12 replies to this topic

[TSR]

Sometimes in 1969, a company called E.D.R. Pro Line at 2103-A Ford Parkway in Sta Paul, MN, issued 1/24 scale slot car products, like a complete anglewinder chassis kit using a one-piece stamped-steel center section similar to those produced by Brady-Emott Enterprises (which apparenly was more Brady than Emott...,) Cobra, or Associated Electrics.

 

The kit even had wheels and tires, the fronts being Associated and the rears, inside a plastic tube, likely from the same company.

 

Later and at an undetermined time but likely not far after, it marketed other products such as blue sponge tires (1/8" axle) on setscrew wheels, chassis oilers and various other bits. On these later products, the markings are:
 

E.D.R. Pro Line
Steube Approved
Team Checkpoint

 

Now, I have never heard of this company in the day when I was myself a member of the famed team, and this until recently when we began finding various products from those guys, and was wondering if any of the old guard here, had any knowledge of those people, who they were and how did they get to call themselves "Team Checkpoint" and claimed "Steube approval" when there was indeed a Team Checkpoint based in Long beach and run by Bill Steube Sr.

Anyone know?

 

Here is a set of tires from that outfit:

 

 

Thanks for any help in solving this little mystery!

[Bill from NH]

Ask Mike.

[TSR]

He does not know...

[Hworth08]

IIRC Mike's dad was upset about Mike selling the rights to the name, trademark, or something, I just read a line or two about it. Could whoever transacted with Mike resold the rights?

[TSR]

Mike sold the rights to his name to Lee Yurada, who had bought SimCo and started Associated Electrics with Roger Curtis. But he does not know of this EDR company, and I am pretty sure that Bill Sr. and Billy would hardly have given their blessing to anyone outside of their Wardlow Street shop, they were already pretty peed off with the deal that young and impressionable Mike had made with the cunning Yurada.

Hence I am wondering if anyone in the pre-geriatric set here knows better...

[MSwiss]

I remember the fronts that were marketed as Steube, that, IIRC, were Associated with about 1/2 the tire width cut to a slightly smaller dia.

[TSR]

Mike, those were Associated products. There was a whole line, front and rear wheels and tires, chassis parts etc. Mike had also marketed his name to Mura that had a line of "Steube" armatures.

 

But what of EDR???

[Tex]

There's a guy writing a book on slot cars; check with him.  

 

Just kiddin', Dokk!

[tonyp]

I remember seeing the EDR Checkpoint stuff out on the east coast. We just figured Steube was just whoring out his name at the time...

 

With no internet back then, it was a lot easier to fool people and since nothing was probably trademarked rip it off and sell it. Most people if not all would ever find out the truth that the products had zero to do with Steube.

[TSR]

Tony,
this is my own thinking, that those guys were using the name to sell their own stuff knowing that there was very little chance that they would ever be sued...

Pro racing was and still is so tiny of a business that no one can or could afford an attorney, now or then! 
 

[Mark Johnson]

This stuff came out of Van's raceway in St Paul, Mr Rosenberg was the owner Bob Stockman was part of the team and a very good ho racer .

Mark

[TSR]

Mark, thanks for the info, the dots are connecting now...

Thanks to a conversation with Allan Reeder, we think that E.D. Rosenberg is "EDR Proline" and did not manufacture the product, mearely purchased it and marketed it in his raceway and also to other raceways around St Paul. My thinking today (after lunch and before dinner)  is that since Mike Steube DID sell his name to (actually was conned as a teenager by) Lee Yurada and Roger Curtis of Associated Electrics, where they produced the "Steube" stuff, the idea that Yurada MAY have sub-licensed the name to the EDR company sounds like the greater possibility, since the chassis kit parts and the tires appear to be Associated stuff. 

 

Pictures of the other "EDR Steube Approved" products will follow soon.

[Samiam]

Someone ripping off a trademarked name?    Who would do such a dastardly thing?