Steam 101

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'For years,' Tom says, 'Gerry and I have tried to make a blend. Part of our classes are for complete novices who have a strong interest in steam traction engineering but no experience. The other part is experienced operators and engine owners from other states who are here to work toward their Minnesota license. In 16 hours we try to make a blend so neither side is too bored or too snowed.'

Classes are generally held the third weekend in June. On Saturday morning, classroom work begins at eight and ends at noon. Topics include steam properties; boilers (construction and accessories); licensing, inspection, and regulations; steam engines; handling steam traction engine (starting, stopping, control, lubrication, and so on); and care and storage of steam traction engines.

The students own a full-sized cutaway Case boiler that can be used as a training aid. In the afternoons, Gerry says, 'we turn the students loose, and they go to the nine or 10 practice engines we have setup and practice a few things we taught them that day. If some of them are standing around and waiting their turn, we'll go around and show them some things that we've talked about. That lasts most of Saturday afternoon.' On Saturday evening an engineer teaches valve settings.

'Also Saturday evening we'll hook one of the engines up to the Prony Brake and just play around. It's a device used to put a load on an engine. It involves a huge pulley, and we hook the belt onto the brake. The other end of the belt goes onto the fly wheel of one of the steam engines. Just lining up one of those steam engines into a belt is very, very tricky. The Prony Brake has a lever that adjusts the amount of load you put on the engine and you can go ahead and run it up and measure the amount of horsepower being put out. It's really fun. This year we waited until dark, and loaded the engine fireboxes with sawdust, and pulled heavy loads. They blew sparks up through their stacks 50 feet into the air. Everybody kind of likes and enjoys that.'

Sunday morning classes again run from 8 a.m. to noon, after which the future graduates hook up their machines to implements, and go through a driving course. That's when the gallon jugs of water are tossed under the moving machines.

Gerry says he finds two things difficult for students to grasp: 'I think it's difficult for some of them to grasp the physiology of the steam cylinder itself, and in addition, to be able to pay attention to all the things they should as the machine is running. For example, to get on an engine and run it around and be pretty good with steering and starting and stopping, but yet forget completely about the water level and the fire. That is not uncommon for people learning how to do things. They get tunnel vision.'

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