frank Marshall of Trinity Episcopal Church officiating. Bob was buried in Bayview -New York Bay Cemetery in Jersey City, N.J.
He will be missed by all that knew him. May he Rest in Peace.
Bob also worked in the erecting shops of the Cooke Locomotive Works in Paterson, N.J. It was during this period that Bob became associated with the miniature steam railroad trains which became his lifelong vocation. He worked intermittently for the Cagney Brothers of Jersey City. The Cagney's were inventors and manufacturers of the Cagney Steam railroads and other amusement park rides.
Bob traveled all over the country installing the Cagney rides in amusement parks and operating miniature trains in carnivals. During the 1930's he operated trains at the Chicago and New York World's Fairs. Into the 1940's and 1950's he also operated the miniature steam trains at Seaside Park, Point Pleasant, Keansburg and Atlantic Highlands, all located in New Jersey.
Bob became interested in working on full size steam engines and joined the Pine Creek Railroad in 1957, at the time located at Marlboro, NJ on Route 9. Pine Creek is the operating division of the New Jersey Museum of Transportation (NJMT), now located in Allaire State Park, Farmingdale, NJ. He was an integral part of the Museum as its Master Mechanic and was always willing to lend a hand and provide his expertise and knowledge. Bob never failed to amaze Museum members with a simple solution to what appeared to be an insurmountable problem.
Bob moved Allaire State Park when the Museum relocated there in 1964 – 65. He eventually moved into a caboose at the Park, where he lived and worked helping to establish the foundation of the current NJMT. Bob died on February 12, 1969 after a short illness. His funeral was February 15, 1969 at the O'Brien Funeral Home (Bayonne / Jersey City) with Father Frank Marshall of Trinity Episcopal Church officiating. Bob was buried in Bayview -New York Bay Cemetery in Jersey City, N.J.
He will be missed by all that knew him. May he Rest in Peace.
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