Today we’d like to introduce you to Tripp Aquadro.
Hi Tripp, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Feel free to go through and edit as you need. The story of our beginning and launch is actually pretty awesome, and it’s super hard to cram everything into a few paragraphs, so I’ll give you the highlights.
Like most of us, the fascination with railroads, engineering, and the history that surrounds it, has captivated us from the start. I have always had a hard time pinpointing the launch of my fascination, but my interest has always been a constant. In 2020 I purchased a beginner level laser cutter and began my journey, never thinking it would become what it is today. Soon after building my first model (a really poorly designed interpretation of a J3A Hudson Locomotive (AC Gilbert had theirs, why can’t I do the same) it became apparent that there was in-fact a way to create a market for these projects, and it was off to the races!
I started RDUCK Woodkits LLC to fulfill a desire to build large, detailed locomotive models and ultimately share this passion and excitement for the topic with as many people as possible. Over the past four years since the company’s initial conception, we have sold over 2,300 kits to builders all over the world focusing on our core values of providing a memorable, open ended, builder experience at an attainable cost so train fans from all walks of life can celebrate the amazing machines we know and love.
Our kits are gorgeous representations of the real steel machines that galloped (sometimes trundled) across the metals. We believe in large scale products that look great, are challenging (but not impossible) to build, and do all the things you would expect a locomotive model to do!
RDuck Woodkits LLC. (Rduck Locomotive Works) Is an American owned and operated brand. We don’t buy and trade designs with foreign parties, or outsource labor overseas. We believe heavily in Manufacturer to Consumer relations, and the great majority of our current builders have become great friends over the past few years. We DO NOT use AI (ROBOTS) for consumer interactions, and offer tremendous support to our clients whether it’s troubleshooting challenging build stages, or even if they just want to talk trains and have ideas for future projects they’d like to see brought to market. Most individuals are often stunned by our level of customer service. We care. We want our builders to learn something. It’s trains! It’s Supposed to be fun!
We thoroughly believe in operating at a modern capacity when it comes to being environmentally conscious with our product line. We source only the highest quality materials for our projects, partnering with companies that practice regenerative forestry practices, offsetting their carbon footprint. RDuck Woodkits LLC, (on average), is responsible for two or more trees being planted every month. We also partner with ETSY as our online retail space, a carbon neutral selling platform.
I get asked alot “So what do you even do with these kits”. The easy response is always “Whatever YOU want!” Paint them, power them, add lights, sound, smoke machines, you name it! The possibilities are endless with an RDUCK Locomotive Works Kit! We constantly pump out new products, whether they’re new additions to the locomotive roster, or fun add ons for builders to enhance their growing fleet!
We love partnering and collaborating with museums, providing high profit product options for museum gift shops, so they can bolster sales and keep the railroad running! So far, we have over 10 national museums on our roster, and the list continues to grow every month.
From humble beginnings, operating an undersized, underpowered laser cutter in my Santa Monica apartment kitchen, to a full blown production facility along the mainline trackage in New Hampshire, RDUCK is keen to continue delivering something fresh and new to the hobby.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Design is always a challenge, but one I savor. I’m always looking for new ways to do things especially in a fairly conservatively minded industry. Usually though challenges are overcome through educating the potential buyer thoroughly, setting expectations, and ultimately getting them excited about doing something new.
Growing a company isn’t easy, if it were everyone would do it. But I love it.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I believe wholeheartedly in providing a memorable experience for our customer base. Offering products which are well designed, fun to build, open ended, and worth displaying for years. Our “competition” relies heavily on a short-life span toylike product catering to a throwaway culture, where we focus heavily on the long term. Creating those WOW products which turn heads whether you have an interest in the topic or not.
I feel RDUCK Locomotive Works goes in the opposite direction than most companies theses days. Instead of focusing on on high tech, state of the art tech for our products, and reliance on AI or (Robots) to handle customer service, we have a more personal approach to serving our customer base. People think it’s weird when if they have a question or comment about the product line they interact with an actual human right away. It’s not weird, it’s just good customer service.
What are your plans for the future?
Well trains will always be a focus. And a lot of really cool items will continue to roll out as time goes on. But I’m also an airplane nerd, and also really love the idea of cool birdhouse projects… I do have a great plan involved for the development of the company, but obviously I have to keep some things a special secret.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rducklocomotiveworks.com
- Instagram: @Rducklocomotiveworks
- Facebook: @Rducklocomotiveworks
