28/6/14 Unidentified Engine. Q See the photos of an engine that is unidentified. There are no markings, and the carburetor and fuel tank are missing. Any help will be appreciated. Dick Schallau, 601 West 11th St., Spencer, IA 51301.
28/6/15 Aladdin Duplex. Q I have recently acquired an Aladdin Duplex generator by Heintz & Kaufman, San Francisco, California. It is a Type B-10 and is powered by a Briggs & Stratton FH engine. The generator is from Harris Electric Co., 256 California St., San Francisco, California. I need to know how to align the two rotors in this generator for proper operation. Other information on this generator would also be appreciated. There is no voltage or wattage rating on any of the nameplates. Bob Learned, 1754 Curtner Ave., San Jose, CA 95124.
A. Can anyone supply the needed information on this rather unique unit?
28/8/16 Old Show Buttons One day my wife said, ‘Why don’t you do something with all these show buttons? Make a clock or something.’
Here is a picture of the finished product. Maybe someone else would like to make his own. Harry Butler 3237 W. North view, Phoenix, AZ 85051.
28/8/17 Gardner Motor. Q I have a Gardner Motor made in St. Louis. It is a two-cycle with a 2 x 3 inch bore and stroke. I would like to know what kind of ignition was used, and whether it had one or two flywheels. Any information on this engine will be greatly appreciated. See the photo. Harvey Rennebaum 302 Clinton Ave., Williamstown, NJ 08094.
28/8/18 A Good Salvage Yard I have located an excellent agricultural salvage yard on Rt. 401 in Tilbery, Ontario, about 50 miles west of London, Ontario, with lots of old tractor parts and miscellaneous ‘good junk.’ At present, no steam or hit-and-miss engines though. Jesse Brumberger, 286 Farm view Dr., Macedon, NY 14502.
28/8/19 Majestic Engine See the photos of a 1920 Majestic engine, 5 HP, no. 200422. It is hit-and-miss with a Webster magneto, and a hand clutch. Majestic Engine Works used casting patterns from the Waterloo engine, the Majestic foundry was in Wabash, Indiana. Machining and assembly was done in the Majestic plant at Ninth and New York Street in Goshen, Indiana. Sizes ranged from 2 to 14 horsepower.
Majestic was a division of National Dairy Machine Company. Engine production was from 1912 to 1925. No factory records are available, but I have recorded many serial numbers that all begin with ’12’ through ’20’. The first two digits could indicate the year produced.
I would appreciate the efforts of any Majestic owners who would send me their serial numbers and horsepower to be added to the list. Numbers are stamped on crankshaft end. Jimmy Priestley, 117 Lind St., McMinnville, TN 37110.
28/8/20 Bessemer Engine. Q I have a Bessemer engine, 22.5 horsepower, 180 rpm, s/n 36397. When was it built, where can I find any manuals or materials related to this engine, and where can I obtain any information related to the Bessemer Company? John Gemind, 2960 More wood Rd., Fairlawn, OH 44333.
Readers Write
Barber-Greene Loader In the July 1992 issue of GEM, page 25, you show a photo of a Barber Greene Loader, and in the text, Buddy Wood-son asks if there are any complete units out there?
See the photo of one of these machines I have in New Zealand. The Barber Greene serial no. is 550X101 and the tractor serial is 5020739. To the best of my knowledge it is the only one in New Zealand. Are there any more? Graeme L. Howden, Main West Coast Road, RD 6, West Melton, Christ-church, New Zealand.
Gore-Tex Gasket Material In response to recent comments about gasket material, we received a letter from John M. Blaha. He is associated with W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc., 100 Airport Road, Box 100, Elk-ton, MD 21922. This firm makes Gore-Tex automotive casketing. It can be used on any internal combustion engine and will withstand temperatures up to 600 degrees Fahrenheit, and is impervious to all liquids found in an engine. For further information, contact Mr. Blaha at the above address.
A Correction Our apologies to Paul Burkle, PO Box 1871, Waterloo, IA 50704. In 28/6/47 we inadvertently asked for the paint color of Continental Air8 engines, when we should have called it the Continental AU8 engine. We regret any inconvenience this has caused.
28/2/9 Engine I believe Mr. Dickinson’s engine to be that of Ideal origin as the flywheels, cooling fan system, lower sump castings and valve train lay out would seem the same as my Model V Ideal. This model featured a Tilotson carburetor MS 10A, round gas tank mounted above the engine and Timken roller bearings on the crankshaft. It was built in the late 1930s. Rex L. Mc Cleary, 3034 E. 4th St., Long Beach, CA 90814.
Wonder Mfg. Company In the May issue, there was a query for information on the Wonder engines. See the two photos of an engine called ‘Wonder.’ It was made by Wonder Mfg. Company, Syracuse, New York. The engine has a 3 x 4 inch bore and stroke, and uses 15 inch flywheels with a 17/8 inch face. I know this is not the Little Wonder you are looking for, but maybe we can at least count this one out. Gary Pegelow, S1 W25765 Northview Rd., Waukeshaw, WI 53186.
Mc Claren Engine Conversion Back in July 1991 you asked for information on the diesel conversion of steam engines by the Mc Claren Company in England. I recently found the Farmer’s Weekly for June 30, 1939 and it illustrates this machine. As far as I know there were not many sets of ploughing engines converted, possibly a dozen or so. Mc Claren was a licensee of Benz in Germany. The cable sets built as diesel were more popular, although most if not all were exported for use elsewhere in the British Empire. A lot went to Sudan for cotton growing and [one] has been returned to the Leeds Industrial Museum, though a bit rough. R. Moor house, Pear Tree Farm, Wintersett, Wakefield, Yorkshire WF4 2EB England.
28/7/4 Another Correction In our July issue, we left out the name of the inquirer for question 28/7/4, on the Clark Air and Roebuck tractors. That question and accompanying photos were submitted by Derek Williams, Doward, Whitchurch, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, England HR9 6DZ. We regret this omission.
Model makers Corner
Bob Herder’s Model It all started about 6 years ago when I spotted a poster in an auto parts store advertising the Blue Mountain Gas & Steam Show in Pennsylvania. Since then I have collected some 20 gas engines, corn shellers, feed grinders, etc. I finally turned to gas engine model making, focusing on the Domestic engine line. So far I have assembled four different Domestic models, the last being my pride and joy. It is a one-quarter scale of a sideshaft Domestic ‘stove pipe’ model; of which I made the patterns and poured my own castings.
This engine has a 7/8 x 1 inch bore and stroke, and has 37/8 inch flywheels. The engine starts easy and runs very well, either idling or under full load. I couldn’t be more pleased with the way it runs. I intend to continue modeling the Domestic line and am looking for someone with a tank (tray) or air-cooled Domestic to model. Bob Herder, 665 Winding Brook, Califon, NJ 07830.
A Closing Word
That’s all for this issue … we know that everyone is busy with engines this time of year, and even ye olde Reflector finds it hard to write a letter or sit at the computer on those bright sunny days. It seems like the sound of an engine, and the smell of the exhaust is even more alluring to us engine enthusiasts than a can of bait is to a fisherman!
As we noted at the beginning of this column, we’re taking a one-month sabbatical next month, but we’ll be back two months from now. Hopefully, we’ll have some glowing reports about the engine and tractor hobby in England. Chances are that our enthusiasm will be difficult to restrain.
REFLECTIONS of the TRACTOR SALESMAN
We recently heard from James M. Morrisey, PO Box 215, Plymouth, IN 46563, who has written and published a book with this title, telling the story of his years as a Caterpillar field engineer and a salesman for John Deere. The 125-page soft cover book provides rare insight into the world of a tractor dealer, spanning five decades. It sells for $12 a copy and is available directly from Morrisey. The book includes over a hundred of his own pictures, and many personal stories of demonstrating and selling tractors Here is a sample anecdote from the book:
‘There was a fellow who had farmed with horses for over 50 years. Then he bought a small red tractor with a one-bottom plow to do his gardening. His neighbor told me that when he came to the fence, they could hear him call out’ Gee, Haw, and Whoa!’ But it took him right through the fence before he found the ‘Whoa’ switch.’
