Eager eyes take in the details of Tommy Turner’s scale
Otto-Langen atmospheric engine at ‘Lincoln Tucker’s Show
& Tell’ at North side Elementary in Midway, Ky. Members of
the old iron community converged on the school for a special event
May 2, 2003. The second day of the event gave members of the local
community a chance to see what it was all about. Eli Bowman made up
the smart plaques (right) for event participants.
On May 2, 2003, 19 members of the Stationary Engine List teamed
together to help 10-year-old Lincoln Tucker pull off what must have
been one of the most impressive show-and-tell exhibits ever held at
a public school in the U.S.
Hauling their equipment in from eight states, List members
assembled a selection of engines and equipment to rival any small
show -all for the benefit of the students of North side Elementary
in Midway, Ky.
Lincoln Tucker gives his show-and-tell all to students of North
side Elementary at Station 1, which he shared with Dave Rotigel and
Dave’s 16 HP Galloway, the largest engine at the event.
Background
Lincoln Tucker is no stranger to the old iron community. His
dad, Mike Tucker, has been collecting engines for the past seven
years or so, and Lincoln’s accompanied Mike to more than a few
shows over the intervening years. Not surprisingly, the engine bug
has taken hold of Lincoln.
Lincoln’s first engine, a 1954 Briggs & Stratton 5S, was
a Christmas present from his grandfather. A 1929 Maytag 92 followed
the Briggs, and last year at Portland Lincoln got his first
stationary engine, a MacLeod-badged 1- HP Nelson Bros. TA4.
Following the Portland show Lincoln disassembled the MacLeod,
cleaned it up, reassembled it and gave it a coat of boiled linseed
oil. When it was done, Lincoln posted pictures of the MacLeod on
Mike’s Web page (homepage.mac.com/hmtucker) for List
members to see. The response from List members to
Lincoln’s finished engine was, in typical fashion, strong and
appreciative. List members, as much as anyone, appreciate
the need to get a younger crowd into the old iron community, and
they’re always ready to encourage young talent.
List member Arnie Fero suggested Lincoln should take
the engine to school for show-and-tell, and then member Dave
Rotigel took the idea one step further, suggesting List
members band together and help Lincoln put on a show-and-tell. From
that simple seed the idea took root, and on Nov. 20, 2002, Lincoln
posted a formal invitation to the List, inviting members
to join him in showing off their engines at his school.
Response to Lincoln’s invitation was predictably strong, and
after shooting messages back and forth across the Internet, members
who knew they could commit their time discussed what they should
bring and how to run the event. The task of organizing everything
fell primarily to Mike, and over the intervening months a final
consensus on how to conduct the event took shape. Lincoln’s
school was enthusiastic about the idea from the beginning, and
North side Elementary principal Candace James presented the idea to
the district superintendent for approval. The former district
superintendent, it turns out, is a friend of List member
Tommy Turner, a county judge in Magnolia, Ky. Tommy contacted his
friend, who in turn impressed on the current superintendent what a
great opportunity this was. Permission was granted, a date of May 2
was finally chosen and List members got to work preparing
for the big day.
The Grand Event
By Thursday afternoon on May I, most of the participants were on
hand and tending to the business of staking out stations and
starting preparations for the ‘show.’ Friday morning came
quickly, and by 7:30 a.m. participants were busily setting up their
displays in preparation for throngs of kids. And throngs there
were.
North side Elementary has 412 students, but principal James
decided this was going to be such a great time she extended an
invitation to surrounding schools to join in on the fun. Simmons
Elementary in nearby Versailles, Ky., took her up on the
invitation, and 20 students from Simmons headed over to North side.
All told, 432 students worked their way through the six-and-a-half
stations set up on the school grounds. Lincoln’s grandparents,
Roger and Mary Ann Miller, displaying Roger’s 1938 Silver King
tractor, occupied that ‘half’ station. This was, after all,
an engine event!
Walking Through
Students worked their way through the stations in groups,
stopping at each station for the brief introductions, explanations
and demonstrations given by List members. Not surprisingly, some
demonstrations garnered more student interest than others. Cutting
wood was definitely a big one for the kids, and principal James
says the corn husking really got their attention. ‘You got to
see the progression on how it became easier with industrialization
and technology,’ James says, ‘and they got to see the
progression.’
Interest built in a hurry, with students eagerly looking forward
to each new station and demonstration as they moved their way
through the equipment on hand. Lincoln says Dave Rotigel’s 16
HP Galloway held students in awe, and scared more than a few of
them every time it fired.
Nelson Johnsrud’s Hercules-powered can crusher was a decided
hit, and Tommy Turner’s scale Otto-Langen atmospheric engine
turned more than a few heads as students took in this interesting
precursor to the four-cycle engine. And more than a few students
were fascinated with John Culp’s eclectic display.
Oddly juxtaposing the new with the old, John had his 6 HP Indian
Lister belted to a generator, which in turn provided power to run a
microwave. All this while a Ken doll and a Barbie doll lounged in a
cooling tank circulated with water from a pump driven off the
Lister.
Stations and Participants:
Twenty-three people participated in Lincoln Tucker’s Show
& Tell, and 19 of them drove a total of 8,500 miles from nine
different states just to be a part of this event. The list shown
here gives a rundown of participants, the stations they manned,
what they had on hand, their ‘normal’ work titles and where
they’re from. Sons and daughters of List members came along, as
well, showing the love for old iron spans not only vocations, but
generations, as well.
Station 1:What in the world are these things and how do
they work?
Dave Rotigel, Ph.D.
Professor of Philosophy of Education
Greensburg, Pennsylvania
Lincoln Tucker
4th Grade, Northside Elementary
Midway, Kentucky
On Hand:
16 HP Galloway
1- HP Macleod belted to a water pump
Station 2: The designs and Inventions that made these
engines unique.
Arnie Fero
Nuclear Engineer
Plum Boro, Pennsylvania
Tommy Turner
LaRue County Judge
Magnolia, Kentucky
On Hand:
Otto Langen Atmospheric Model
Domestic Model
Hagan Model
8HP International (oldest known
International)
4 HP Robertsonville
4 HP Lorenz
Station 3: How do you use engine power to process
corn?
Alan Bowen
Licensed Builder
Williamsburg, Michigan
David Salyer
Weld Robot Repairer
Honor, Michigan
Keith Kinney
Information Systems Coordinator
Evansville, Indiana
Mike Tucker, Ph.D.
Alzheimer’s Disease Research Scientist
Midway, Kentucky
On Hand:
2 hand corn shellers
2 box mounted crank corn shellers
One-hole hand crank sheller (floor model)
3 HP Novo belted to a two-hole corn sheller
9 HP Economy belted to a 12-inch Meadows grist mill
1-3/4 HP Economy belted to a small burr mill
Station 4: Some things engines can do around the
house.
John Culp, M.D.
Family Practice and Professor
Bristol, Tennessee
Gene Waugh
Manufacturing Quality Control Technician
Elgin, Illinois
Rick Monk
Owner, Heavy Duty Truck & Trailer Repair Shop.
Brownstown, Michigan
Ken Monk
Rick’s dad
Michigan
Steve Barr
Downers Grove, Illinois
On hand:
1- HP Gade belted to a centrifugal water pump
International LA with mounted well pump 6 HP Indian Lister
belted to a generator running a microwave as well as a water pump
for Ken and Barbie’s hot tub 3 HP Novo mounted on a very
unusual cement mixer Wash tub with wash board Hand lever operated
washing machine Maytag 92 operated washing machine
Station 5: Sawing wood the ‘easy’
way.
Curt Holland
Mechanical Engineer
Gastonia, North Carolina
Missy Holland
Electrical Engineer
Gastonia, North Carolina
Devin Holland
4th Grade, WA Bess Elementary
Gastonia, North Carolina
On hand:
Sawhorses with a two-man saw and a cedar log
8 HP screen-cooled Famous buzz saw rig
sawing cedar logs
Station 6: Fun things you can do with
engines.
Nelson Johnsrud
Journeyman Machinist
Manitowoc, Wisconsin
Leroy Clark
Factory Employee
Wharton, Ohio
Brandi Clark
Nursing Student
Wharton, Ohio
Elden DuRand
Electric Circuit Designer and Product Developer
Crestwood, Kentucky
Frank Luecke
Owner, Design and Engineering Company
Crestwood, Kentucky
On hand:
Various homemade models of Leroy’s
Various models brought by Frank
Elden’s ‘Hoyt Clagwell’ Faribanks-powered butt
buggy
Nelson’s 3 HP Hercules belted to the soda can crusher
Station 6.5: What a funny looking tractor!
Roger and Mary Ann Miller
Lincoln’s Grandparents
Paint Lick, Kentucky
On hand:
1938 Silver King
‘This Whole Thing Was so Cool’
Among the more unique equipment on hand was Gene Waugh’s 3
HP Novo and cement mixer (above). Students check out Nelson
Johnsrud’s Hercules-powered can crusher at Station 6
(left).
That, in a nutshell, sums up Lincoln’s reaction to the
event. The engines awed Lincoln’s friends, and Lincoln says by
the time it was over ‘I’m pretty sure some of them wanted
to buy an engine.’ But aside from being cool, Lincoln thought
the event was educational, as well, noting the opportunity students
had to learn about life in a time long past. None of his friends,
Lincoln notes, have parents in the old iron hobby, and Lincoln says
his teacher, Laura Albrecht, thinks ‘it’s pretty cool
having a student who works with stuff from the past.’
North side principal James says she knew it would be
educational, ‘but it was even more so than I had anticipated. I
had a lot of kids showing me what they got out of it, and the
camaraderie between participants was great.’ Was she ever
worried about how the event would pull off? ‘Mike and Susan
(Lincoln’s parents) are top notch, so I knew it would go
well,’ James says.
Not surprisingly, event participants had a spectacular time.
Leroy Clark thought the event was a head-turner for young minds,
saying, ‘This one little event was what the hobby is all about.
Here was the chance to shape minds and win young people into a
clean and fun hobby.’ Nelson Johnsrud came away with a distinct
sense of pride. ‘There are factors that set this event apart
from our regular shows,’ Nelson says. ‘The biggest of these
is the fact that a bunch of us from several different states pulled
this together on a whim, resulting in an extremely informative
history lesson for the students. Why? Just because we wanted to,
that’s the neat part.’ Tommy Turner says he had fun, but he
also says ‘the greatest thrill of all was one little boy who
looked at the old iron and said, ‘wow, I’m gonna have me
one of those someday!” And that, of course, gets right to
the point.
The old iron hobby is very active, but its future depends in
large measure upon a steady influx of new, younger members to carry
the torch and feed the hobby. Fortunately, there are members of the
hobby who clearly think nothing of devoting time, energy and money
to taking the hobby to new levels, introducing a younger generation
to the thrill of old iron, and in the process helping to ensure the
continued health of the old iron collective.
Richard Backus is editor of Gas Engine Magazine. The Antique
Tractor Internet Service can be found on the Web at:
www.atis.net.