RD #4, Box 143 Greensburg, Pennsylvania 15601
http://www.iup.edu/~xddc/
For most of us who love, collect and restore ‘old iron,’
computers and ‘cyberspace’ are about the furthest things
from our minds when we are devoting time to our toys. For a small
group of us, however, our computer and the Internet are among the
first things we think of when we confront a problem with
restoration, discover a treasure in an old barn, or think about
attending a show for the first time.
Lots of people are familiar with the term ‘Internet.’
Within the past several years two very interesting list serves have
appeared out there in cyberspace. (For those of you as ignorant
about ‘the Net’ as I was until recently, a ‘list
serve’ is a mailing list on a computer that you can write (i.e.
post) to, and receive electronic mail (i.e. posts) from. What you
write can be read by everyone on the list and in turn you are able
to read whatever any other list member ‘posts’ to the
list.) One of these lists is devoted to stationary engines, the
other to antique farm tractors.
In May of 1996, Charlie Bryant (one of the more active and
knowledgeable guys on the stationary engine list) and I discussed,
on the list, attending the Cool spring Show on June 14-16, 1996.
Others on the list, after reading our posts, indicated that they
also might attend the show. At that point Charlie and I decided
that a Cool spring Engine List ‘get together’ was called
for, so we started making our plans.
As planning continued, more and more of the folks on the list
indicated that they would be attending the Cool spring Show. It was
decided that we would meet at my 9 HP Gallowayan engine that I had
purchased over the Internet in April from Joe Kelley in Maine but
that’s another story! In all, 18 guys from the stationary
engine list showed up at the show. Many are shown in picture #1.
(Among those who were there, but are not pictured, were Harry
Matthews and his wife Jeannie, and Craig Prucha.)
4.Tractor and engine guys: from left, Brice Adams,. Jeff Smith,
Jim Thomson, Steve Offiler, Jim Poole, Charlie Bryant, Jim
O’Bara, Barry Gunn, Dan Rotigel, Dave Rotigel. Second row:
George Wilier, Dale Arnold, Marshall Heckman, Steve Simpson,
Herbert Metz, Andy Lowry, Spencer Yost (on tractor on the right),
Steve Sewell (on tractor in back), Hank Wessel (on JD in middle),
Dean Vinson (behind Hank’s JD in desert hat).
Our success in getting together at Cool spring provided a
springboard to a bigger get together at the Portland Show in
August. This time, members of the Tractor List (some of whom
subscribed to the Stationary Engine List as well) decided to join
the fun. As plans evolved, more and more individuals indicated that
they would be at the Portland Show. In all over 40 guys and gals
from the two lists attended the show. Pictures 2, 3 and 4 show some
of us who were there.
Cool spring and Portland were even more fun than usual this past
year because of the new friendships made possible by cyberspace.
The two mail lists, however, also provide a more practical day to
day benefit to subscribers. Discussions on the lists include such
things as removing ‘stuck’ pistons, restoration techniques,
the dating of engines, paint colors, and approximate value of old
iron and/or parts. Additionally, many list members maintain their
own home page (which can provide for a sort of engine show or
tractor show on your computer screen) and several have sections
devoted to ‘For Sale/Wanted’ on their home page. Thus far I
have both purchased and sold engines and related items through
contacts I have made on these two cyber lists! Now for the good
parti.e. how do you subscribe to these lists and take part in the
fun and knowledge that can be gained from them? To subscribe to the
Stationary Engine List: Send e-mail to:
Majordomo@indiana.edu
Leave the SUBJECT field blank.
The message BODY should say:
subscribe stationary-engine
No signature file attached.
You will receive an e-mail note with a confirmation of your
subscription. This list is maintained by Brice Adams
(adams@acrux.astro.indiana.edu) at Indiana University, Bloomington,
Indiana.
To subscribe to the Antique Tractor List:
Send e-mail to:
Antique-tractor-REQUEST@co.forsyth.nc.us
Leave the SUBJECT field blank.
The message BODY should say:
subscribe No signature file attached.
You will receive an e-mail note with a confirmation of your
subscription. This list is maintained by Spencer Yost
(yostsw@co.forsyth.nc.us) at Forsyth County, NC. Spencer also
maintains an Internet Home Page for the Antique Tractor Group
located at
http://freenet.co.forsyth.nc.us/ TRACTOR/atis.html
A second Home Page of interest to those of us who are more
involved with stationary engines than tractors has been created by
Harry Matthews. Containing more than six megabytes of material,
Harry’s Home, Page covers many topics ranging from what I
believe to be the best ignition/magneto information to be found in
any one place, to a very active Buy/Sell section. Recently honored
by Lycos’ Point as a ‘Top 5% Site,’ Harry’s OLD
ENGINE Home Page can be found at
http://www.concentric.net/ -matthews/
So don’t wait. Subscribe to either, or both, of these list
serves today. You will enjoy and learn from these listsand it’s
free! And don’t worry about what you have missed in the past.
Paul Pavlinovich at http://www.ppit.com.au/se/ in Australia
maintains an archive of past posts to the Stationary Engine List.
It can be accessed by topic. So if you want to find out what has
been said about a 4 HP Domestic or a 1.5 HP John Deere (just like
the one you have just located and purchased) give Paul’s
archive a try! A similar archive for the Tractor List serve can be
found on the home page for the Tractor Group.
Stemgas Publishing Company is also on the ‘Net.’ They
can be found at http://www.sitematrix.com/stemgas/
Anyone wishing to contact either of us by e-mail can do so. We
can be reached at csjc@grove.iup.edu or rotigel@westol.com.
