Articles From The Steam Traction Archives...

Peerless

Plus we have two incredible photos sent in by Steve Davis of the 1916 Geiser Peerless accident in Dando, N.Y.

A Firefighter's Steamer

With any piece of equipment this old there is bound to be an account on how it survived. Many times we remark, "If only this engine could talk, imagine the tales it could tell."

This issue, we continue with the history of Douw D. Williamson's effort to produce a successful American steam plow. As stated in "Plowing by Steam" from Williamson's 1878 Van Nostrand's Magazine article, "The first really great achievement of the Williamson steam plow was in the testing trials of one sold to Col. Thomson of Minnesota, when with a gang of five 20-inch breaking plows, it actually plowed four acres in an hour of virgin prairie.

Thomson Road Steamer

In 1869, Douw D. Williamson started a five-year effort to produce a successful American steam plow, a goal he described in an article titled "Plowing by Steam" in Van Nostrand's Magazine in 1878: "Perhaps no branch of engineering has been more fascinating to mechanical engineers than that of steam plowing. The thought of inventing an implement which would supersede the common plow and revolutionize a process which is older than Christianity itself has, for many years, stirred the hearts and brains of ingenious men and incited them to patient labor and extraordinary effort."

A Firefighter's Steamer

It wasn't that I didn't work on the 1912 75 HP Case; in fact, it was just the opposite. From the day it arrived, it seemed that I was working on the engine. I quickly found there were many times that two or more people were required to disassemble something, and one of the real charms of these old pieces of iron surfaced - folks just loved to help.

Harrison Machine Works 20 HP Jumbo

Today, Leroy has 16 of the engines. (Some of them are now owned by Marshall and Michelle, his children. "I am merely the caretaker for the next generation," Leroy says.) One of his steam traction engines is this 1914 20 HP Harrison Jumbo.

The D. June

The D. June steam engine was manufactured in Freemont, Ohio. According to information provided by the Hayes Presidential Library in Freemont, the 1880 City Directory listed D. June Mfg. at the foot of Garrison Street. Today, the foot of Garrison Street is a commercial area in downtown Freemont along the river. There is no historic marker or any other evidence of the original factory.

Russell & Company

After their carpentery shop burned in 1840, a trio of Russell brothers – Charles, Nahum and Clement – formed C.M. Russell & Co. on Jan. 1, 1842, to make threshers and horsepowers in an old whitewashed two-story building called the "White Shop." They used a blind white horse to drive an iron and wood trimming lathe and a grindstone. "The senior partner had seen and carefully examined the Pitts-Buffalo Separator, which had already been constructed and in use," says Herbert T.O. Blue in The History of Stark County Ohio, "and on that examination Mr. Russell believed that he saw where improvements might be made, and with characteristic energy set about trying to make it better, and so succeeded that the improved machine took the premium at the Ohio State Fair at Columbus in 1845."

Tracking Kitten Owners

Family finds their Kitten's roots – through the years Kitten engines come and go on the New farm. Alan New tracks the history to find out who the original owners were of their Kitten engines and thresher.

Lindauer

There are about 22 Kitten steam engines known to exit in the U.S. The last one, built in 1940, was bought new by Lueken & Pund Lumber Co., Ferdinand, Ind., and is now owned by Jerry Kitten, great, great, great nephew to Florens, of Slaton, Texas. Jerry also has a thresher and sawmill built by the Ferdinand Foundry & Machinery Works in his collection.

Log Hauling

Editor's note: Derek Rayner's first article on log hauling in California ran in the May/June 2003 issue of Steam Traction. We continue this issue with his fascinating account of tracking down Aveling & Porter steam engines in the U.S.

The Multi-faceted Business of Threshing

Dwight Seman raised fascinating questions about old-time threshing circles. Few of us who have studied threshing feel comfortable generalizing about a subject with so many facets. About the only truism I am willing to offer is that the circles were generally called rings or runs.

An Engine for Every Engineer

From 1878 through 1914, Gaar-Scott Offered an Impressive Array of Engines.

Dad's Steam Story

Remembering Dad and his Steam Engines - Steam Runs Strong and True

Building a Large Prony Brake

How Much Power Does That Engine Really Produce? A Working Prony Brake Provides the Answer

The Steam Plow in America

Pursued for Decades, the Quest for a Workable Steam Plow was Ultimately Abandoned with the Successful Development of the Steam Traction Engine.

Testing Staybolts

Hammering Staybolts is a Time-honored Method of Testing for Broken Bolts: A Dull Thud Equals a Broken Bolt, a Clear Ring Means They're Okay - or Does it?

A Bit about Birdsall

With Surviving Engines Few and Far Between, the Birdsall History is still Waiting to be Written

The First Reunion?

Before "Steam Engine Joe" Rynda or LeRoy Blaker, Threshermen Shows were Held on an Ohio Farm

Steam Gauge Museum

After collecting traction engine steam gauges for many years, I have begun to see interesting developments in their evolution. It was these gauge developoments that started to peak my curiosity as to the technological developments of the steam engines they were used on.

350 HP Wetherill

In the summer of 1987, one hundred years after this giant Wetherill 350 HP Corliss steam engine was built, the Stearns County Pioneer Club (SCPC) of Albany, Minn., got it back up and running. In between, the 15-ton steam engine had quite a ride.

The Rynda Huber

Any roster of legendary figures in the steam and threshing hobby has to include an entry for "Steam Engine Joe" Rynda. One of the early boosters of threshing bees and reunions, Rynda was an active and inspiring force in the early days of the hobby.

Sole Survivor? 50 HP Road Locomotive

I read with interest Gary Yaeger's letter in the July/August issue of Steam Traction regarding Buffalo Pitts 50 HP Road Locomotives. I own the engine here in Australia that Beth Vanarsdall told Gary about, and I am trying to find out more information.

Austrian Mountain Steamer

Life is often a series of events, with each one necessarily leading to the next. Yet, we often don't realize where a particular chain of events is leading us.

The Under-mounted Aultman

Sometimes, owning a particular engine prompts a collector to delve deeper into the history of a particular manufacturer. With nearly 50 engines having come and gone over the years, I've learned a lot about many different companies.

The Great Race of 1878

The steam traction engine was, for all practical purposes, still in its infancy in 1878. That year, the J.I. Case Threshing Machine Co., Racine, Wis., manufactured its first steam traction engine, a rudimentary, horse-steered machine. Indeed, six more yea

The Joy of Steaming

Reflections on Harold Ottaway and the Early Steam Engine Shows at Joyland Park in Wichita, Kansas

Big Steam and Blue Skies

1925 Skinner Universal Industrial Steam Engine Gets a New Lease on Life