Holden Metzger, Boonville, Ind., wrote in with
the first correct answer to last issue’s “mystery” engine. Holden
writes:
“I’m 16 years old and have been in the steaming community since
I was born. I inherited my engine from my great grandpa when he
passed away a year ago: the only Springfield engine and thresher
“I think the engine in the photo is a Springfield, circa 1886.
It seems really obvious, because the front wheels are wood with a
rolled steel tire, the sheet metal stack folds down, the
differential is huge for the engine’s size, the rod between the
front axle and the boiler attaches the same, and of course the
curved spoke flywheel. The Springfield Engine and Thresher Co. was
turned into the Kelly Springfield Co. sometime in 1900.
“This is the only photo of a Springfield that anyone in my
family has ever seen before. Thanks for Spalding’s Corner.”
For getting his answer in first, Holden gets a free copy of
Prof. P.F. Rose’s Steam Engine Guide.
This month’s mystery engine comes, as usual, courtesy of
John Spalding, 112 Carriage Place, Hendersonville,
TN 37075 (genesis645@aol.com). We don’t know what the engine is, so
we’re hoping some sharp-eyed reader can identify it.
As ever, the first person to correctly identify the engine, by
mail, gets a free copy of Prof. P.F. Rose’s Steam Engine
Guide.
Good steaming!
