Rodney Keith Stuart
Rodney was Born January 21, 1939 in North Platte, Nebraska near Buffalo Bill’s ranch. It was also near the largest railroad yard in the world at that time. He lived in North Platte until WWII began and his father plus several uncles joined the Armed Services.
Rod and his mother moved in with several aunts in California and stayed there for the duration of the war. A highlight of his stay in California was a conversation with a railroad engineer as the train engine was warming up on the railroad tracks.
Pluma Stuart
Following the war, his family moved back to Nebraska but soon left to live in Reno where the rest of his family seemed to be living. Rod attended schools in Reno from 4th grade through high school and was a member of the Army Reserves. He graduated from Reno High School in 1956. After high school he joined the Air Force . He attended the University of Nevada from 1960 – 1965 studying Political Science, Math, and Philosophy.
Rod joined the Army as a 2nd Lt., Infantry Officer and retired in 1993 as a Lt. Colonel. While in the Army he served in 7 states and 2 foreign countries.
When he retired, Rod and his wife Ruth traveled throughout the United States looking for the perfect place to settle down and buy a home. Their preference was a town with a Church and or a historical museum. Both would be the preferred perfect place to live! They settled in Poway. Rod’s lifelong passion for trains led him to volunteer at the Balboa Train Museum for several years
Rod lost his wife to illness and then chose to move to Fallbrook. He heard that Fallbrook Historical Society was in need of a train expert, so he joined the organization in 2015. He is now in charge of the Railroad section of the museum and spends many weekends researching the history of the Fallbrook trains.
