Back in 2008, Wayne Grenning and I took a trip to Europe to
see the engine show in Nuenen,
Netherlands,
the Internationale Stationaire Motorenshow Nue-nen. The 25th anniversary of the
show was celebrated in 2012, so we made up our minds to go back, as they were
featuring slide-valve engines. As those who follow the engine world on the
Internet know, Wayne
has been involved in restoring a 10 HP Schleicher, Shumm & Co. engine to
its original slide-valve configuration. Thus, it was decided to go over to Holland for this event
and see some other engines along the way.
We arrived Friday to a rainy reception. Unfortunately, it
had been raining for several days, and the grounds were just like an American
show after such weather. The show must go on, and it did, with a will!
There were no fewer than 15 slide-valve engines at the show,
including the 1860 Étienne Lenoir engine owned by Deutz AG, the oldest running
internal combustion engine in the world. Period. It was run twice daily, to the
thrill of all. A very rare F. Martini & Co. slide-valve engine, made in Frauenfeld, Switzerland,
and owned by Helmar Wischniewski of Zurich,
Switzerland,
also made an appearance. It was one of the most unique engines I have ever seen
run, and believe me, I’ve seen a lot! There were also three Hille slide-valve
engines made in Dresden, Germany, a Benier non-compression engine, a running
1-1/2 MP (man power) Bisschop type non-compressing engine made by J.E.H. Andrew
and owned by John Palmer of England, and several slide-valve engines built
under Otto licenses. These included a Crossley “piano base” engine brought by
the Anson Engine Museum in Poynton, England, and a 20 HP, 2-cylinder 1887
Fetu-Defize & Cie engine, one of two from an opera house in Liege, Belgium.
This unit, owned by Marcele Peumans, Herderen, Belgium, is the twin of an engine on display at
the Rough and Tumble grounds in Kinzers,
Pa., was complete with the large
DC dynamo that it ran during its working life.
There were, of course, many other engines on the grounds.
There were more sideshaft engines than could be counted, a marine engine made
under the Brons patents that still bears the results of a Spitfire attack
during World War II, and a Körting-type engine, made in competition with Otto,
and partly responsible for the great patent war that Otto endured from other
manufacturers.
One of the most unusual engines was a Ludwig Lowe hot air
engine, designed by the Benier noted above, that was built entirely from
scratch. This engine is an open-cycle hot air engine run on coke, complete with
automatic stoker. A 2-cylinder Crossley, weighing 30 tons complete with its own
display trailer, was another highlight. This engine is owned and restored by
the Juffer family — father, Tieme, and his sons, Dries and Bert , from
Oldebroek/Oosterwolde, Netherlands.
It was removed from a cookie factory in Holland,
restored and placed on a trailer for its maiden trip to the show.
This only scratches the surface of the many engines from all
over Europe that were present at the rally. We
were there Saturday and Sunday, with near perfect weather on Sunday to help dry
out the field and lighten spirits.
That night, we visited the home of Leo Theunissen and his
fine collection of engines. We were treated to a wonderful meal and a tour of
his well-presented collection.
After the show on Monday, we visited Peter Van Der Kloot at
his home in southern Holland.
He graciously showed us his fine collection, including two Otto-style
slide-valve engines in “barn fresh” condition, a wonderful Körting-style engine
and many others.
We then went to the Museé des Arts et Métiers in Paris to see the various
artifacts therein. This excellent museum features several engines designed by Forest, an early engine designer and contributor to the
museum. Also included in the collection are a Pierre Hugon engine and two
Lenoir engines in very complete, original condition. Other artifacts include
Bleriot’s channel-crossing airplane, many excellent models designed for
instruction, and scientific instruments and artifacts from all eras of history.
The first self-propelled vehicle, a steam artillery wagon built by Cugnot, is
also housed there. As a bonus, we got to tour the museum’s “reserves.” Only
about 10 percent of the collection is on public display. The other 90 percent
is in the reserves. Lionel Dufaux, who is in charge of the collections, was
kind enough to give us a tour. We saw row upon row of the most magnificent
technological gizmos I’ve ever seen, including another Biscchop engine, a
2-cylinder Forest engine and a model of a 4-cycle Forest
slide-valve engine. The sheer number of items was overwhelming.
On Wednesday, we went to a special event at the Technikum at
Deutz AG, Cologne, Germany, hosted by Holger Friedrich
and Deutz. And what a time we had! The premier engine was, of course, the
Otto-Langen atmospheric engine, the first production engine sold by Otto and
Gasmotoren-Fabrik Deutz. They also ran other engines in their collection,
including the oldest running 4-cycle engine known and a 2 HP engine, serial No.
3589, the 589th 4-cycle engine made. Another highlight was the 4 HP 2-cylinder
electric lighting Deutz engine, similar to one that was installed in the
cathedral at Cologne.
The Lenoir engine was returned from the Nuenen show during our visit.
We met many people during our visit, all with a similar
interest in the internal combustion history. Old friendships were renewed, and
new friendships were forged. It was a most extraordinary journey into the world
of engines.
• See video from Woody and Wayne’s trip to Nuenen
• The Nuenen Internationale Stationaire Motorenshow
• Contact Woody Sins at 3 Edna Terrace, New Hartford, NY
13413 •
hitnmiss1@juno.com
Read more about slide-valve engines in Slide-Valve Basics.
