P.O. Box 158, Kleefeld, Manitoba, Canada ROA OVO
I always wanted a nice double cylinder rear mount steamer that
was not too large to handle around the yard. I saw an ad in
January/February 1990 issue of Iron Men Album, page 26, where
Reynolds Museum of Wetaskiwin, Alberta, Canada had a 1916 Rumely
for sale. I went to see this engine, bought it, and had it shipped
on a sawmill in northwestern Saskatchewan.
It is a 16 HP M. Rumely, simple double with rear mount axle. The
original stamping on rear of boiler which was still visible showed
that Rumely had tested it to 275 lbs. on April 18, 1916, and that
55,000 lb. steel by Illinois was used in the boiler. The Rumely
specs, in their advertising literature, state that it is a Canadian
type high pressure boiler with double riveted butt strap. The flue
sheets are thick. They also used a full wing sheet construction to
mount the engine and axles onto. There are no large bolts threaded
into steam or water space to mount the engine or axles. This boiler
was run at 175 lbs. pressure when new.
After I got the engine home, I took it apart piece by piece
right down to the bare boiler. I found that some rusting had
occurred on the wagon top just underneath the engine crankshaft
casting where dirt had collected over the years. So I and my boiler
inspector decided to have that fixed. A licensed pressure welder
came to have these small spots pad-welded to original thickness.
The rest of the boiler was in good shape, both in and out, and
passed inspection. I also replaced all the boiler plumbing with new
valves, pipes and fittings. The injector, pop valve, fusible plug
and pressure gauge were all replaced with new ones. This steamer
had some parts missing, such as the water tank, drawbar and
platform. These had to be made up from new material, as close as
possible to the original size and design. The engine oil feed pump
and boiler water feed pump were also missing.
I made a lot of phone calls and attended several old farm
auction sales to find these original parts. The 011 and water feed
pumps and throttle were rebuilt before installation. New bull
pinions were installed. The piston and valve rods were replaced
with new chromed rods. I also rebabbitted the rear axle bearings. I
hired a contractor to sandblast and paint most parts.
A heat resistant primer and automotive finish were used to paint
the engine. The lettering and stripes on the spokes were painted by
hand with an artist brush.
The shipping weight of the engine was listed as 17,100 lbs. The
rear wheels are 64 inch x 32 inch with 10 inch ext. rims. Front
wheels are 40 x 12 inch. Boiler diameter 32 inch.
I would like to thank all the people who sold me parts, gave me
advice, and helped me to restore this engine back into good working
order.
