Celebrating a Broad Range of Gas Engines

Reader Contribution by Staff
Published on December 17, 2013

I guess I can see how someone from the “outside” might see a few old engines and think there isn’t much diversity in our hobby. Of course, this is probably the same kind of person who sees a field of soy beans and remarks how beautiful they think wheat is. But yes, for the uninitiated, gas engines are simply old machines with noticeable flywheels. There are gears and lots of moving parts. Sometimes they are big, sometimes they are small; some are green while others are red. Not much diversity, they’d say.

Of course, we all know that’s patently false. Just take a look at From A to Z. Each issue, we use A to Z to show off readers’ engines. It’s one of my favorite sections in the magazine, because it’s a great forum for demonstrating just how diverse the old iron category is.

From A to Z shows engines of all makes and models, sizes and colors, but also engines in various states of restoration, from barn-fresh basket cases to immaculately restored, “good-as-new” engines. We show off the rare, the common, the “ugly,” the beautiful. It’s way more than just a green versus red thing, but I don’t need to tell you that.

The best part about From A to Z is there is always more to see. We’ve covered the alphabet a few times (go to From A to Z and see for yourself), but we haven’t even scratched the surface of the engines that exist in our community.

So take a few minutes, snap some photos of your engines and send them my way. It doesn’t matter if the engine is still in its work clothes or has been completely restored. The most important thing is making sure to capture the entire engine in the photo. No need for close-ups or details.

Be sure to include the basic information: manufacturer, model, year, serial number, horsepower, bore, stroke, weight, ignition, governing and anything else you’d like to mention about the engine. Either email (bbeavers@gasenginemagazine.com) or mail (Gas Engine Magazine, 1503 SW 42nd St., Topeka, KS 66609) work just fine.

We are almost back to the beginning of the alphabet, and it would be great to have enough submissions to feature an individual letter in each issue. But I need your help to make that happen. Don’t be shy: We want to see them all.

I can’t wait to see the engines that come in. From Abenaque to Zenith, I’m hopeful we’ll be able to, literally, share engines from A to Z.

Beth Beavers
Associate Editor
bbeavers@gasenginemagazine.com

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