Railroadware is made with reclaimed repurposed railroad hardened steel parts and other industrial objects. These very abundant clips and spikes are then transformed into new useful hardware and decorative home furnishings.
The common rail anchor and railroad spike are the essential functioning parts and assemblies of the Railroadware product line. All Railroadware is heavy duty carbon steel and rail tested. The rust shows all hardware has spent years of hard time on the rails.
The raw parts are cut, drilled, grinded and bent and combined with other objects to give them a new form and purpose. They are then cleaned and given a new life assignment and duty however, the rust remains and is an essential part of the look. I purposely maintain the natural rust state to additional parts added through various techniques but mostly adding additional sunshine and rain cycles and safe sealers.
All parts old and new are rusted to blend the old with the new and maintain the raw industrial hardware look. Railroadware comes with a hand rubbed oil finish and steel sealer for a lasting old world look for both indoor and outdoor repurposing.
Mission statement
My mission is to continue connecting and developing these common interconnected industrial objects as an art form and continue to have fun and adventure in the discovery process. I will continue to reuse and re-purpose common glass insulators, traffic light lenses, railroad parts and other common industrial objects and transform these artifacts and relics into useful modern light fixtures and other useful products.
The World of Insulators, Trafficlight Lenses & Railroad Hardware
Common reclaimed re-purposed industrial products generally having to do with the American industrial ingenuity, Western expansion of the railroad and the early telecommunications industry.
All of these industrial artifacts I collect and work with having a common connection. They all come from a railroad crossing or an abandoned rail line out in the middle of nowhere. Physically I bring them all back together and re introduce them as cool useful artsy home decorative objects.
Generally PG&E, Telephone, railroad, and department of transportation employees make the connection and share a interest and collective memory of these objects as their livleyhoods were intertwined with these objects daily basis. As time goes on some of these connections are lost, glass insulators are no longer made and many kids have no idea what they are for or what their purpose is as low voltage communication is being replaced by satellite and other forms of communication.
Growing up, during the summer, I use to shoot my 22 at the old blue insulators on old abandoned rail lines and telephone poles in Nevada. I had a closer look at them when I moved to Chico in 2004 and bought a Hemmingrey glass insulator in an antique store in Oroville. I was captured by the simple form the pretty color and history surrounding of this little collectable object. Instantly I had a connection that this could make a very cool pendant light from this little colorful jewel.
With my long time interest in lighting products, I started to tool up and test the best way to prepare and glass for drilling and fixturing an insulator as a pendant light. I cracked and shattered many in the process of drilling and lamping and learned a whole lot about glass, steel, wiring, tools, light fixtures, manufacturing and marketing. The process is ongoing and very rewarding as an activity and passion.
The recycled trafficlight lenses and various railroad hardware pieces have come along for the ride in my quest for insulators. I often find myself at a railroad crossing heading for a walk along a line or when driving highway I will scan the adjacent rail line for insulators for old industrial objects.
As I started to collect these old rusty or weathered objects in my insulator searches as time went on, I assembled a unusual collection of parts. At some point after I started making the lights, I started to question how these could all be made useful as repurposed common objects. Over time I have made those connections and achieved a number of striking objects that are now part of my productlines.
Tim is an inventor and manufacturer/designer of several products including a pendant lighting product line and home decorative products using old glass and ceramic insulators, traffic light lenses and railroad hardware that are sold in local specialty shops and nationally. Tim designs and makes these products in Chico, CA.
Tim's Bio
Architect / Environmental Graphics & Special Events / Store Planner / Product Designer
Tim is an architect and lighting designer living in Chico. He grew up in the Bay Area and spent time in Chico in the late 70’s. In 1984 Tim graduated from the U of O School of Architecture & Allied Arts. After graduating with a Bachelor of Architecture, he attended a Syracuse University Graduate Program and lived abroad outside Florence Italy for a year. In 1985 he returned to San Francisco and the Bay Area and lived there for twenty years before moving his family to Butte Valley near Chico.
Special Events
Tim has experience in residential architecture, store planning, commercial retail and special events planning involving all phases of architectural services. As a store planner, he designed prototypes and developed store layouts for major retailers. He has worked on store concepts, signage programs, fixtures and interiors for a number of retail chains and specialty stores. For 12 years at Flying Color Inc. in Berkeley (www.flycolors.com) , Tim applied his architectural and organizational skills in the unique niche market of large-scale special event planning and temporary environment installations for major sporting events and themed environments. This included corporate branding for sports teams, a number of Disney projects, museum projects, stadium improvements and signage projects, corporate brand identity campaigns and commercial shoots around the country.
Promo Video
This is a 90 second video capturing most of my work as an architect, designer and inventor living in Chico. This was part of and exhibit I help plan & participated in in Chico at the 1078 Gallery called "Architecture as Art." in October '09. There were 10 local architects who participated. It was a great opportunity to meet the community, show our work and studio interests.
Railroadware is made with reclaimed repurposed railroad hardened steel parts and other industrial objects. These very abundant clips and spikes are then transformed into new useful hardware and decorative home furnishings.
