Making models of the old familiar makes of steam traction
engines has become quite popular among enthusiasts of steam power.
During the years that steam power was in vogue, threshermen
didn’t have time for hobbies of any kind. Strange to say, the
glorious era of steam was not fully appreciated at the time, not
until the faithful engines were ruthlessly scrapped wholesale,
real lovers of steam began to reproduce duplicates of the prototype
or collect as many remaining specimens as possible, thus retaining
the memory of golden harvests.
The present generation of American boys and girls are losing out
from the rapture that stirred the soul at threshing time. Modern
methods of gas power fail to arouse such emotion. Harvest comes and
goes unheeded and unnoticed.
At the dawn of the new century very few models had. ever been
built. I recall some shown in the ‘American Thresherman &
Threshermen’s Review’.
Precision or true to prototype can only be considered as real
models, while many miniature engines similar to various makes, as
well as freelance jobs do credit to untiring efforts. Some have
even developed original ideas that surpass the genius minds of past
generations.
