29 Elm Court Millbury, Massachusetts 01527
I’ve been going to fairs and engine shows for years. I have
always been interested in old machinery. I am a maintenance
mechanic and have worked on a lot of old machines in a 200-year-old
woolen mill that has now closed. I have always watched old machines
and wondered how they work. When I was young, I went to the
Woodstock Fair in Woodstock, Connecticut, held every fall. Since I
first saw those old gas engines running in a faraway part of the
fair, I have always wanted an engine. For years I thought they were
out of reach because collectors and time had gotten them all. But a
few years ago, I talked to a few people at a small fair held in
Sutton, Massachusetts, called Waters Farm Days and they said,
‘You can still get these engines and parts are quite
common,’ so I thought I still had a chance to get one.
Last year the last day of 1999, New Year’s Eve, I purchased
a Cushman binder motor, a 2 HP, from Jim Poquet of Uxbridge,
Massachusetts. I asked him about engines, not knowing anything
about this hobby, and he handed me a copy of Gas Engine Magazine
and said, ‘This will help you a lot.’ I wrote in for a
subscription and I got my first one in April. It was filled with
information. I like the stories and pictures of rebuilds and finds.
I also found many ads for parts, such as Hit &. Miss
Enterprises, a bunch of great people who have helped me with parts,
and Starbolt Engine Supplies, more great people.
I have just purchased a Stover 1? HP engine from a dealer in
Danvers, Massachusetts, named Clark LaBell. It needed some parts
but runs great. I have painted it and got all of the decals and
nameplate to bring it back to the condition it was in 70 years
ago.
I am looking forward to buying a Hercules 1? HP engine to be my
next project. I would like to thank your magazine for making it all
possible for me and many people like me. It is a great hobby and it
keeps me out of trouble. I get to talk to a lot of helpful people,
including yourselves. Thanks for being out there for us!
