ausfire Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 Australia Day today and we had quite a few visitors to the forge. We have just finished an extension to the forge area to keep visitors out of the sun and rain. Just in time too, as the onset of the monsoon season has made the shelter well used in the last few days. The extra roof area has darkened the forge a little, which is good. Today we installed a seat made from an old piece of timber found in the scrap area. No one is quite sure what it is. The swivel on the end closest the camera makes us think it could have been an old railway crane, and the pulley on the other end supports that idea. Anyway, it makes a good seat and has already been well used. The pictures show the extension over the footpath and the new seat. Any other theories about what that seat was? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 Very nice, the seat looks like part of a jib crane. The cast iron being the pivoting foot and the mount for the jib. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 looks like Charles got it. Makes for a really neat seat. Always love the photos Aus. And seeing the stuff in the background as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted January 26, 2018 Author Share Posted January 26, 2018 Thanks for the pic, Charles. That has confirmed our suspicions. Here's a steel railway crane we have on the place. I should have seen the similarity. And Das, it's a really nice place to work with all the old stuff around. We have just retired the old Ruston Proctor steam engine in the background and we're now working on restoring an American Case traction engine to replace it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 I had to look up a Case traction engine. They look like fun and probably a big project restoring one. Really neat railway crane you have there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John in Oly, WA Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 That brings back memories. My grampa had an old Russell traction engine. He'd fire it up when we came to visit. Had a big collection of brass steam whistles. We'd get to pick different ones to put on the engine. Then gramp would give us rides up and down the road, we'd be blowing the whistles. Eventually the county paved the road and no more riding the traction engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted January 30, 2018 Author Share Posted January 30, 2018 12 hours ago, John in Oly, WA said: That brings back memories. My grampa had an old Russell traction engine. He'd fire it up when we came to visit. Had a big collection of brass steam whistles. We'd get to pick different ones to put on the engine. Then gramp would give us rides up and down the road, we'd be blowing the whistles. Eventually the county paved the road and no more riding the traction engine. Yep, those traction engine wheels are pretty savage on bitumen too. The one in the background of the first picture is a Ruston portable. They were towed by horses or bullocks. The one we are restoring to replace it is a Case traction engine and it moves under its own power. I'll try to remember to grab a photo of it tomorrow. Might bring back more memories for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John in Oly, WA Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 Thanks! That's what I was going to ask - post pictures as the restore moves along, if you would please. My grampa was a member of the Western Steam Fiends Association. I thought that was a cool name for a group of steam engine aficionados. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted January 31, 2018 Author Share Posted January 31, 2018 John, here is a picture of the Case in our workshop ready for restoration. Unfortunately it doesn't have the very ornate boiler cover in this picture. It was the first thing to be removed in the strip down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John in Oly, WA Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Nice looking beast. Oughta be a fun project. Did it come with the metal cover (roof - not sure what it's called)? What kind of steering mechanism? The Russell was chain that (I think) wrapped around a drum on the steering shaft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted January 31, 2018 Author Share Posted January 31, 2018 On 1/31/2018 at 3:01 PM, John in Oly, WA said: Exactly. Power steering you might say. The drum and shaft can be seen better in this pic. The chains are disconnected from the wheels. The machine did not have a roof/canopy when we got it (about 40 years ago) , but I think we will probably build one. Need to make up a smoke stack too. The one on the badge in your photo looks a bit like a Case. Can I detect the suggestion of an 'eagle on the globe' Case logo on the boiler door? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn II Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 I realize this post has gone a little cold, but this may be worth mentioning. A few miles from where I live is the show grounds of the "Western Minnesota Steam Threshers Reunion." It is sort of a living and functional "museum" of sorts that operates every Labor Day weekend. This is where my kids developed a fire for blacksmithing. All of the exhibit areas are run by volunteer members. There is so much to see and learn from pioneer living on the North American prairee, horse drawn equipment and farming, small town main Street and post office, general store, several different blacksmith areas representative of different time periods of American history, functional turn of the 20th century carousel with organ, Papbst Steam Engine, functional steam locomotive that circles the show grounds and gives rides to passengers on 5 railcars, steam powered saw Mills, gas powered engines, printing shop, the list goes on. A very neat place, we've been going for years, and have not seen all there is to be seen. Anyhow, 2019 will have the "Case" be the featured manufacturer of the show. Record number of visiters for Case Expo are being prepared for. But this recently completed project is all the buzz! It is a full scale replica of the Case 150 HP Steam Traction Engine. I had some friends that went to the show in Andover, SD and said this thing is Massive and Amazing. I believe the gentleman is planning to bring it to WMSTR for the Case Expo 2019. I would encourage anyone to come, it is a family event with a variety of things to do for all. Camping is available on the show grounds, modern hotel accommodations are available within a 30 Mile drive. I would certainly be happy to meet up with anyone from IFI! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John in Oly, WA Posted November 1, 2018 Share Posted November 1, 2018 That sounds like a great event Glenn II. I love all that old steam power. Near Mt. Rainier, in my neck o' the woods, is an old train with a steam locomotive people can ride. It takes them up to Mineral Lake where they can get dropped off, have a picnic and then later in the day comes round again to pick everyone up and bring back to the station. Aus, sorry I dropped the ball there. I didn't see your question in your last post. That is a Case on the Steam Fiends logo. How goes the restoration project? I don't think my grampa's Russell had power to the steering, just the chain, but my memory is not clear on that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kozzy Posted November 1, 2018 Share Posted November 1, 2018 We just finished tweaking some boiler issues on the Case traction engine at our museum. Had a very small leak that had to be welded up. Boiler work on these things is not for the faint of heart--the re-certification process was a nasty nightmare. Even the individual gauges have to be certified to read properly and you need to be able to prove that out for the State board. Every inch of boiler surface needed ultrasonic testing to verify thickness. Fortunately, a very nice boiler service company donated much of the work and cost to make sure it could be run safely and properly. Total cost for a pinhole in the mud ring was about $ 5000 USD...plus almost a year of paperwork fiddling. Driving the thing is interesting...it feels like you mostly guess where you are going and adjust steering as those guesses constantly go off track. Backing is even worse with that chain steering system. They certainly don't back like a car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John in Oly, WA Posted November 1, 2018 Share Posted November 1, 2018 I guess there was more room in the world when these things were in common use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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