1231 Bantas Creek Road Eaton, Ohio 45320
This year several of us who travel together to the engine shows
started to consider the need for a club or fraternal and social
society for people who like oil field engines. So as kind of a
joke, I had a banner made and got some membership cards printed,
and started to take on members; I named it ‘The Oil Field
Engine Society,’ abbreviated O.F.E.S. and pronounced
‘oafs.’ Each member is known as an ‘Oaf.’ I know
this sounds crazy, but we have had a lot of fun with it and it
seems as though people have responded favorably to the idea, with
lots of people inquiring about membership. The only membership
requirement is that the candidate take the ‘Oafs Oath’
which reads as such-‘I like big old greasy rusty oil field
engines.’ Membership for life is totally free of charge, which
dispenses with much unneeded hassle. The response has been so good
that I think this may be something much better than just a joke,
it’s the start of something really good, a society of people
who like oil field engines just dedicated to sharing them with
others and having fun. The informality of it all has made it so
nice and some of the members have made signs to hang on their tent
at the shows to spread the word: If you like oil field engines,
you’re an ‘Oaf.’
To explain the title of this article, I spoke with Judy
Whiteside with GEM at the Portland show about the possibility of
running a column every month for people interested in oil field
engines. She seemed to think it would be fine which was encouraging
to me to try and start one even if only, for example, we have a
photo of someone’s recent project and say, ‘This is my
Bessemer, and this is what it looks like,’ or some informative
article on the subject. I am open to input from anyone who has
something he thinks would be of interest.
So this month, we start with some photos from the Tri-State
Engine Show at Portland, Indiana. All the Oafs had a wonderful
time. Matt Flanigan even fed us all a delicious pork chop dinner
one day. Thanks, that had to have been quite a task.
Our first photo (below) is the group photo we organized on
Saturday. The next (above) is of Doug Thornhill’s 60 HP Pattin
Brothers engine with two directly coupled gas compressors which was
quite an impressive sight to behold. And the third (below) is of
Rick Dorrel’s mobile engine house he constructed. Rumor has it
that he may make living quarters in it. Maybe if he gets sent to
the dog house, at least he can make it the engine house instead. At
this time, it has a 15 HP Reid in it. The back wall is removable,
so different engines can be inserted.
Anyone interested in an Oafs membership card, please call me at
937-456-9387, or send an S.A.S.E. to the address above.