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Joe was attending high school in Timonium, Md., at the time, but traveled with his grandfather to Westminster often, using every spare hour to work on the project. He said he has learned all he knows about steam engines by looking and listening.
"You keep your eyes open and your mouth shut," he said. "At shows I'd see things and learn from them. Last year I went to the Tuckahoe Steam and Gas Association steam school. It's a one day workshop on steam - it's all practical stuff. That's the only training I've had. I've learned by watching and asking questions."
Joe spent a lot of time researching steam engine restoration and has been able to acquire some 19th century catalogs to add to his knowledge. He remembers every detail of the project.
Joe said he had the state inspector check out the engine and learned the boiler was unsafe.
"I had not fired it," he said. "The boiler plate is one eighth of an inch thick which means it could blow up. I use a secondary steam source pumped directly into the engine. September 1998 was the first year we ran it for the Mason-Dixon show. We've had it belted to a thresher and it works wonderfully."
Since the Taylor is rare, finding parts has been a real challenge for Bob and Joe. The engine is missing one of its two flywheels, and neither the governor nor the oiler are original equipment.
"The governor is a Pickering," Joe said. "The oiler is a Manzel. They're both old. The governor dates back to the teens."
For Bob Frederick, the adventure of repairing the Taylor has been a great experience - and not only because he's gotten the chance to put some work in on some rusty iron. "Joe is a grandson, but he is also a friend," he said. "We had a lot of fun. We got dirty together. You should have seen us the day we cleaned the firebox."
Dottie Freeman, administrator for the Carroll County Farm Museum, said she was delighted that Joe and Bob undertook the Taylor restoration project.