SHOT IN THE FLUES

Since the last magazine I had a hospital visit of 9 days and I
am now a diabetic, on insulin Praise The Lord Anyhow for Romans
8:28 tells us ‘ALL things work together for good, to those who
believe in God also tells us to ‘Be anxious for nothing, but in
everything by prayer and supplication, with Thanksgiving, let your
requests be known unto God, and God will give you the Peace that
passeth all understanding’ (Philippians 4:6-7) I know-I had
it-I have it-you can have it too! And now onto your precious
letters which mean so much to our Iron-Men Family!

M. E. BRISON, Box 192, Route 1, Millersport, Ohio 43046 has a
new item for sale many of you may be interested in Russell decals
Mr. Brison runs many ads in the IMA and the ad on this is in this
issue. He says the Russell owners have been wanting these, but it
was a very difficult and expensive decal to convert to modern
production. He is hoping to be able to get his cost out of it, but
says that the hobby has been good to him and so he is doing this
one for the good of the hobby. So, I thought you’d like to know
about this new item. Look in the classified ad section.

Another new organization which is going to present their first
show this July 30, 31 is Schiermeier-Hoefelmann Threshing
Association, Inc. (And Other Shenanigans) Antique Auto &
Machinery Show.

They are a non-profit organization incorporated on November 29,
1976. We wish them much success with their first event and they
hope to see the many friends that they have made in the hobby so
far. This show will be at St. Paul’s Lutheran Park, New Melle,
Missouri. (See Coming Events ad.)

ROBERT KOONTZ, 4033 Harrison, Gary, Indiana 46408 sounds happy
and eagerly looking forward to the upcoming reunions:

‘We certainly have enjoyed reading the Iron-Men Album this
last year. I’m sure glad that our friends introduced us to it
and encouraged us to subscribe. We did not realize just how many
steam shows were around the country and how close some of them were
to us.

This year we visited many new shows including the shows at
Mason, Michigan; Rockford, Illinois; Mt. Pleasant, Iowa and our old
stamping grounds, The Laport Historical Society. This year we hope
to return to these shows, plus add some new ones.

Last year I purchased an old sawmill made by Bell Saw, which at
first sight looked like a pile of junk. With the aid of a friend,
and a lot of coffee, restoration is almost complete. I now have a
very portable Bell Sawmill and this season I hope to participate at
the steam shows.’

WILLIAM HALL, 213 Dupont Avenue, Seaside Heights, New Jersey
08751 comments:

‘I am sure I will not be the only one to write you about
your question under the photo of the 1886 Scheidler engine as to
whether or not it is the oldest operating engine in the U.S. The
answer is NO. I would suggest the following two, both older. The
Greencastle engine owned by Mr. William Waters, Damascus, Maryland,
sold new in the summer of 1883. While it is stored in a shed at the
present time, it can be ready to go in hardly more than a day’s
notice. Also, the GarrScott, belonging to Mr. Shifflet, of
Bridgewater, Virginia, and shown there nearly every year. It
carries a date of 1884. I do not say that these are the oldest, but
they are the oldest I know of in operating traction engines. It
would be nice to make an appeal to anyone who knows of any older to
write and speak up. If the appeal is made through the pages of the
Iron-Men Album it is possible we could trace the oldest. I would
appreciate hearing from anyone who could help find out which is the
oldest traction engine still in operating condition. I think we
should draw the line at OPERATING or in condition to be operated on
short notice. Care to try through your column? I would also
appreciate hearing from anyone with information on this subject. I
will try to answer any letters I get, as I always have, if anybody
cares to write to me.’

Can’t resist this letter from BILL SHANER, 11704 Wright
Road, Lynwood, California 90262: ‘Your two magazines are the
best and most wonderful of any of the more than fifteen magazines
that I subscribe to and some of them cost more than $10.00 per
year. Your two magazines have more beautiful and wonderful
pictures, ads and good stories than any 4 of the other magazines
that I get. Hey, keep up the good work and Praise the Lord.’
(Isn’t that inspiring, in many ways.)

DALE E. BRUNSON, 805 North Grant Avenue, Norton, Kansas 67654
sends a few lines:

‘Mr. Carl H. Bryant (Deceased 7/76) and I have owned a Case
Steam Traction Engine 75, built in 1916 since 1966 when we bought
it and restored it. It is in fine shape and display it several
times a year. Carl always had a subscription and shared it with
me.

You probably know about the Association at Bird City, Kansas. We
have a great time there, for three days, and as big a show as there
is in this western part of our country.

Back in the middle Twenties I hauled water and ran an engine,
just like the one we now have. The last year I ran the engine I was
21 years of age.

Sure enjoy the Album, so please send it along, have missed it
since Carl passed away.’

WALTER E. SCHRAGE, 1219 Lawn Avenue, New Haven, Indiana 46774
has some information for you readers and although it concerns gas
engines, he has had many requests to send it in for this column.
‘Send SASE for collectors who want IHC or John Deere gas engine
years of manufacture of Famous, Titan 1 HP to 50 HP, Mogul 1 to 50
HP, Victor, Send parts numbers, engine number. Prefix letter 1, 3,
6, 10 HP ‘M’ McDeering. Send parts number prefix letter,
engine number LA-LB 1 – 2 – 3 – 5 HP. Send prefix letter and engine
number. L -1 HP engine number – only 500 manufacturers and one year
single flywheel. 1, 3, 6 HP John Deere gas engine. Send engine
number, 6 digits.’

J. D. HOPE, 74 Owen Street, Dalby 4405 QLD, Australia is very
interested in finding some information about a Buffalo Pitts
portable steam engine which he is restoring. The shop number is
8807. He would very much like to know the year of manufacture of
his engine, along with any other data.

EDD W. CUTLER of Shingle-house, Pennsylvania 16748, when sending
in the show report for Tioga County had this to say: ‘We had a
very good year and Iron-Men Album helped make it that way. Several
people I talked to from out of state said they saw our ad in
Iron-Men Album Magazine and decided to come out and have a
look-see. Soot In The Flues is what I read first. Keep up the good
work.’ (Thanks Edd, and I’m sure we’re all glad to know
our magazine is really helping the organizations.)

I wish you could see this letter, the handwriting is very
legible and rather pretty. Read on: ‘I am enclosing my money
for one more year of subscription. I read it now since 1967. I am
93 years old now. (I’d say 93 years young!) I ran engines from
16 years old, every year until I was 86 and still love the smell of
one. I still get to read your magazine. I live in an Old Folks Home
now for four years and still read and write, and may you be able to
publish it yet for many years to come. Wishing you all a prosperous
New Year. – Sincerely yours, M. VANDER VELDE, George Boyack Nursing
Home, 1203 Centre Avenue E, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.’ (For now
I’m putting the letter on my bulletin board – 93 and can still
read well and write lovely.)

A. HALL, 8525 – 27 Highway, R. R. 3, Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada
L4L 1A7 tells us: ‘I have two Iron Horse Engines made by
Johnson Motors Company, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada and have
asked around and nobody can tell me the year of these engines, so I
hope somebody out in Engine Land can help me. I would like to know
when they were made and when they were discontinued, so I can get
the year that mine were made and several others for friends of
mine.’

RALPH E. BARTHOLOMEW, 14 Abbott Street, Fort Plain, New York
13339 has this to say: ‘If you could give me any information on
how to build a steam engine, I would most appreciate it. I feel
that I need valves, gauges and lots of things and all the data as
to what I do need from someone who had plenty of experience with
this.’ (I agree, I imagine you can’t just tell someone how
to build a steam engine seems like it would be a series of lessons,
however, I hope one of our experienced builders gets in touch with
you.)

This picture was made in December 1958 of Charles Idol, who with
his wife, has presented the steam powered sewing machine at many
shows.

He, being a dedicated lover of the Iron-Men Album, brought a
fact to my mind.

Ever had your husband come in home from work and complain over a
meal getting cold? Should he have any interest at all in steam
engines, there is one sure cure of this complaint. Call him to a
hot meal and discover he has an Iron-Men Album in his hands. If he
does as my husband, he will read the Album from cover to cover and
forget the meal completely. When the last page is completed, he
enjoys that cold meal after the rest of the family have completed
theirs.

Looking to you folks for help is ROBERT P. DEAN, Route 3, Box
56, Centreville, Maryland 21617:

‘I need information on the restoration of a Peerless Steam
Engine-It is necessary for me to strip the boiler of all parts,
what is the compound the manufacturers placed between the brackets
and boiler? Was this material poured hot or was it a paste-like
mortar-and then allowed to dry? This material will not melt, only
burn slowly, and I am having great difficulty removing it. Can
anyone give me some help on what it is and how to remove it and
where can I get this stuff when I replace the brackets and the two
journals or cannon bearings that carry the main axle and counter
shaft? Please, some of you older men, give me some help on this
matter.’

The following is a letter that will be of interest to many of
you readers: ‘Dear Anna Mae and all other of you good
folks:

A warm Cheerio Ho to each of you who may be feeling the ravages
of Old Man Winter in his ill humor. We do have the warm weather at
present (90 degrees) but with it a continuation of severe drought,
water shortage and rationing, etc.!

But now I wish to submit a few additional remarks to the
interesting article ‘Instantaneous Effective Crank’ as
appearing in the March/April IMA. (Mr. Claude P. Abbert).

This thoughtful article brings to mind some of my first
mechanical experiences in the old railway shops. There was one
switch engineer who always proclaimed that he wanted an engine with
short connecting rods. Not realizing, perhaps, that what he gained
thusly on forward quarters, was lost on rear quarters. So, while he
could give that string of box cars a good bump from a forward
standing start, to move a heavy load otherwise meant momentarily
reversing to run in some slack. The regular switchers, not having
pilot trucks, were shortened up as much as possible, and having low
drivers, the cylinders were set close by with much shorter rods
than the conventional road engines which occasionally became
impressed into switcher service.

But back to our effective cranks. It is suggested that it might
be more accurate to state that torque distribution is not the same
on both the ‘in’ and the ‘out’ strokes. Consider,
for instance, the case of a conventional engine set up for 0.8
cutoff (with equal lead) on both strokes. By simple geometry, it
will then be found that the point of cutoff in degrees of rotation
of the crank will occur earlier on the outstroke than on the in
stroke. This is due to the angularity of the connecting rod, and
was described in detail in this writer’s article ‘The
Connecting Rod’ as published in Steam Engines, April/May 1961,
by another good steam man whom we feel must have been called much
too soon. This effect tends to offset that as described in the
article in question.

Now again, consider an engine which has just been set up in a
shop by a good millwright. He makes temporary or permanent tram
marks on the crosshead and valve stem, if they have not already
been provided, and proceeds to set the valve and piston clearances
accordingly. This at least gets the engine into a very close
‘ballpark.’ Then, after steam is up, and it is desired to
‘trim’ the engine by means of an indicator, he proceeds to
make any necessary variances until he achieves equal area diagrams,
as measured with a planimeter, from both ends of the cylinder. This
means that equal work is done by both ends of the cylinder. If the
engine does not have a balanced piston rod, which usually rides in
a shoe ahead of the cylinder, there will be a slight error of
approximately 4% in favor of the head end as typified by a 4 inch
rod in a 20 inch cylinder, for example.

But work in this engine may be defined as a product of the
average torque and the circumferential distance traveled and any
conversion constant, for each stroke. Now, in balanced condition,
since the degrees of travel are the same for each semicircle, the
average torque must also be the same.

Very sincerely,
FRANK J. BURRIS,
Registered professional engineer (at it since 1918)
35640 Avenue F Yucaipa, California 92399

The following letter is from P. J. ABBOTT, 29 Woodlands Way,
Southwater, Horsham, Sussex, England in answer to a request letter
in column from Harry E. Young, II, 485 South Hillside Drive,
Canfield, Ohio 44406 – I’m sure many of you will want to share
this information:

‘I have recently seen your request in the Iron-Men for
Jan./Feb. 1977 for details of large stationary steam engines. About
the largest in this country is still working at a place called
Kempton Park just west of London near Heathrow Airport, pumping
water for the Metropolitan Water Division of the Southern Water
Authority.

Their height from the base of the pumps is 62 feet. Cylinder
diameters are High Pressure 29 inches, Intermediate 54 inches and
Low Pressure 86 inches with a common stroke of 66 inches. Each
engine has two flywheels each of 17 feet diameter and 32 tons
weight. The crankshafts are 19 inches diameter at the bearings and
27 inches diameter at the flywheels. They were started in October
1929 and pump between 12 million gallons a day against 400 feet
head or 19 m.g.d against a head of 200 feet. Maximum engine speed
is 25.4 revolutions per minute. Steam at 200 lbs. per sq. ins is
supplied by six water tube boilers by Babcock and Wilcox. The
engines were made by Worthington Simpson Ltd., of Newark,
England.

They are expected to be working for a few years yet at least
although there are plans for replacement by electric pumps. I
recently had the pleasure of taking a small party from Canada and
America to see one of the engines working and they will remember
the impressive spectacle they are in action.’

MILTON H. TIEGS, Route 2, Box 51, Henderson, Minnesota 56044
sends this along: ‘An answer to Laurence Bohlmeyer, R. R. 2,
Shipman, Illinois who asked about a 1910 double cylinder engine
with two smokestacks. Here’s a picture we found that maybe will
serve his answer found in Minnesota Farmer’s Institute Magazine
in 1903.

I subscribe to Iron-Men Album Magazine for many years and
don’t want to be without it.’

WALT THAYER, Box 2175, Wenatshee, Washington, 98801 has a
CORRECTION: ‘That Shay locomotive I mentioned in March-April
Iron-Men Album Magazine is in a rock quarry near Columbus, Ohio NOT
Chillicothe. There are a lot of quarries in that area and only a
thorough search and inquiry would find the right one.’

And now God Bless each and every one of you I love you all-be
talking to you next issue.