6124 – 30th St., N.W., Washington 15, D.C.
This miniature Huber Traction Engine which I have made from the
raw materials mostly is scaled about one to eight, has the usual
working parts and is a live steamer. It is equipped with safety
valve set at 70 pounds. It has the Wolf Valve Gear, friction
clutch, water gauge, gauge cocks and a live whistle. This engine is
about 22′ long. The boiler cylinder is 4-‘ in diameter. The
boiler, tanks and levers are nickel, the cylinder jacket copper
overlaying brass under the design cutouts. The crank wheel, fly
wheel, gears, castings and platform are brass. Ground wheels are
red and this is about the extent of paint, the remainder is natural
color metals. I drew the designs, made the patterns and did all the
castings. Not having access to a machine shop I hand made a gear
cutting attachment for the lathe and milled the teeth in all the
gears and they do work smoothly. I may mention that I am not a
mechanic and never worked in a shop.
January 1, 1935 a letter from the Huber Manufacturing Company,
of Marion Ohio reads in part, and I quote, ‘We are pleased to
give you permission to construct a model of our Huber separator and
also to put our name on same when completed. ‘We feel honored
to have you select the Huber for your model, and we will be pleased
to cooperate with you to make it a true copy, as nearly as
possible’
Very truly yours, The Huber Manufacturing Company, A. W. Newby,
President
A letter dated November 1, 1935 and I quote, ‘While checking
through some files today I ran across copy of ‘The Model
maker’ for April 1935 containing picture and description of the
model Huber Roto Rack separator you constructed from drawings we
furnished you.’ ‘This appears to be a very fine piece of
work and certainly looks like the real thing and you are to be
complemented on having made such a faithful reproduction’.
Yours very truly, The Huber Manufacturing Company, A. W. Newby,
President
I no longer have the separator as this was my 1935 activity.
When I built the engine in 1962, it seems as if the Huber Mfg. Co.,
was no longer carrying on as such, therefore I used their name on
the engine as they had authorized for the separator.
This engine has now been given to the Smithsonian Institution of
Washington, D.C. and is the property of the American People and is
on display at the National Museum, in the city of Washington.
A letter dated July 28, 1965, and I quote, ‘I have learned
of the beautiful model of the 1901 Huber steam tractor that you so
generously donated to the Smithsonian Institution’. ‘It
gives me great pleasure to accept this model on behalf of the
United States National Museum as an addition to our collection of
farm tools and machinery’. ‘It will be entered in our
records as a gift in your name’
Yours very truly, P. W. Bishop, Chairman Department of Arts
& Manufactures..
