The Old Peerless

It has been mentioned several other times in the past, as one of
the previous owners was the late Ray Jones. Ray was a retired
railroad engineer and also served as president of the Pioneer
Engineer’s Club of Indiana for 22 years. Throughout his entire
life Ray has been devoted to steam one way or another.

The earliest known history of the engine begins in the
mid-1950s, when Ray Jones purchased it near Doe Hill, Virginia. He
brought it home to Sunman, Indiana, where it was restored by Ray
and several friends.

If anyone knows of the engine prior to this, please write to
IMA or me, Timothy Trabel. It is a 1909 model TT, 16 HP,
serial #14170.

Ray took the engine to various shows over the years, mainly the
Rushville, Indiana, show, until it was sold again in 1970 or
1971.

From Sunman, Indiana, the engine went to Rockville, Indiana. The
next owners, Joe and Emit Ford, used the engine on a shingle mill
at a festival in Rockville for several years. Then for reasons
unknown to me, the engine was parked in a fence row and left to
rot. Then about 1990 the engine was sold again, this time at public
auction to the Pickett family of Brazil, Indiana. They gave the
engine a much needed paint job and used it for display in front of
a store in Brazil, Indiana.

The engine appeared again in IMA, this time in the classified
section of the January/February 1993 issue. I received my issue in
mid-December 1992 and called about the engine. The next day I went
to look at it, and on the second trip I was shown old boiler
inspection papers and discovered the engine was previously owned by
Ray Jones. A deal was struck, and on December 31, 1992 the engine
was hauled home to a small town in southeastern Indiana called
Yorkville, approximately four miles from Sunman, Indiana.

As soon as the weather warmed up, restoration began. The only
thing that was still attached to the boiler was the engine bed and
the front and rear axle assemblies along with the wheels. The
engine then went to B&B Steam Restoration, Newpoint, Indiana,
to get a new smokebox and lower section of the flue sheet
installed. It appeared that the engine sat for a long time with the
stack uncovered, rusting the smokebox out on the bottom. It was
also rusted very thin where the smokestack attached.

While the engine was at B&B, the rest of the parts were
cleaned, repaired, and painted. When it arrived home from B&B
the wheels were removed, the boiler was cleaned and painted, the
wheels got a new set of wooden spokes, and a new canopy was made
along with a new platform and coal bunker. Piece by piece the
engine went back together, slowly but surely.

Thanksgiving Day 1993 we decided to fire the engine for the
first time, as it was an unseasonably nice day for that time of
year. In the morning I filled the boiler and tanks, put some wood
in the firebox, and got everything ready. We went to my
parents’ house for our traditional Thanksgiving dinner at noon.
By 2:00 p.m. we were on our way home, with the rest of the family
not far behind, to start the fire.

By 4:00 p.m. the old Peerless was running again after sitting
idle for 20 or so years. I was very proud on that Thanksgiving Day,
because this was my first engine restoration project and, other
than the boiler work, I did everything myself, right down to the
pinstriping and lettering. Except for a few minor leaks and
adjustments, the engine performed flawlessly.

The summer of 1994 my wife and I took the engine to the Pioneer
Engineer’s Club of Indiana’s 46th annual reunion in
Rushville, Indiana, and to the Power of the Past Show in
Greensburg, Indiana. We also attended the local county fair with
the engine.

Timothy and Mary Trabel, 8497 Yorkridge Rd., Guilford, Indiana
47022, own the 1909 model TT 16 HP Peerless, serial #14170, shown
on the cover. You’ll find Timothy’s profile of the engine,
titled ‘The Old Peerless,’.

We had a good time this past summer meeting new friends, young
and old; the old with stories to tell and the young wanting to hear
stories. As I am only 34 years old I couldn’t tell many stories
yet, but who knows, after a few more shows I should have a few to
tell!