David
Subscriber
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That too--- plus there were a lot more engines "laying" around then, and a lot less folks innterested in them as we are today.I am convinced that there was something in the water in the 50's and 60's...............
You are correct, sir! That IS what happened to my poor Case. I know a lot of traction engines were also cut down in later years to a portable boiler on a truck frame rig, to steam tobacco beds. Lots of engines wound up this way...It would be a shame to see a fixable traction engine converted to a truck. However, I think a lot of them were being used in stationary use and had the wheels and gearing scrapped during the war. I think Allen's 20th Century and maybe Mike McKnights Case had that happen to it?
Most of these modifications were made in the 40s and 50s. Those engines have been modified now for a longer period of time than they were in original condition. If you want to represent most of that particular engine's history, it should stay on the truck frame.Display it as what it is, a salvaged engine that "represents" a piece of history, even if it is modified.
Just my thoughts....
MJ
Here's the article Sam referred to here:I was looking through my old Iron Men Albums and found something about the Wisconsin Steam Rodeo and the truck frame conversions. An article appeared in the Sept-Oct 1955 issue on page 16 concerning a guy named Clinton Jackson of Mondovi WI who had taken a 30 HP Huber and set it on a 3 ton Diamond T frame, but reported that the engine was just too heavy and so he pulled it off and then cut up another engine, a 16 HP Huber, and it worked much better.
The good part of that article was he reported how he returned the 30 to steel and it showed a picture of it all back together.
Sam
Just to clarify, these were not made into a truck. They merely mounted the boiler( and motor) on a truck frame and running gear. And WERE NOT for stationary use. Quite the opposite. They were made into a high speed traction engine, but my guess is they likely had very limited traction.At least some of these were done B-4 the hobby craze had started. The only such rodeo that I am aware of was held at the County Fairgrounds at Luxemburg, WI somewhat East of Green Bay. The races were held on the oval dirt track previously used for horse racing. One of the first one thus made up was "Big Jim" a 28 Minnie I believe so converted way back about 1937, if not B-4. It was then still being used for belt work, and they had merely modified it to get from set to set much quicker. That conversion was soon followed by several others, some of which are still in use today for parade use. Some have been reportedly been clocked in excess of 50MPH Thus eliminating the hassle and cost of having any need to be hauled. That 28 Minnie, and several others made what is a three hour trip today by car today, to the state Fair in Milwaukee and back home again several times. and it led the parade, on the opening of the mackinac bridge, connecting the upper and lower penninsla of MI. Although there may well be others, I am only aware of one that has been converted back and put on orig. steel (A 65 Case). at which time the truck running gear of the Pierce Arrow truck was scrapped. At a race on the oval track at one of the rodeos in the 1950s, one of the "Speedsters" made from a 20 Case was rolled over. Luckily no one was seriously hurt, but the "Speedster" did suffer considerable damage. It was soon fixed up and running again , and is still in use today. In the Jan/Feb 1954 issue of IMA is a short summary of their 1953 rodeo Where this converted 20 Northwest(for sale on ebay right now) won the race against the 28 Minnie, and the 20 Case. It says this three way race was the highlight of the day.The crowd to see a similer event another year was estamated to be in excess of 5000 and drew spectaters from 19 states, it obviously being a populer event to behold. In those days (the 1950s) many of the spectators attending such event grew up working with steam. Most had farm backgrounds where steam had supplied belt power, and were only accustomed to seeing these same monsters move about 2MPH. They obviously would drive long distances to see them race on a oval 1/2 mile dirt track at speeds reported to be at times in excess of 50 MPH. Times have changed and some of you have stated your opinion about how these machines were destroyed. Opinion vary as their owners today think they have the best of both worlds. The joy one can get when working with steam,and the speed and ease at which one can get his toy moved considerable distances under it's own power.In todays climate such races can never be held again. That founding club is still in existence today and enough of those "Speedsters" still exist to hold another such race and I assure you that if that were to happen, I would be there and hopefully would be on one of them as engineer or fireman. What a rush that would be. And I'll bet the event would again draw a big crowd. The Minnie mentioned by Ken in a previous post near LaCrosse, WI is I believe the one pictured on p.16 of the Sept./Oct issue of IMA and again on p. 17 of the June 1957 issue of E& E, and put together at Mondovi, WI by the same Jackson Bros(Willard and Clinton) that converted the Huber also mentioned in a previous post in this thread. I am only aware of these speedsters being built in two seperate areas of WI. Were any of them built anywhere else?It would be a shame to see a fixable traction engine converted to a truck. However, I think a lot of them were being used in stationary use and had the wheels and gearing scrapped during the war. I think Allen's 20th Century and maybe Mike McKnights Case had that happen to it?
One of those would be fun to have though. Especially if it was still titled and licensed as a truck. I could really terrorize the town with something like that.
It would be like Lawrences steam truck on steroids.