Back in my college days, a couple friends and I got a small rock band together and started writing songs. Problem was, we could never find a reliable drummer to play with us, which eventually led to the band's ultimate demise. If only we had an old antique tractor to keep the beat. 

Terri Keitel, our advertising account executive, gave me a heads-up on this great video that appears to come from Germany. It features three really good musicians (four, if you count the tractor) doing a smokin' version of "Sweet, Georgia Brown." Enjoy!

And since I'm not a tractor guy, I'll let you all figure out what kind of tractor that is. Post your answers in the comment section below.

Starting last October, Aumann Auctions has been making video previews of their upcoming auctions. I wasn't aware of this until just recently when I stumbled on a video for the gas engines up for bid in the Gary Parker Collection auction taking place Oct. 23-24 at the Parker Antique Tractor Museum in Churubusco, IN.

I think this is a great idea that all auction services should offer. It's always nice to see a detailed list of what's going to be at an upcoming auction but nothing beats seeing those engines with your own eyes. The Gary Parker Collection videos are especially nice because they take a good long at most, if not all, of the significant items up for bid. If you're a big IHC fan, I don't think you'll want to miss this auction. Without further ado, here's the video:

Visit AumannAuctions.com for further information on the Gary Parker Collection auction.

By now, most everyone has heard about the ferocious wild fires in California, specifically the Station Fire creeping up toward the historic Mt. Wilson Observatory. What you might not realize, though, is that in addition to the telescopes and other astronomical equipment at risk of burning is a piece of gas engine history.

This was the last photo taken from the towercam at Mt. Wilson Observatory before a backfire broke the Internet connection.

In the June/July 2008 issue of GEM, Larry Evans talked about the restoration of a 1911 50 Fairbanks-Morse Type RE engine and generator that was once dubbed "Big Ben" by the resident astronomers. After several months of work from September 1999 to February 2000, Larry and his brother were able to get Big Ben running again, adding yet another attraction to the history-rich observatory.

In the story, Larry states that Big Ben is located in a fireproof building built in 1910. But whether or not that building is enough to protect the engine remains to be seen. As of Thursday morning (Sept. 3), firefighters had been successful at keeping the flames at bay aided by favorable weather conditions and a heavy dousing of fireproof gel and foam on the buildings. But fire officials warn that the fire could burn until at least Sept. 15 and until then, the safety of the observatory and all of the buildings surrounding it is still in question.

We've contacted Larry and he reported the following via e-mail:

"As of now all is well. Since the mountain top is shared with a huge antenna complex that covers the entire Los Angeles basin with commercial TV, radio, emergency agency communications, etc., a very large effort has been and is being made to ensure its safety. So far the efforts have been successful and hopefully will remain so but this has been an extremely unpredictable fire."

We'll keep you posted with any new information and in the meantime, you can follow the latest developments through observatory director Hal McAlister's blog.

UPDATE: Everything is quiet on Mt. Wilson once again. Thanks to the tireless effort of the firefighters, the observatory, the antennas and Big Ben all appear to be safe and sound.

It’s safe to say that the process of ranking the best farm shows in the country would be a futile endeavor. Everyone has their favorites and it’s not likely you’ll find two people with the same list.

That said, it would be interesting to see which shows make it onto multiple lists. And I have a feeling that if more folks were aware of it, the annual Camp Creek Threshers show in Waverly, Neb., would be one of those.

The 2010 Camp Creek Antique Machinery and Threshing Show will take place July 17-18 in Waverly, Neb. Photo by Christian Williams

Wrapping up its 33rd year, the Camp Creek Antique Machinery and Threshing Show is simply one of the best all-around farm shows I’ve been to. Even my wife - who’s hardly ever excited about walking down dusty paths and watching me ogle gas engines – had a great time. And the reason is because there truly is something for everyone.

I know that phrase gets tossed around so much that it has likely lost its meaning for most of you. But in addition to a stellar display of rare gas engines and prairie tractors (more on those later), I was pleasantly surprised by how well the show was geared toward everyone ages 8-88.

There was a blacksmith shop, a working print shop where, for $1, you could have your name printed on a linotype slug, an elaborate model railroad set-up in the old Waverly train depot relocated to the show grounds, a replica service station surrounded by antique vehicles, a saddle and harness shop with horse demonstrations, a butter churning demonstration, a flour mill, flea market and antique drug store, as well as much, much more. And don’t forget the delicious homemade apple pie and ice cream!

I was also excited to see so many kids having fun, whether by turning the crank on the corn shellers, playing with the animals in the petting zoo, watching a gas engine power a water pump, or just simply marveling at the size and beauty of the steam engines and prairie tractors. I had a chance to speak with Camp Creek Threshers President Heidi Cheney, and she shares my opinion that getting kids interested in the hobby is vital to the future of the hobby. And it’s obvious that the Camp Creek Threshers recognize the unique opportunity they have to educate children about the history and preservation of antique farm equipment. You could tell that the kids weren’t just having fun, they were also learning how their ancestors got work done. I think the hobby is in great hands with folks like the Camp Creek Threshers around.

And for those who are just interested in the nuts and bolts of a farm show, there was plenty of rare old iron on display. The featured tractors were of the prairie variety – my personal favorite – and I counted at least 10 on display. Over in the gas engine area, I spotted several engines which I had yet to see in person including a 5 HP Stickney, 1-1/2 HP Flying Dutchmen, 12 HP Root & Vandervoort, 8 HP heavy-pattern Baker Monitor with enclosed crankcase and 10 HP Ohio sideshaft, just to name a few. Having talked to several club members, I’m going to venture a guess that next year’s lineups for tractors and gas engines will be just as impressive.

Located just 10 minutes from Lincoln, the show is also one of the most convenient I’ve attended, and would be an easy drive for most anyone in the upper Midwest. I’m already checking to see if my 2010 schedule allows for a return trip. And speaking of the 2010 show, it takes place July 17-18, preceded by a swap meet on May 22. Visit www.ccthreshers.com for more information.

Since the January 2006 issue of Gas Engine Magazine, engine enthusiast Peter Rooke has been sharing his restoration expertise through detailed articles that often span several issues.

Peter Rooke’s book, Gas Engine Restoration, is now available through Gas Engine Magazine.

As an editor, it’s a risky decision to commit that much space to one story, and you always have to ask the question, “What if the reader gets bored with this series halfway through?”

But with Peter, that’s never been a concern, and reader surveys have confirmed that for us. The vast majority of readers appreciate Peter’s attention to detail and straightforward approach to explaining the technical aspects of gas engine restoration, which is why we’re thrilled to announce the release of Peter’s first book on the subject, aptly titled Gas Engine Restoration.

The first book of its kind, Gas Engine Restoration is a step-by-step guide that we think will be extremely valuable to beginning and experienced hobbyists alike. An easy-to-follow narrative is supplemented with plenty of color photos, comprehensive data tables and a soft cover spiral binding that allows you to lay the book flat and use it as you work on your own restoration. You can bet that Editor-in-Chief Richard Backus and I will be using it extensively when we begin restoring our 1921 1-1/2 HP IHC M later this summer.

Where I’ll be this summer
I found out last year that some people like to know ahead of time what shows I plan to attend, whether it be to make sure I see a unique engine, meet someone interesting or just say hello. So, barring any unforeseen events, here’s a partial list of shows I’ll be at:
• Camp Creek Threshers, July 18-19, Waverly, Neb.
• Tri-State Gas Engine and Tractor Show, Aug. 26-30, Portland, Ind.
• Midwest Old Threshers Reunion, Sept. 3-7, Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. (I’ll be bringing my banjo and guitar and playing some songs in the Farm Collector tent from Songs of the Iron Men, my new album of folk music featuring poems from Iron-Men Album).
• Ozarks Steam-O-Rama, Sept. 17-20, Springfield, Mo.

Aside from being a beautiful engine, the interesting thing about the cover photo of the June 2009 issue of Gas Engine Magazine is that you, the reader, chose it.

The cover of the June 2009 issue of Gas Engine Magazine.

Tom Winkler’s 1904 6 HP C.P. & J. Lauson was one of four cover images we had to choose from, and to help us decide which one to go with, we surveyed more than 2,900 GEM subscribers by e-mail in late April. We also asked them to rank their interest in several articles based on headlines and brief descriptions, and you’ll find many of those articles in this issue.

Many subscribers took advantage of the opportunity to share their thoughts on GEM through the open comment portion of the survey. Most of the comments were very helpful, and some of you asked a question that I’d like to answer here. That question was, why are we surveying our readers? Shouldn’t we know what to put in the magazine without asking?

Considering the content in GEM depends on reader submissions, we think it just makes sense to ask the readers for their opinion on other aspects of the magazine. Surveying also helps you contribute to the magazine if you don’t have time to submit an article.

Lately, each issue has had more content planned for it than we have pages to fill, which has provided a perfect opportunity for us to get the reader involved in the process of making the magazine. And while it doesn’t happen too often, we found ourselves with four very strong cover images for this issue, again providing the reader with the unique opportunity to "build-your-own" magazine.

At this point, I should note that if you chose some of the articles that you don’t see in this issue, don’t worry – we’re planning on running them in future issues of GEM. We just thought that since we had such a strong set of options for this issue that we’d give you a chance to weigh in.

As I’ve already stated, we sent out the survey by e-mail to more than 2,900 subscribers but we’d love to send it out to thousands more. If you have an e-mail address and you’d like to participate in our next reader survey, just send a message to my e-mail and I’ll add you to the list. That will also give you the opportunity to sign up for our weekly newsletter, which will show up in your e-mail every Tuesday.

Thanks to everyone who participated this time around!

As for the music on the album, here's a taste of what you'll hear. This song is called "Smoke on the Prairie," and was written by Chas. L. Genter:

I'm sure that many of you don't know that I'm a folk musician in my spare time. Over the last three years, I've recorded and released five albums of original folk music, and recently had the unique opportunity to combine my interest in folk music with my interest in old iron.

While looking through issues of Iron-Men Album from the 1950s and 60s, I came across several poems written by actual steam farmers, threshermen and their wives reflecting on their experiences with steam farming. Farmers are often characterized as tough and stoic, so I was struck by how romantic and funny these poems are. And, in addition to being well-written accounts of a fascinating chapter of American history, I also thought they'd make pretty good songs. So, I chose 12 of my favorites and set them to original music.

To give the album an old-time American feel, I used instruments unique to American folk music including banjo, washtub bass, steel resonator guitar and autoharp. I played all of the instruments myself and recorded the album in my bedroom studio. From start to finish, the album only took me about two weeks, mostly because it was very easy to fit the words to music. These poems were written from the heart so they already carry a certain kind of tune. All I had to do was read each one a few times before matching the words with a complementary tune in my head.  

Though the album is focused on steam farming, the sentiment behind the poems and the music is something that everyone with nostalgic feelings toward the good old days of farming can relate to. In the technology age, it's easy to lose sight of how we used to things five years ago, much less 100 years ago. Many folks believe that when steam farming disappeared, so did the romantic view of farming. And while farming is definitely quicker and more efficient than it's ever been, the close relationships that farmers once had with each other and the land have been replaced by mega-capacity combines operated by one person in an air-conditioned cab. These poems help us remember that at one time, things were different.

As you can see from the album cover, Farm Collector coordinating editor Jeannine Snyder put the finishing touches on the project with an outstanding album design and layout that complements the music perfectly. The photo that Jeannine used for the cover features a Waterous steam engine threshing crew, and was provided to us by John F. Spaulding. You'll find more photos like that one in the book he put together with Dr. Robert T. Rhode, Steam Tractor Encyclopedia, available in the Farm Collector store.

And as for the music on the album, here's a taste of what you'll hear: This song is called "Smoke on the Prairie" written by Chas. L. Genter in 1955, and is being offered as a free download for a limited time.

Songs of the Iron Men is now available in the Farm Collector store for just $10 plus shipping and handling.

Read the original poems in their unedited entirety.