Bowser Manufacturing is a United States manufacturer of model railroad equipment, located in Montoursville, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1946 by Bill Bowser in Redlands, California, he used his skill as a machinist to design and produce one of the first lines of accurately scaled steam locomotive kits in HO scale. In 1955, his financial partner Donald Acheson forced Bowser out of the company by enforcing a buyout clause in their agreement. After Acheson sold the considerable backstock of kits and parts, he sold the company to Lewis English in 1961. The company has since grown and continues to produce its own line of injection molded plastic model kits and ready-to-run locomotives.[1]
California Years (1946-1961)
Bill Sheldon Bowser was born in Hancock, Ohio, in 1914. [2] In 1944 he was a machinist working for the Naval Ordinance Plant in Indianapolis, Indiana. Bowser's friend George Hockaday asked if he was able to produce some hobby parts for him in HO scale, since they were in short supply due to wartime rationing. Sparking his interest, he acquired the inventory of spare parts from a company called Knapp that was producing a popular steam locomotive kit. Bowser paid off a debt owed by Knapp to Superior Casting, and the inventory of parts was released. Upon further inspection, Bowser discovered that many of the key parts were not made to scale and suffered from manufacturing defects. In 1946 Bowser relocated his family to California to launch his model railroad manufacturing business.