Thumbing through the GEM archives, we found this photograph of engine enthusiast Elwin Cunningham tending to his 6 hp Sandwich engine at a June 1977 gathering at the Museum of Transportation in Owls Head, Maine.
The photograph was taken by Elwin’s friend, Charles Chiarchiaro, and includes the note, “Ran all day, never missing a beat.” It was subsequently published in the September/October 1978 issue of GEM, along with a short story by Charles about his friend. At age 19 Elwin, who was born in 1913, was working for the Diamond Match Co., first tending boilers and then operating two Ames Uniflow engines. He went on to work for the Central Maine Power Co.
One of the founders of the Maine Antique Power Assoc., Elwin had a collection of over 40 engines, including a 15 hp IHC Mogul sideshaft, a 15 hp IHC Famous, a 15 hp Fairbanks-Morse, and of course the 6 hp Sandwich. You can read Elwin’s story at www.GasEngineMagazine.com/Elwin
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