3412-A Urban St., Los Alamos, New Mexico 87544
I have been reading with great interest some of these magazines
from my good friend, Carl Whitis from White Rock, New Mexico who is
also building a model Case engine. I also have a copy of ‘Days
of Steam and Glory’ by Dana Close Jennings describing
‘Prairie Village’ near Madison, South Dakota.
In the early 20’s I owned an interest in, and operated an
Avery outfit consisting of a straight flue engine and a Yellow
Fellow Separator size 36 x 60. This was back in central Iowa. I
hauled water for the engine for two threshing seasons, then ran the
engine for several seasons. This outfit was purchased some time
between 1915 and 1920. The engine was still being used as late as
1930. I am quite curious about it, as I have never seen it pictured
or described in any magazine. Could it be that a very few of this
model was made at that time? I have seen numerous pictures of the
Avery return flue and the undermounted, but never this one.
I will describe it the best I can, but unfortunately, I do not
have a snapshot of it and not all the details concerning it. To the
best of my knowledge, it was rated 20 HP, straight flue, had a
Canadian hi-pressure boiler and a working pressure of 175 pounds
per square inch. The firebox door was in two sections and opened by
a foot lever and a spring closing. In addition to pulling the
separator, I pulled a 36′ International Silo filler. As I
remember it, this engine weighed about 16 ton. I also operated an
Advance tandem compound in N. Dakota in 1920 and 1921.
I am 72 now and retired from the Los Alamos Scientific Lab five
years ago. I worked at the machinist trade for 36 years, 11 of
those years here at L.A.S.L. I certainly miss the days of the steam
locomotive and the steam traction engine.
I would appreciate any information regarding this fine
engine.
