Building a Collection from the Ground Up

El gets a variety of comments about his engines at shows. One most-often heard is 'Boy, when I was a kid we had an engine just like that at home running a pump jack.' El suspects the speaker might be talking about a different engine, not only because the ones he shows are very rare, which means they were produced in small numbers, but also because the person often adds, 'but it was a different color.'

'People like to reminisce, but the majority of people probably can't remember what engines they actually had as kids,' he muses, 'other than flywheels that went around and pumped water, mainly.'

'Always looking for something ...'

El is turning towards smaller engines now, because the big, heavy flywheels on some of his engines are getting too difficult to turn. He will also look for more model engines to add to his collection of four. 'Plus, I'm always looking for something that I've always wanted. It's hard to say what it is until I see it, but I'm looking at smaller engines.'

'I got involved in the antique tractor-pulling circuit about 25 years ago for about 10 years, but it got so competitive that I decided to collect gasoline farm engines where I could sit back and enjoy them,' he says. 'I accumulated more and more engines.'

For El, the best part of collecting farm engines is acquiring one that's not running, and returning it to working order. 'I think that's one of the highs for me,' he says. But the shows are also fun. He enjoys demonstrating his 'toys' and answering questions and talking with different people. 'About all we go to shows for is to educate the public,' he says.

For more information: El Juenke, 22451 Annette Ave., Farmington, MN 55024; (651) 463-7224.

Bill Vossler is a freelance writer and author of several books on antique farm tractors and toys. Contact him at Box 372, 400 Caroline Lane, Rockville, MN 56569; (320) 253-5414; e-mail: bvossler@juno.com.