- Company: The Foos Gas
- Serial No. : Engine Co. Springfield, Ohio 23464
- Speed: 380rpm
- Horsepower: 3
- Flywheels: Two, 28 by 3-1/2-inch
- Governing: Flyball
- Ignition: Wipe-spark
- Owner: Allen Becker
Allen Becker has been a collector as far back as he can remember, following the footsteps of his dad, his mother and his wife. He doesn’t specialize in anything; if something interests him, he probably collects it. Along with small collectibles, such as stamps and coins, he also collects larger items, like antique engines and tractors.
In March 2022, Kenny Van de Water (one of his sons-in-law) asked Allen if he wanted to go see some old engines in Ozona, Texas, 175 miles northwest of Boerne, where Allen lives. Kenny didn’t have to ask twice. Brian Mauldin, Allen’s grandson, and friend Marvil Lee Agold were also invited. They went in Kenny’s pickup pulling a 28-foot goose-neck trailer — just in case. In Ozona they found an engine collector’s heaven — a large warehouse filled with 30-plus engines in various conditions. Some needed work, others were fully restored. All were collectible. The engines deemed to be in poorer condition had been placed outside of the building.
Kenny had made a preliminary reconnaissance trip to Ozona a couple of weeks before, so he knew what he was after – a 4hp Krueger-Atlas Engine thought to be manufactured in San Antonio. Kenny already owns 6hp, 8hp and 10hp Krueger-Atlas engines. The 4hp would extend the run. He was also considering purchasing a Domestic side-shaft engine.
Allen was immediately attracted to a Foos 3hp engine. It was love at first sight. It had a professional paint job, including pinstriping, and it was resting on an attractive well-built truck. The engine started easily and ran beautifully as a bonus. The owner of the engines knew what they were worth and he was not interested in negotiating prices. However, he did reduce the price a bit on the Foos engine to promote a quick sale and Allen couldn’t get his checkbook out fast enough. After loading the Krueger-Atlas and the Foos engines, the group was back in Boerne by 5:30 p.m., tired but happy after a day in paradise.
Allen’s Foos engine is rated 3hp and runs at 380rpm. A brass tag indicates that the engine is number 23484. Although there is no indication on the brass tag, the engine is thought to be a type S built in 1903. A separate brass tag indicates that the engine was sold by the Hallidie Machinery Co. in Seattle, Washington. Said company is still in business. The engine is black with yellow pinstriping. Two flywheels measure 28 inches in diameter and 3-1/2 inches in width. The flywheel on the offside has a pulley that measures 6 inches in diameter and 8 inches in width. Additional momentum is provided by two heavy iron crankdiscs mounted inboard of the crankshaft bearings. These discs substitute for a forged, or machined, crankshaft and the piston rod moves between and is attached to the discs. Crankdiscs are unique to Foos engines. Three oilers are mounted above the crankshaft — one on each side above a crankshaft bearing and one in the middle above the rod bearing. The rod bearing is oiled by means of a wiper. A fourth oiler above the cylinder lubricates the piston and its rod bearing.
The Foos is a hit-and-miss engine; its speed is regulated by a flyball governor. Gears and cams attached to the crankshaft transfer power though rods, cranks and rocker arms to separate intake and exhaust valves in chambers at the front of the engine. As is typical with most Foos engines, there is no throttle. A thumbscrew on the governor provides for a slight change in the speed through tension adjustment.
Ignition is through the use of a battery and coil. Instead of a spark plug, the engine has a “wipe-spark” ignitor that’s unique to Foos engines. In this design, the electrodes are two flat pieces of spring steel overlapping each other. The positive electrode is attached to the engine block; the negative electrode is attached to an armature. As the armature rotates, the negative (ground) electrode slides over and off the charged electrode. This creates a spark that ignites the fuel in the cylinder.
The engine can run on natural gas or gasoline. A brass lever near the carburetor can be adjusted to accommodate the appropriate fuel. If natural gas is to be used, a separate tank or connection to a fuel line must be provided. For gasoline, a small tank is mounted under a water tank at the rear of the engine. Gasoline is moved to the carburetor by means of an inline pump. Excess gasoline is returned to an inlet at the top of the tank. A jet regulated by a thumbwheel controls the amount of fuel admitted to the carburetor.
The cylinder of the Foos is cooled by means of a water jacket and a separate water tank. There is no water pump; the engine is cooled by a thermosiphon system based on the principle that hot water rises when it is heated. Hot water heated by the cylinder moves up and over to the water tank; cool water moves from the tank to the engine. The Foos is so cool in temperature when running that a person can rest a hand on it without getting burned. A Fahrenheit thermometer sticks up above the cylinder.
The Foos engine rests on an exceptionally strong and attractive truck made of wood, cast iron and angle iron. It is not known if the engine was issued from the factory on this truck.
Foos engines have a long and illustrious lineage dating back to engines in the British Isles in the 18th and 19th centuries. Dugald Clerk (later Sir Dugald Clerk) was a Scottish engineer who, after years of experimentation with earlier and less efficient engines, designed the world’s first successful two-cycle engine. In the United States, Clark Sintz patented a marine engine based on Clerk’s design and sold it through his company, the Sintz Gas Engine Co. in Springfield, Ohio. Sintz favored two-cycle engines that incorporated his “make-and-break” ignitors. John Foos made improvements to Sintz’ engines and sold them under the auspices of his company, the Foos Gas Engine Co., also in Springfield. The Foos Co. built four-cycle engines with wipe-spark ignitors. Among other applications, some early automobiles, traction engines, rail cars, trams, power boats and more incorporated engines based on Sintz’ and Foos’ designs.
Foos engines have been called the Cadillac of gasoline engines due to their elegant design, the quality of their construction and their reputation for smooth running and reliability. During the first half of the 20th century, the Foos Co. was renowned globally for the excellence of its products and for the scope of its offerings. In the 1890s, as many as 16 sizes of Foos engines were available, some horizontal and others vertical. The engines ranged from 2-1/2 to 100hp. At that time, all were four-cycle engines with poppet valves. By 1905, the Foos Jr., a separate line based on a 2-1/2hp engine, was introduced. This line was later expanded to include Foos Jr. engines with sizes ranging from 1-1/2 to 8hp. In 1908, the Foos Co. acquired the Marinette Gas Engine Co. This enabled the company to sell larger engines with outputs up to 500hp. During the mid-1920s, the Foos Co. expanded its offerings to include diesel engines. As an example of the variety of its products, the Type R diesel engine was available with 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 8 cylinders and with power ratings ranging from 50 to 400hp.
Foos engines could be purchased on trucks or as stationary engines. They could also be purchased already set up for specific purposes such as electric power plants, pumping stations, wood-sawing outfits, etc.
During the late 1800s and early 1900s, the Foos Gas Engine Co. claimed to be the largest engine manufacturer in the world. In 1927, the company was sold to the Fulton Iron Works in St. Louis, Missouri. Engines continued to be made in Springfield until 1942, when engine making was transferred to St. Louis. In 2000, Fulton Iron Works became a subsidiary of the South Side Machine Works in St. Louis.
Glenn Thompson is a regular contributor to Gas Engine Magazine and can be emailed at uffda@beecreek.net
Sources: 1909 40hp Foos Type S, Gas Engine Magazine; circa 1893 10hp Foos, Gas Engine Magazine; Friends of Foos, Gas Engine Magazine; Meincke, Mark, Complete Guide to Stationary Gas Engines, Motorbooks International, 1996; Wendel, C.H., American Gasoline Engines Since 1872, Osceola, WI: Motorbooks International, 1994; Wendel, C.H., Gas Engine Trademarks, Lancaster, PA: Stemgas, 1995; Williams, Christian, Coolspring: Discovering America’s Finest Antique Engine Museum, Volume 1, Topeka, KS: Ogden Publications, 2011; Williams, Christian, Coolspring: Discovering America’s Finest Antique Engine Museum, Volume 2, Topeka, KS: Ogden Publications, 2017; Clark Sintz: The Early Years, coolspringpowermuseum.org; Dugald Clerk, wikipedia.org; Foos Engine Type Clarification, smokstak.com; Foos Engines?, smokstak.com; Foos Gas Engine Co., vintagemachinery.org; Foos Gas Engine Co., wikipedia.org; Sintz Gas Engine Co., wikipedia.org; Mast, Foos & Company, wiki.org.
