Steve Cregut
The Ottaway locomotive community has lost yet another wealth of knowledge on May 30, 2024, when Steve Cregut passed away. Steve was 80 years old.
Steve grew up in Topeka Kansas, the home of the Santa Fe Railroad (now BNSF). He became interested in trains and railroad memorabilia at a young age. In his adult life he owned an antique store called Pack Rat Antiques where he was able to use his location and knowledge to amass quite the collection of railroad memorabilia that he sold in his store or kept in his private collection. Going to his home was like stepping into a museum. Steve had an amazing memory for the details of all the items he collected, and it was so interesting to talk with him about them.
Steve and Mike Hawkins started the C&H railroad together and became the knowledge base for Ottaway locomotives together. Steve owned some land south of his home where they set up and ran the railroad together with a couple of Ottaway locomotives and several cars. The C&H railroad is now in its 22 year.
I was privileged to meet Steve when I contacted Mike about coming out to the C&H to see their operation. Steve was a lot quieter than Mike but had a great sense of humor and quick wit. It really made me feel proud when I knew he felt my skills were indeed good enough to operate the locomotives on the railroad. I was very happy to get to know him as a friend through the years along with members of his family as well. I will miss him terribly and will try to help keep the Ottaway knowledge out there and accessible to those seeking it as he did to anyone who contacted him.
Below is an image of Steve operating Harold Chance's locomotive and train at Peppermint Park several years ago and how I will remember Steve, having fun with a smile on his face. Click the image for a larger version.
Mike Hawkins
The Ottaway locomotive community lost another wealth of knowledge on Friday, December 30, 2022 when Mike Hawkins passed away.
Mike was born June 18, 1941 in Hutchinson Kansas. Mike attended Arlington State College and then finished his Business degree at K-State. He worked for building material companies such as Midway Wholesales where he retired from in his work life.
When he was young, he worked for the Missouri Pacific Railroad for a while in Burton Kansas where he learned about track laying. That interest in railroading continued throughout his life. He was an active member of several railroad organizations. Due to this he was able to work on well-known locomotives like the Milwaukee Road 261 where he would help maintain it at the station while the main crews got some well needed rest. He also was able to meet and know prominent people in railroading like the former manager of the Union Pacific Steam Crew, Steve Lee.
Along the way Mike lived in Topeka Kansas where he met up with Steve Cregut and the two of them shared an interest in large scale trains. They obtained a couple of Ottaway locomotives and began the C & H railroad. Yearning for more knowledge of Ottaway locomotives they met Harold Chance who was instrumental in the manufacturing of most of the Ottaway locomotives in existence. Through him, Mike and Steve gained all kinds of Ottaway locomotive knowledge and history.
I was lucky enough to meet and get to know Mike when several years ago, while I was obtaining my steam boiler hobby license in Minnesota, I was looking for large scale steam operations closer to home and came upon the C&H railroad. I contacted them expressing an interest and was answered by Mike and invited to come out. On the second visit out, I believe, I was asked by Mike if I knew how to operate an injector. I told him I did because that was one of the things I had learned in Steam School and is very important to operating a steam boiler locomotive. He then allowed me to operate one of the locomotives while he sat behind and instructed me and from then on, I was hooked on these locomotives as well. We have been able to obtain one and restore it and I was happy that Mike was able to see it in operation on the C&H before he passed. A lot of it was made possible by knowledge learned from him. Through Mike and Steve, I was able to meet Harold Chance and Steve Lee.
People always think, wow, I wish I had a tape recorder going when he was talking, and with Mike, it was true. He was a great storyteller, and it was always interesting to listen to him talk about various Ottaway history and just railroading in general. Mike and his vast knowledge will be greatly missed. More importantly, he will be missed as a good friend.
Below is a photo of Mike on Harold Chance's locomotive at Peppermint Park in Wichita, Kansas. Click on the image for a larger version.
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