I am troubled to report one of my best friends, Bob Thatcher former owner of AM Hobbies, passed away this morning. I know he had endless friends in the hobby.
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I am very sorry to hear this. He was a great guy. My prayers go out to his family.
Jim Troutman
He was another one of the good guy's in this hobby. I'll say a prayer for him.
Joe B.
Very sad to hear indeed, I did alot of buying from Bob. My Condolences to his friends and family.
Doug
Sorry to learn this news. Our condolences to his family.
Very sad news. He was a good guy. I had done some business with him.
My prayers out to Bob's family.
I met Bob a few times and have a few nice Atlas pieces I purchased from him. Always a pleasure to chat with...
Paul
Our sincere condolences goes out to his family. Bob was a great guy and I always enjoyed chatting with him through the years. He will be missed by all who knew him.
Steve, Lady and Tex
I had made some purchases with him over the years and he seemed very pleasant on the phone. A nice guy to do business with. My condolences to his family.
- Mike
I never met Bob, but I, like a great many in the hobby, I am certainly familiar with the good name he built for himself and his business. Sincere condolences to his family, friends, and customers from all of us on the OGR staff.
Bob was a great guy. I always enjoyed dealing with him. I just came across a box from AM Hobbies a couple of days ago and thought of him. My condolences goes out to his family.
I never met Bob but I kniw he had a lot of friends here on the forum.
My condolences to his family and friends.
Nothing but fond memories. A super guy.
I'll say a prayer for him. My condolences to his friend and family.
So sorry.
Bob was one of the truly nice people in this hobby.
Though we never met, I spoke with him often on the phone and considered him a friend.
My thoughts and prayers are with his family.
Was Bob partnered with Jeff Dobslaw of JD's Trains? If so, I met him at York.
My condolences to family and friends.
Don
I never met him and all of my conversations with him were via telephone. Bob was always a pleasure to talk to and work with and we even had a few laughs together. I considered him a reliable, trustworthy seller. God's speed Bob.
I had made some purchases with him over the years and he seemed very pleasant on the phone. A nice guy to do business with. My condolences to his family.
- Mike
The same went for me... this is sad to read about.
He was helpful to me when I was struggling to get going in two rail.
God bless him and his family!
I bought from him over the years. A good guy. My sincere condolences to his family and friends.
Very sorry to see this, John. My prayers for Bob and condolences to his family.
Chris
LVHR
Very sad to hear this- top notch guy in all regards-
I'm am so sorry to hear this. I worked for Bob when I got laid off from a job. He really helped me out.
Not only was Bob a friend but he was a great guy to all people who knew him.
RIP Bob.
Sorry to hear the news.
Bob was my Atlas O supplier during his last few years. Always received good deals and prices from him.
There was a big turning point at that time.
The O scale market prices doubled and almost tripled shortly after he closed.
He was very knowledgeable and helped me transition from traditional into true O back then.
RIP Bob.
Bob was a very trustworthy person. A man of his word.
Yes, a very nice man to deal with. May he rest in peace.
My Condolences to his family, may he rest in peace
ALEX
You could not asked for a better dealer and a friend. I bought some Atlas car carriers at York one year, and not from him. He saw me at the Atlas booth with them. He said "give me those cars I will ship them for you when i get back home". He new I hadn't driven that year and what a pain the plane would be. He would not let me pay him at all for the shipping. He really knew the Atlas products. Always called about items I was interested in and would search for items that I might want. Very Sorry. Thought will be with him and his family.
Buzz
This is very sad news. I feared Bob had health issues after the sudden sale of AM Hobbies.
I had the privilege to meet Bob at York on at least two occasions. He was always very nice to me. Most of my Atlas rolling stock and Atlas locomotives were purchased through Bob's AM Hobbies.
I fondly remember those "Atlas Pre order emails" from Bob, his completive pricing, and wonderful customer service. With the loss of Jim Weaver, and now Bob the golden age of Atlas O scale has ended.
May we all keep Bob and his family in our thoughts and prayers.
Richard
Our deepest condolences from all of us at Nassau Hobby.
Yes .... very sorry to hear this.
When I came back to O, I bought all my Atlas rolling stock from him. Nice man.
Bob was my go to guy for many of my Atlas products. My condolences to his family.
Rick
Talked to him several times on the phone and met him at York. He will be sorely missed. Sympathies and condolences to his family.
Neal Jeter
Never had the pleasure of meeting him. Condolences to his friends and family.
WOW! While I may have met him once at a convention, I did some business with him right up to the conversion to Jd's Trains. My last purchase was the Weaver Models Bp20's A-B-A. He was a great guy and will surely be missed. High Ball and God's speed for a job well done!
wow... very sad to hear. My condolences to all
Thank you for posting this. Like many others, I purchased many items from Bob. He was always a gentleman. Makes me sad.
This is sad news. Bob was one of the very good guys.
Ed Boyle
Very sad news indeed. I bought most of my Weaver products from Bob. Those were the days when I did not yet trust online buying and enjoyed the phone conversations I'd have with him while placing an order. His memory will live on as I think of him whenever I operate that equipment. Rest in Peace Bob.