Sent to us by Roger Grosser Sutton, Vermont 05867
June 3rd and 4th, 1995, we went to Dave and Jacquie
Dearborn’s Engine Show in West Campton, New Hampshire. The meet
is sponsored by the New Hampshire Gas and Steam Engine Association.
There are always gas and steam engines and friendly people at this
show.
A steam exhibit ran model and full-size engines. We bring our
pedal tractor and let the kids ride it. We like an engine to do
something, like being hitched to an operating sawmill.
We had a ride on a Frick 8×10 steam tractor that was made in
Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, and owned by Bruce Townsend. It sounded
very quiet for something so large, just a low growl. The boiler was
so hot that the grease and oil were sizzling and popping. The heat
could be felt ten feet away. The Frick had rubber pads bolted to
the metal treads to keep them from digging into the pavement. There
was a very loud steam whistle on its boiler. A lever running along
the top enabled the operator to put the tractor into forward or
reverse easily. The Frick tractor crawled along slowly and had lots
of power.
We look forward to next year!
