My friend Warren Torbert had a 2 HP New Holland engine that I had admired for a long time. One day, at a show in 2001, he sat down beside me and began to tell me that due to age and deteriorating health conditions, he was starting to downsize his collection. I thought of the New Holland and asked about it. He told me he thought that he had it sold and my heart sank. But I told him to let me know if the sale should fall through.
A few weeks later he contacted me to tell me that the sale had fallen through and gave me the price. That price was to the penny the price I had just received from selling a log splitter. That New Holland was supposed to be mine.
Since this is the most prized engine in my collection, I often dreamed of having it restored and repainted. I guess I must have dreamed out loud, because last Christmas my wife and children came up with the money to have this restoration done as my Christmas gift.
I had seen the work of Larry Lietzel of McAllistersville, Pa., and admired it. So this spring I contacted him and he was glad to do it. Barry Strawser did the pin-stripping. I am very pleased with the work that they have done, and have received many compliments on it. I thought you might enjoy seeing it also. I still believe in Santa Claus.
Contact Bill Storms at 213 S. Allison St., Greencastle, PA 17225-1307; mstorms@innernet.net
