The nearest engine in this lineup is a 16 horsepower Advance engine that I saw auctioned near the little town of Wayland, Iowa, nearly 40 years ago. The Advance and a straight flue, overmounted Avery were both listed in the estate sale for a Mr. Swartzendruber, and my dad and I went hoping we might pick up a steam engine cheap.
Both engines needed extensive restoration work, and the Advance had a bad crown sheet. We learned a little about steam enthusiasts that day. Both engines started at Dad's upper bidding limit, and they went up fast. Wayne Kennedy bought the Advance, and has been showing it at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa ever since.
The Avery ended up in Illinois, and Wayne still keeps track of it and its current owners. That is Wayne in the straw hat. He is an accomplished machinist, and a real steam expert. He is one of the instructors every spring at the Old Threshers' Steam Traction School.
I have always liked the art work in the Advance trademark. Mr. Swartzendruber had a neat setup for making sorghum molasses at his farm. Instead of the traditional wood fired evaporating pan he had a pan with a layer of pipes in the bottom that were fed steam from one of his engines. He also used a steamer to power the sorghum press. I am sure others have made similar evaporating pans, but that was the only steam heated one that I have seen.
The nearest engine in this lineup is a 16 horsepower Advance engine that I saw auctioned near the little town of Wayland, Iowa, nearly 40 years ago. The Advance and a straight flue, overmounted Avery were both listed in the estate sale for a Mr. Swartzendruber, and my dad and I went hoping we might pick up a steam engine cheap.
Both engines needed extensive restoration work, and the Advance had a bad crown sheet. We learned a little about steam enthusiasts that day. Both engines started at Dad's upper bidding limit, and they went up fast. Wayne Kennedy bought the Advance, and has been showing it at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa ever since.
The Avery ended up in Illinois, and Wayne still keeps track of it and its current owners. That is Wayne in the straw hat. He is an accomplished machinist, and a real steam expert. He is one of the instructors every spring at the Old Threshers' Steam Traction School.
I have always liked the art work in the Advance trademark. Mr. Swartzendruber had a neat setup for making sorghum molasses at his farm. Instead of the traditional wood fired evaporating pan he had a pan with a layer of pipes in the bottom that were fed steam from one of his engines. He also used a steamer to power the sorghum press. I am sure others have made similar evaporating pans, but that was the only steam heated one that I have seen.
The world is getting smaller, Sam.
ReplyDeleteMy wife's maiden name is Swartzendruber and the farmer could possibly be a great-uncle.
Next time I am in Iowa let's get together and take a tour around Wayland. I think I can find the place.
ReplyDeleteI replied back to your email, Sam.
ReplyDeleteThis sale would have been about 15 years before I met my wife so I wouldn't know much about it.
As I said, I missed chances on the wife's uncles' farms. One by the Sugar Creek church.
Getting together for chance to meet new friends, who wouldn't want that? Time permitting, of course. We'll work on that.