Merry Christmas! It’s hard to believe another holiday season
is upon us. This is the time of year when we should all be reminded
how thankful we are for our families and the great friendships
we’re blessed with in our extended family of fellow engine
enthusiasts.
I’m thankful for the wonderful people I meet in this hobby,
thankful for the knowledge I gain from those who teach me new
things about this hobby, thankful for those who are willing to help
me do something the ‘right way,’ and I’m thankful for
the fun times. If your local engine club throws a Christmas party
this holiday season, I encourage you to attend. These parties are a
great opportunity to visit with the many friends we may only see
during the summer show season.
Friends and Photos
I was browsing through some photos I took at shows this past
season, and a few of them are worth a mention. Photo #1 is Galen
Henderson, Greenville, Ohio, attending the Darke County (Ohio)
Steam Threshers Association 47th Annual Reunion in July with his 5
HP Myric-Eclipse engine with matching oil field pump jack. It’s
a two-cycle engine with hot tube ignition and hit-and-miss
governing.
Photo #2 is collector Robert ‘Uncle Bob’ Elston from
Milroy, Ind., with his 15 HP, four-cycle Pattin Bros.
‘Ekonomy’ gas engine from the oil fields in West Virginia.
Robert exhibited his engine at the White River Valley show in
Elnora, Ind., last September. Photo #3 shows Chester Bills (center)
of St.
Mary’s, W.Va., explaining his 5 HP, four-cycle Pattin Bros,
engine to Tim Farmer (left) of Eaton, Ohio, and Mark Willaert of
Britton, Mich. This unusual engine runs the opposite direction of
most engines – the flywheel rotates counterclockwise. The pushrod
cam is cast in a different lobe pattern to facilitate the reverse
motion. I assume Pattin Bros, offered this option to customers.
Chester’s engine powered a geared pump jack on an oil well in
Washington County, Ohio, but Pattin engines were manufactured in
Marietta, Ohio. This photo shows Chester at the 35th Annual West
Virginia Oil and Gas Festival in Sistersville, W.Va., last
September.
Photo #2:Robert ‘Uncle Bob’ Elston of Milroy, Ind.,
displayed his 15 HP, four-cycle Pattin Bros. ‘Ekonomy’ gas
engine at the White River Valley show in Elnora, Ind.
Photo #3: Chester Bills (center) of St. Mary’s, W.Va.,
explains his 5 HP, four-cycle Pattin Bros, engine to Tim Farmer
(left) of Eaton, Ohio, and Mark Willaert of Britton, Mich.
Oil Field Engine List
I recently received a letter requesting a list of all known oil
field engine manufacturers. At first, I thought the request was
rather simple, but the more I thought about it, the harder it was
for me to answer it. In my opinion, any engine, regardless of size
or make, can be considered an oil field engine. I always considered
oil field engines in terms of their applications, not as a
particular engine type. Many smaller engines worked in some
capacity in the oil field, powering a transfer pump or a single
pump jack, just to name a couple applications. The question depends
on what the individual defines as an ‘oil field
engine.’
Nevertheless, I have started a list of those engine
manufacturers that were predominantly in the oil and gas industry.
Even if I restrict myself to this narrow criterion, it’s still
a large project.
I encourage anyone who might know of lesser-known engine
manufacturers that mostly worked in the oil and gas industry to
drop me a letter or e-mail. I’ll publish a list of
manufacturers in a future issue.
Contact the Oil Field Engine Society at: 1231 Banta’s Creek
Road, Eaton, OH 45320-9701, online at: www.oilfieldengine.com or
e-mail at: oilengine@voyager.net