My father, Ellis Wellman, began collecting
engines in the early 1950s as a teenager - his first being a
Maytag that was traded for a 2 HP Witte. (What a step up!) He had
become interested in engines from watching them being used on the
farms in the area where he grew up.
A trip to the National Threshers Assn., show in Montpellier,
Ohio, started an interest in older gas tractors, such as Rumely
OilPulls and Aultman & Taylor, etc. The collection then grew
over the years to many engines from 1 to 50 HP, and tractors
ranging from a John Deere BO to an Aultman & Taylor 22-45.
I came along in 1970, so I’ve had the Old Iron Bug since day
one! I grew up around the engines and tractors and went to many
shows, getting to talk to and listen to stories of many early
collectors and many other wonderful people over the years. What
more could a young lad ask for?
When I got out into the working world, I began to acquire
engines and tractors, and Dad has always been a great help with
them. Our biggest project was putting together a 20 HP Bessemer
Type OD oil engine that had been in pieces for 40 years. What a
thrill to see the first puff of white smoke come out the
exhaust.
The collection has been downsized over the past 15 years or so,
but we still have the Rumely 20-40 OilPull G and the Aultman &
Taylor 22-45. The 20-40 Rumely was pictured on the May/June 1966
issue of Gas Engine Magazine. It has only had minor paintwork and
decals – remember, in 1962, when it was painted, there were not
many “hobby-oriented” vendors.
There has been only one major repair due to an exhaust valve
head coming off the stem and puncturing a hole in the no. 1 piston.
That’s not too bad of a record in 44 years of ownership.
I have enjoyed working with my father over the years and he
still comes to visit his “grandchildren,” as he calls them, when he
is able. Here’s to another 40 years of GEM!
Contact Reid Wellman at: 12791 state Route 700, Hiram, OH 44234;
(330) 569-9837.
