An Avery Steam Tractor Cloaked in Mystery

Father's early steam engine is similar — but not identical — to his son's Avery 20hp engine.

By Dan Boomgarden
Published on September 15, 2022
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by Dan Boomgarden
This Avery return-flue engine that was bought off the Avery Farm near Sterling, Kansas, is unlike any other Avery steam engine of that design known.

Father and son’s collections have two Avery engines that should be identical — but aren’t. Learn what makes this mysterious Avery steam tractor unique.

In 2021, I had the pleasure to view the Virgil and Phyllis Litke collection near Marion, Kansas. Virgil and Phyllis were married 71 years and the collection was as much her hobby as it was his. As their children said, it was something that brought them closer together.

Virgil and Phyllis passed away in 2019, leaving a collection that took a lifetime to accumulate. In July 2021, the collection sold at auction with Aumann Vintage Power.

Virgil was one of the true pioneer collectors of the tractor and engine hobby. As a family man and a person of admirable faith, he greeted everyone with a smile and a tour of one of his buildings. It didn’t matter how many times you’d been there, you always saw something new and got to hear a new story. Collections like the Litkes’ are waning as these pioneer collectors leave their legacy for the next generation.

Thirty years trying to close the deal on an Avery steam tractor

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