Colchester, Illinois
Well, we thought it best to wait until you reported on the large
reunions and then submit a report of one of the smaller ones. The
second annual McClure-Waddill reunion was held at Colchester,
Illinois on September 26, with an attendance of slightly over 3500.
During the day grain was threshed with eight different steamers as
tractor. And the sawmill operated with both steam and gas
power.
Hobbyists attending insist that we have at least a two day
affair in 1955. We plan to do this as many of our friends have
assured us that they will bring in additional equipment for display
if the time is extended as it is hardly worthwhile to move the
engines any distance for a one-day show.
Anyway the wheat and rye has been sown and a larger and better
reunion is planned for next year.
The collection at the reunion consisted of the following: a 30
hp. double Huber, power steered; a 25 hp. Aultman Taylor single; a
20 hp. Advance; a 20 hp. Minneapolis; one 22 hp. Wood Bros.; a 24
hp. Port Huron; a 25 hp. and a 16 hp. Russell; three separators and
quite a number of old gas tractors. Since the reunion a 16 hp.
single Gaar Scott and a 22 hp. Geiser double have been added. All
these are in good condition and each equipped with a top as well as
an average of three whistles for each, some of which are the
steamboat and locomotive type.
Being centrally located it was very convenient for us to attend
the reunions at Pontiac, Mt. Pleasant, Franklin, III., as well as
some of the smaller ones at Kirkwood, Alpha, Browning and
Lewistown, Illinois.
As we have a new member in our organization the 1955 show will
be listed as McClure-Waddill, Broad-head Reunion. Our gang are all
ALBUM fans and voted the March-April 1954 number as the best of the
year. Why? Turn back and look at that cover picture again.
We visited Ray Ernst at Wayland, Iowa, this week. With his
one-man sawmill he whittled out a fine shed for his collection of
engines.
