Case Engine: One for the Ages

By Calvin Whitaker
Published on May 6, 2014
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Photo by Calvin Whitaker
The 1898 Case engine when it was on display in the George Schaaf museum.

I had a friend, Roselle Raisch, who lived in the suburbs of Cincinnati. I think he knew where every steam engine in the tri-state area was. One day he called me and said he knew of a Case center-crank return-flue engine in Minnesota for sale for $100. I said that I had never heard of one and pleaded with him to buy it. “Don’t let it get away!” I said.

The owner lived in Minnesota, just short of the Canadian border. About two weeks later, Roselle called to tell me I was the new owner of a Case engine. Within a few weeks the engine — a 12 hp 1898 Case — was on my property and I was a happy man. I was amazed at what good shape it was in, given its age. Later, I learned there were only three believed to exist.

The engine was self-propelled but could also be pulled by horses. I began to work on it right away. I put on a smokestack and I worked on the clutch. Later, I painted it the original color.

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