Parker Steam Engines

[edgarspencer]

Does anyone have any knowledge of the steam engines built by Parker ? I've collected full sized steam engines for 50 years and have never run across one.

[Bruce Day]

I don't know of any existing. But if you find one, maybe bring it for display at the next PGCA meeting?

[edgarspencer]

As I've yet to see one, I spose I don't have to start worry about how to get it there, but if I did, it might be easier to bring the meeting to them.

[Old and Reliable]

There are two major steam engine festivals held in MI each year, one in Buckley (near Traverse City) and one in Barry County (Hastings) at the Charlton Heston Memorial Park- the later one usually in July. You might try a google search and see if any of the principals who put on these shows can lead you to a Parker Steam engine-- Right now, after a garage sale/barn sale in Barry Co. this past week, I am debating about buying a Parker & Snow 4": Machinist's vise-- has a small section that had cracked from the rear bolster, if the gent had kept that piece I could braze it back together and make it whole-maybe--

Please note- I spelled it properly here- vise-- a Machinst's VICE (if he was anything like my maternal Great Grandpa and my Grand Pa- would be cigars, Irish whiskey and pounding fists on the work bench when an apprentice "messed up" in his shop-- "I don't give a good rattli" *&^Damn about them tolerances, Boy- you either make it right to print, or don't bother doing the layout with the Dykem-- Harsh taskmasters, yes- but the margin for error factor was not part of my learning years I should say--:bowdow n:

[Richard Flanders]

You better not ever come to Alaska Edgar; you'd need an oil tanker to get all your steam engines, boilers, stationary engines, compressors, etc home.... I know where tons of them are, scattered all over the state from one end to the other.

[edgarspencer]

My son would send me pictures from Barrow, the Fairbanks area, etc, and it made me crazy. Between the old gold mining and remote power units, there's as much iron up there as there is oil.
The boy got off the boat in Homer, when he departed Kodiak, and borrowed a bike (his were being shipped to FL) and met up with a friend in Fairbanks, then rode 150 miles N. of the Arctic Circle. Lasflew to SLC Utah, picked up his Paris-Dakar BMW, and rode it back to Kodiak, 6199 miles. My a$$ was killing me, and I never left the farm.

[edgarspencer]

O&R, I've been to a few of the big Thresherman's Reunions, and it's a sight to see; dozens of magnificent traction engines, still doing what they did 100 years ago and more. I did use the excuse that my wife sort of gave me permission to buy one when she said we needed a garden tractor. I finally sold it as it was sinking in my driveway (18,000 pounds can do that)
I had a 32' steam launch, built in 1892, and kept it on the CT River, and at Mystic seaport for many years. I ended up selling that to Bill Ruger.

[Richard Flanders]

I went to a gathering like that in New Zealand many years ago. They mount pcs of loader tire rubber between the steel cleats and drive those coal fired beasts 100mi down the highway to these gatherings. There was something like 26 of them there + a lot of smaller stationary engines, all running. They had a couple running threshers with guys filling and stitching bags. Very fun to see.

Here's a couple of pics to get your blood flowing Edgar. These are engines that were used for power generation at the mine I work at, before the hydro power plant was put in in 1934. I think the smaller FM engine may have been used to power a dredge but was switched to power generation when the dredge was converted to electric. The bigger engine is an FMorse also and is the largest old diesel I've ever seen anywhere in Alaska. I can only imagine that it was originally designed to power a ship. Note that they have the exhaust vented underground; it goes into a water muffler system somehow I think. Note also that for some reason the heads are off both engines, which has left the blocks broken due to freezing. Pity. Someone cut all the copper windings from both these units also but left it laying around. There's hundreds of pounds of it laying around the engines and buildings.

[edgarspencer]

Both of those FM engines are from between the wars (6 spoke flywheels) and the smaller was also built in England up until the mid 50s, to compete with the Ruston (insert 2nd name depending on what week you're talking about) engines.
I was given a Rathbun Jones engine built by Ingersoll Rand in 1905, provided I moved it from the building it was in. The roof removal and replacement, rigging and hauling was prohibitive, and despite the fact that it was older than one the Smithsonian was also acquiring at the same time, it got broken up for scrap.
That generator is a GE and was probably 2300 volt based on the engine speed, and being directly coupled. The exciter alone would power a few houses.
Go find me some Crocker Wheeler bipolar dynamos. I'll drive out for them. Size is all relative.

[Autumn Daze]

Great pictures Rich.I think you showed us these before but I enjoyed them just as much the second time.I think steam engines are wonderful especially old steam locomotives. They are as close to a living/breathing machine as you can get!