Original Steamer Photos

Ned

Ned

Mega Poster
WMSTR Lifetime Member
Over the last summer Darren Gunderson was kind enough to scan a large portion of my cabinet photo collection on to a zip drive (I think that's what he called it). I'm not sure the exact number of photos guessing north of 100 maybe Darren knows :Shrugs:.
Anyways since winter is starting to settle in and I know how much people enjoy looking at pictures I figure I will start posting my collection here.
I'm looking for input before I start though. Would everyone like to see the photo and guess the make and size of the engine in the photo? I admittedly don't know them all but would say I about 90% positive on 85% of the photos. Or would everyone just enjoy seeing the pics and having me add whatever info I have or know about each?

Thanks again to Darren for scanning these for me!!!! :not_worthy:

Photos will start within the next day or two.

Ned
 
Photo's with the crew is always cool to see. Can't wait to see what you share Ned. Tell Liz Congrats on her new title!
 
Well as promised here's the start of the collection.

Here's 3 engines hooked together for whatever reason. You can make out the drawbar/push pull bars on all the engines typically you would see this type of arrangement when moving a build.
The 3 engines from left to right are a Birdsall with its really distinct rear wheels and the underslung/belly tank for water. The middle engine at first I thought was a Case but the smoke stack and the clutch is wrong so this one I'm going to have to come back to. The 3rd engine appears to be a new or almost new 20hp or 22hp Minneapolis

3 Traction Engines.webp
 
Middle engine is a Baker. I was able to zoom in on the canopy on a high res of the image. Incase anyone was wondering under the mans elbow it says Baker CO right above the steam dome it says Swanton OHIO.
Thanks again Darren!!!
 
Here's one of my personal favorites. It's a 35/70hp or 40/80hp Minneapolis gas tractor (depending on the serial number) hooked together with a 30hp or 40hp Avery. Together they are moving this huge barn. I hope this is all the further they had to go since it looks like the front of the Minneapolis is in a ditch and about to run over the fence.

Avery Barn Move.webp

This was not an uncommon scene in the early 1900's as there wasn't a lumber store down the road or even a sawmill if you look in the background trees are kind of few and far between on the prairie. So when a farm would get sold houses and out buildings would sometimes get moved. This also gave the owner of the engine another source of income besides farming. Many engines would also do road work in the off seasons photos of that coming.
 
Here's another favorite (ok truth be told I have a lot of favorites :rolleyes:...)
This is a 110hp Case pulling at least a 10 bottom plow. I'm guessing through virgin soil too it looks like in the foreground the brush or grasses has been burned off. Note the odd location of the headlight too up on the cab. I'm not sure if this was an attempt at trying to light up the front wheel when plowing at dusk to keep the wheel out of the furrow, or maybe it's there to help when belting up :Shrugs:

110 Case Plowing.webp
 
Ned said:
Well as promised here's the start of the collection.

Here's 3 engines hooked together for whatever reason. You can make out the drawbar/push pull bars on all the engines typically you would see this type of arrangement when moving a build.
The 3 engines from left to right are a Birdsall with its really distinct rear wheels and the underslung/belly tank for water. The middle engine at first I thought was a Case but the smoke stack and the clutch is wrong so this one I'm going to have to come back to. The 3rd engine appears to be a new or almost new 20hp or 22hp Minneapolis

View attachment 1795
Click to expand...
This photo was bothering me for awhile ever since I posted it. My first thought was all 3 of these engines were hooked together pulling something, but the more and more I thought about it the more and more I believe I was wrong. Usually when steamers or large tractors are moving something (i.e. house, barn, or building) that something is usually in the photo. The second thing missing is the crowd there always seems to be a crowd around when a photo is taken especially when moving something.
I believe this photo shows a brand new Minneapolis either bringing the other 2 engines in for trade / repair or bringing them to scrap. The Minneapolis is the only one to have smoke coming out of the stack so that tells me it's the only one working. The other 2 the Birdsall and the Baker both appear to be early models of both brands and both in their "work clothes" So there's a chance the farmer is trading in the 2 "older" models for the brand new shiney Minneapolis.

Just my 2 bits
 
Ned said:
Middle engine is a Baker. I was able to zoom in on the canopy on a high res of the image. Incase anyone was wondering under the mans elbow it says Baker CO right above the steam dome it says Swanton OHIO.
Thanks again Darren!!!
Click to expand...
The Minneapolis with the flat top dome would be a pre 1916 engine, probably a 22 or 25 hp. I would have to believe that the awesome Bridsall on the end would have been pushing the other engines!
 
I was wondering if the only owner of a Birdsall I know was going to pop up. Well Tom here's one for the other half of the household. It's a hand colored 1897 photo of an Advance steamer. This outfit was in Springfield MN. This engine is a straw burner

1897 Threshing Rig.webp
 
Glad to see these appearing. It has been awfully slow here on the forum for quite a while. You have to admit it is a better experience like this instead of taking pics of the pics with a phone to post them. It will be nice to see some of the identifications for a few I could not figure out. Interesting thoughts about the first one with the 3 lined up. It would sure be nicer if all had something written on them identifying what was going on in the picture. It is fun to speculate.

Darren
 
Darren Gunderson said:
Glad to see these appearing. It has been awfully slow here on the forum for quite a while. You have to admit it is a better experience like this instead of taking pics of the pics with a phone to post them. It will be nice to see some of the identifications for a few I could not figure out. Interesting thoughts about the first one with the 3 lined up. It would sure be nicer if all had something written on them identifying what was going on in the picture. It is fun to speculate.

Darren
Click to expand...
It does go much quicker posting this way and it's so nice being able to zoom in on the high def ones. Maybe by spring steam up I will have another pile gathered up to send back with you.
I hope people are enjoying them as much as I do when I flip through them. It is kind of sad that more of them don't have anything written on them and a guy has to speculate on what when and where is going on.
I'll be posting more tonight after work.

Thanks again Darren I really appreciate you scanning them for me.

Ned
 
Here's a brand new Avery (maybe 30hp?) being shipped via Southern Pacific RR. There's one extension rim under the other one is tucked in under the engine you can see one guy has his foot on it. In front of the engine there's an Avery steam lift plow. The pipe by the back of the cab would be used for holding the transfer hose transferring water from a horse drawn water wagon to the engine on the go. This engine also has contractor bunkers kind of a rare option

Avery on RR flatcar.webp
 
Here's an Avery again maybe 30hp? That had a bad day this photo was taken July 30th 1912 in Cherokee Iowa. Ironically Liz and I stayed in Cherokee Iowa this last summer when we went to the Albert City show

Avery Through Bridge.webp
 
Early 20hp or 16hp Reeves with a what appears to be a homemade steam lift plow. The can tell that this Reeves is an early one by the rear wheels this one has a straight lug pattern and round spokes the later ones had a V-pattern sometimes called "herring bone" and flat spokes

Reeves Steam Lift.webp
 
This is a pre 1910 25hp Case portable after 1910 this unit would be rerated to 75hp portable. There's a few things on this engine the governor and preheater the tell me it's the earlier version. The rectangle box the man on the back of the engine is standing on is the straw shoot. This photo was taken in Manitoba.

Case Portable Straw Burner.webp
 
Ned said:
I was wondering if the only owner of a Birdsall I know was going to pop up. Well Tom here's one for the other half of the household. It's a hand colored 1897 photo of an Advance steamer. This outfit was in Springfield MN. This engine is a straw burner

View attachment 1799
Click to expand...
It's also a tandem compound. Great pictures Ned!
 
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