Weekend Steam II: Don't Forget Rollag!

 Big news for the Sandbox at Rollag. Head north!

Weekend Steam II: Midwest Old Threshers This Weekend!

 Get yourself over to Mt. Pleasant, Iowa for Old Threshers this weekend. The weather is forecast for a little cooldown on Sunday, so no excuses. There is more to see than you can do in one day. Traction engines, antique tractors, old gas engines, steam locomotives, and much, much more. If you are a middle aged man, do not stand close to the stage in the saloon when the girls are singing. They will pull you on stage to embarrass you!

                                               This photo is from Dana Close Jennings' book, Old Threshers at XXX, published in 1979. I like to show this because my brother Ben and his son Mike are in it.

Number 9 Shay is back from its stay at Georgetown Loop and will be hauling passengers again.

                                  Number 6 will be on duty!

You might catch a ride in the caboose. Climb up to the cupola for a great view as you circle the grounds. 

Old technology is always surprising me. This Avery firebox door is one of the neatest inventions I have seen.

Ride the trolley to the pioneer village on the south end and catch the medicine show. This is Sanford D. Lee's (and his wife, Mary K. Elder-Lee) 36th year at Old Threshers! Guaranteed to Cure Melancholy!

Lots of old tractors, too!

Weekend Steam: Steampunk Motorcycle!

 Many Thanks, Merle for spotting this one! It took a bit of genius level thought to put this together.

On The Road Again

The '01 Nissan is back on the road again after the brake line replacements. It made a trip up north of Bluford to get some new straw. We had straw baled in 1987, stowed it in the north barn and have been using it ever since. We are getting down to the end, so I picked up a dozen bales and have them in the barn now. Susan spread a couple of the new bales in the dog yard. It sure smells nice. The forty year old straw looks pretty good, but the fresh cut aroma of wheat straw has been missing for decades.  The dogs love it. Our dog yard gets heavy use, and straw is a necessity.

 

Dealing With Storm Damaged, Extremely Bent Over Trees

 Occasionally you will have to deal with trees that are big springpoles, loaded with energy and ready to knock your head off if you cut one of them wrong. Nipping in the inside middle of the bend works if you don't have to work above your shoulders. Take too big of a nip and you will have your saw pinched, so that can be a problem. I have been using a different technique that has worked for me every time. Make a face cut down low on the inside, and then make a vertical bore cut behind the face cut to establish the hinge without taking out much of the tensioned back strap. As you do this, go easy and work the saw in and out, because the compression will try to come down on your chain and bar. You will feel it, but you can stay in charge. After you have the hinge made, stand back as far as you can and cut the back strap. Do not stand in line with the stem, because it might kick back. Practice this on a safe tree and you will be ready when a real challenge comes along. 

Wednesday Windage: Tim Sundles Talks About The .223, and Some Other Stuff

Down And Dirty Under The Old Truck

 Drive an old vehicle and you will have to deal with brake repairs. A brake line was dripping on the old pickup and another adjacent line was nearly rusted through. After removing both of those lines, the entire brake system was full of air, so after replacing the lines we began bleeding at the far end of the system and worked our way back. A patient assistant is a must, and you must get out from under after several pumps to replenish the brake fluid in the master cylinder. You may have to touch up the bleeding after you have made the full round, but you can do this. The old beater is back on the road today! Replace the protectors on your bleeders to keep them from clogging with road grime. (PS, This is the easy part after removing rusty brake line fittings and assembling new line into your system!) (PPS, Do NOT use incandescent trouble lights under your vehicle while working with brake fluid! That stuff will light up your garage. The Studebaker garage in Swedesburg, Iowa caught fire many years ago when a light bulb broke. The mechanic was under a car and barely escaped.)

Tuesday Torque II: Portland, Indiana

 Here's a quick visit to the Tri State Gas Engine and Tractor Show, by Engineering Johnson.  Many Thanks, Zeke!

Tuesday Torque: 1916 Emerson Brantingham Model L

 At Greenville, IL, by Someplace or Another. Thank You, Merle for the link!  It took a while for people to figure out what a tractor should look like!

BTU Obsession!

 

                                     Back To The Old Grind!

Weekend Steam II: Achensee, Austria

 

Note the cog that is visible under the belly of the engine. This loco is meant for hitching to a rack and pulling a steep grade.  Many Thanks, Merle!

Achensee, Austria link

Anatomy Of A Chainsaw Accident, How To Avoid Becoming Newsworthy

Note that Timber Kutter eliminated most of the hinge when he cut out the center. Taking out the center is a useful tool, but you must leave enough hinge for safety. The yellow-poplar hung up and then rolled when one end of the hinge let go.  Timber Kutter remained by the stump and when the tree rolled off the stump it landed on his saw. An adequate hinge, or making his escape from the stump would have prevented this accident. There is a list of 25 chainsaw safety rules on the left side of this blog. It is good to review them once in a while. Many of them carry the death penalty if you ignore them! I made the video below to review your falling plan. Every step is important.

Poetry In Motion...

 Steamboatin'!

Thanks, Merle!

Light Show

Susan and I stayed up late last night to see the eclipse. The sky was clear and the stars were bright, magical! The 90% eclipse was spectacular, with the un-eclipsed portion of the moon looking like an ice cap.  Early this morning before the full moon set, it was showing through alto cumulus clouds, and making a subtle red ring around itself. Really nice!  I had a little conversation with our barred owls as a bonus.

What's Inside A Knobby Log?

Wednesday Windage: Shot 15 Times, Shot Back, Survived!

R.I.P Dolly

Tuesday Torque: 10 HP Baveu Engine

 Merle found this one on Facebook, and I cannot find it on YouTube at all! This must be an extremely rare breed of engine. It's brief, so look close and fast to pick up the details that we like to see.  Many Thanks, Merle!

Be Like The Ant

 We aren't fiddling around. Winter is coming!

Back To The Old Grind!

Weekend Steam II: Vintage Shots Of Number 2 Mogul

 Number 2 and Number 6 Mogul locomotives came to Mt. Pleasant in the early 1960s as the first engines for the Midwest Central Railroad. Number 6 is the larger engine, and it still sports its original cabbage stack. Number 6 has gone through extensive restoration and is the primary people mover.  Number 2 was also a cabbage stack loco, but it was changed to a diamond stack early on, probably just for variety's sake, to distinguish the engines from one another. Number 2 was used for many years to pull trains around the grounds at Old Threshers, but has been down for many years, in need of major boiler work.  Here's a shot of Number 2 around 1970. 

The grounds have been rearranged since this photo. This is on the north end, just south of the north depot. The traction engines were all on this end of the grounds at that time, and threshing was done here. You can see some kids playing in a straw pile, and a stationary baler is barely visible, peeking out of the straw. 

Here's Number 2 in 1985. I think this is just about the end of the run of Number 2. Rebuilding it has been a topic for many years.  I hope one day it happens. 

Weekend Steam: Kinsey Chime Whistles

 Thanks, Merle!

Corn Harvest Has Begun!

Easy Black Oak Snag.

Wednesday Windage: Budget Friendly Plinker

 Thirteen round magazines! Eighteen round mags avaialble! Illegal in Illinois because of the threaded muzzle. 

 

Tuesday Torque II: IHC Titan Prairie Tractor At Pinckneyville

 This video is from 2025, and I am sure there will be new ones showing up on YouTube in the near future. This tractor is darn near priceless. It is extremely rare, but the Threshermen run it at every show. Vid by Someplace Or Another.

Tuesday Torque: This Ford Ain't A Ford!

 The story is  that some entrepreneur had an employee in his shop with the surname of Ford, so he tried to sell tractors with the Ford name, figuring to make a fortune. The tractors were so bad that the scheme soon failed. The Nebraska Tractor Tests came about as a result of this sad little tractor.  Thanks, Merle!

Great Safety Reminder From Living With Wood Fires, in the U.K.

 Accidents are unplanned events. You must plan and prepare to avoid them. A full comp .375 chain has 10 teeth per foot, and at 45 miles per hour, the chain can cut you 660 times per second. Big, Bad Cuts! Take a class, use your safety gear, plan every cut.

Back To The Old Grind!

Weekend Steam III: Our Modern World Could Not Exist Without The Steam Shovel!

 Thanks, Merle!

If you like steam shovels, you really should plan a trip to Rollag!

Weekend Steam II: Roll Veneer Mills

 You probably have seen roll veneer being made if you have been to a few engine shows. The mill in this video actually came out of a box and basket factory in southern Illinois. 

Here is the primary product made from veneer peeled off of a spinning log.

Ten And A Half Years Ago...

 ...was our big break-in. Yesterday I found another piece of glass in the driveway from that night! This surely has to be the last one...

Weekend Steam: Pinckneyville Weekend!

 Susan and I aren't going this weekend, but you should if you can. We always have a good time, but the heat got us down this week and we are not up to it. Here are a few videos from years past.

Susan and her mother. Patti left us eight years ago. 

Definitely not for row crops!

Always plenty to see!

Running Slow

 The temps were still in the 90s at Pistol League, and I had been hot during the day. I was running slow. I usually shoot five plates in the 5 second range, and this time it was always 6-something. I did have two runs under 6 in my final turn. No missed plates, but I did have to go back a few times before the stop plate.  The sun is setting earlier every week and we will soon be driving at sunset, so Pistol League is nearly over for us this year. 

Great Plains Windmill Service

 Now you know who to call for all your windmill needs! I was terrified of the thought of climbing these when I was a kid!

Eastern Fence Lizard

 

  

This little guy lives in Susan's garden. Makes me think of a horned toad. Not skink like at all

Wednesday Windage: Respect The .22s!

 Who-Tee-Who is not a typical gun writer, and he puts out a lot of content every week. He shoots, he hunts, he spends a lot of time in his favorite gun shop, and he will give you plenty to think about.

Tuesday Torque: Many Shows Out There Now!

Here's a little sampler from Someplace Or Another, chosen by engine friend Merle!

American Threshermen   Sycamore Steam Show  Central States Threshermen Show   Old Threshers  James Valley Threshers  Western Minnesota Steam Threshers

Leaky Logs Won't Blow

 They get it, but it takes a little work at the end.

Back To The Old Grind!

Making Wood For Winter: Big River Birch, Dropping And Bucking

 I think this is the final firewood tree that the power co-op topped. Now that they are all down, I just have to pick up and split these, and stack them in the barn. I am splitting small so they can dry quickly.  We put a set of forks on the tractor's loader, and it sure is useful. I can put a big load of rounds in the bucket now, enough to fill the Kubota RTV after I split it all. Anyhow, here's the drop, and then most of the bucking. 

Weekend Steam II: We Were Talking About Steam Shows....

 ....So here are a few shots from years past.

Harold Jarvis and Zeke in 1987 at Old Threshers.

Zeke and me on Mr. Oberman's Port Huron in 1987.

Number 2 Mogul in 1985.

Zeke at Boonville, 1984.

Zeke at Bluford, 1988, with Cornelius Bergbower's T Roadster.

John Jarvis and William Seyb discussing the 18 HP Advance Rumely, 1967.

Freshly rebuilt Number 6 Mogul, 1987.

 

Weekend Steam: Brenda Stant, Engineers and Engines Magazine Hits A Home Run!

Sixty years ago Stan Mathews of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa went to California and brought back the Number 9 Shay Locomotive from West Side Lumber Company. The current issue of Engineers and Engines has an in depth article about Number 9, and if you don't already subscribe, you need to call Brenda and start your subscription. The article is packed with photos and history that most people never learn. Number 9 has been hauling passengers on the Midwest Central and the Georgetown Loop for more years than it pulled logs out of the California forests.   

I was just 15 years old when the Shay arrived at Old Threshers and the Midwest Central. I was so thrilled that I paid $10 for a share in the railroad and got a lifetime pass, which I still have, just in case I get back to Old Threshers again. I even rode around the grounds once in the cab with Stan Mathews at the throttle. 

Here's your info to subscribe to Brenda's wonderful magazine:

While you are on the phone with Brenda, be sure to purchase the new steam engine calendar for 2027!

Engineers and Engines is my primary source for keeping up with the shows that are around us. Next weekend is American Threshermen at Pinckneyville, and Pontiac and Sycamore shows happen soon. Old Threshers at Mt. Pleasant is September 3-7. Boonville, Indiana will be coming up October 10. 

Zeke and me with Number 9 in 1984.

Poles Are Different To Drop...

 ....Not necessarily difficult, but the top way up there has a lot of leverage to pull the tree over. Take that top off and the normal hinge does not work as easily. This was mentioned one time in the several classes I had, and I never forgot it. You will remember it, too after watching this video.

Wednesday Windage II: Road Rage Over A Parking Spot!

 How many lives were wrecked? This was completely avoidable!

Wednesday Windage: Savage 220 20 Gauge Rifled Slug Gun

 Who-Tee-Who tests out a brand new slug gun, and it is impressive. One thing I do is knock the turrets with a knuckle a couple times after adjustments to settle them in. Sometimes it makes a difference. Before I learned that I had a Bushnell scope that drove me crazy. It would take a couple of shots to settle adjustments, and by then I had over corrected. Whether a scope needs it or not, I do that to avoid frustration.

Tuesday Torque II: IHC Market Ploy

 IHC made push rod engines that ran fine and were economical to purchase. They also made Titan and Mogul sideshaft engines that were much more complicated, and more costly. They had a market for them, along with the larger market for push rod engines. The expensive ones still have a market today among collectors. It seems that quality always will sell. Thanks Merle!

Tuesday Torque: Large Ship Engines

 Low RPM, Huge Torque. Thanks, Merle!

Illinois Squirrel Season Came In August 1.....

 ....and we have heard nary a shot. Folks don't hunt squirrels nowadays. The revival of a deer herd and antler madness seems to have killed off the desire for silently slipping through the woods, honing fine shooting skills, and rodents on the table. Oh Well, Back To The Old Grind!

The furry vermins eat in peace and drive our dogs nuts!

Weekend Steam II: Beading Flues

The flue roller turns as the tapered center is pulled in by threads. Beading was not always done, but it sure makes an operator feel more secure. 

Out in the field, rolling and beading were both done by muscle power. Air hammer makes this task much easier! Thanks, Merle!

Weekend Steam: Big Boy 4014 Returns To Cheyenne

 We have been watching Big Boy nearly every day on the coast to coast journey, and now it looks like a normal engine to us. I did not expect that! 

Good Weather, A Little Time To Spare, Range Night!

 Susan and I fed the dogs early and went to Carmi! Nice breeze, mid-80s, great company, good times!

 

Wednesday Windage: Let's Talk About Wounds

 I have to say up front that I have my prejudices on how to carry, and what type of holster to use for carrying. Kydex that covers the trigger on your semi-auto, striker-fired, no-manually operated safety, pistol is a solid safety system. You still must operate safely when drawing, and reholstering. Reholstering with a semi-auto to me means removing the holster, inserting the firearm, and then reattaching the holster; but never over the appendix for me. Drawing in a hurry, under stress, means that you might make a mistake. Mistakes can wreck you. 

Now, let's listen to a surgeon explain what bullets can do to a body.

Tuesday Torque II: Allis Chalmers 6-12 Duplex, 1920

 Merle keeps finding them, we keep posting them! I have never seen one of these. It is an early articulated 4 wheel drive tractor from 1920, and I wouldn't be surprised if this is a unique relic. I have never seen a picture or heard of these. Tuning the two engines to run with each other is probably a real trick. Many Thanks, Merle!

Tuesday Torque: Melting Babbit Bearings

Pouring new babbit bearings is a skill that engine hobbyists may learn. It comes in handy, even if you have just one bearing to replace. This is a connecting rod bearing on a really big bearing at Youngstown Steel Heritage, being melted out in preparation for a new bearing to be poured.  Huge thanks to Merle for spotting this one!

Final Big Transport!

 Wilbur and Olive went to their respective homes last week in Pacifica and Reno. The van hauling ten rescued Schips went from Central Point, Oregon to Wisconsin, then Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and then to drop off dogs from other customers to New York, then Florida. One dog from the hoard is left to deliver on Monday, by Galveston Bay. Littlefoot, the favorite of the staff at Dogs For Better Lives.

The transport dropped two with us in southern Illinois. We have Vesper and Leo. Vesper was fostered for three months by a trainer in Wisconsin and we will be having her spayed this week.  Leo needs a little finishing, but he is decompressing well since his 40 plus hour trip in the van. Both are beautiful dogs and will make fine pets for someone. 

Vesper

Leo

There are only four dogs left to adopt now, and all are out of Oregon and in the Midwest.  Back To The Old Grind!

Early Fall?

 The last two morning have felt like fall is in the air. We had 59 degrees when we got up Friday, and we had mist on the pond. Today the high was only in the mid 80s. It will go beastly again, no doubt, and I am glad for the relief the crops are getting.

Weekend Steam: Big Boy At St. Louis and Kansas City

 Leaving St. Louis:

Leaving Kansas City:

This Would Be A Blast, But My Firewood Is Too Darn Precious!!

 

Major Milestone For The Hoarded Schipperkes!

                                                 Wilbur

                                                                              Olive

Wilbur and Olive are the final dogs to leave Dogs For Better Lives at Central Point, Oregon. Susan was hoping to have all the dogs placed and moved by the end of July and that has happened! Eight dogs are now in the Midwest, with two going in their respective homes tonight in Wisconsin. The rest are going to Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Texas. Wilbur and Olive were picked up by our transporters today, Thursday evening, and are on the road. Wilbur is going to Pacifica, California and Olive is going to Reno, Nevada. The hard part for us is done now, and phone calls will slow down. Spay and neuter reimbursements will be processed for a few more months, and then this project will be over. The good people in Oregon who volunteered made it all possible, and many generous donors made the rehabbing and transports work. Dogs For Better Lives invested countless hours with the dogs and they have come out in great shape. Photos and videos of adopted dogs in their homes are coming in now, and they are a joy.

Pacing Big Boy

 

Big Boy, Thursday, Friday

 

Montana Teen Rescues A Drowning Man!

An Evening With Ed Dickens

This is a wonderful presentation by Ed Dickens, telling about his steam history, and the road to rebuilding the 4014.

Wednesday Windage II: .475 Turnbull

Wednesday Windage: Illinois FOID News

Big Boy Heading To Jefferson City, Missouri

Big Boy, Pacific, Missouri

Tuesday Torque III: Atlas Imperial Marine Engine, Made In Oakland, California

Beautiful engine, Merle! Thanks for sending this one! Makes me think of Walter Mitty! Pocketa-Pocketa!

Tuesday Torque II: Witte Powered Homebuilt

 Suggested by Merle! Thank You, Merle!

Tuesday Torque: Cold Lanz Bulldog Startup

Big Boy Near Washington, Missouri

Big Boy In St. Louis

 

Another Busy Week!

Ten dogs from the hoarding case remain at Dogs For Better Lives at Central Point, Oregon. A breakdown delayed their transport, but that is currently scheduled for this week. A really big forest fire north of DFBL could complicate matters, so we don't want any north winds in southwest Oregon. Seven of the dogs have homes waiting for them on this trip. Two will be going to a trainer in Indiana for finishing before they can be adopted. Leo, in the photo does not have an adopter, so he will be coming to us to foster until we can place him.  When the transporter hits the road it is a 24 hour a day job driving and delivering, so Susan has her phone with her around the clock to help with coordination updates.

Last week we delivered Miska, who is one of Dottie's pups, who stayed with us for six weeks. She really finished out strongly, nailing down her house pet skills. She is making her new family very happy.

We are seeing the new crop of fawns running around in the yard, too! Always a joy to see!