Saturday, November 13, 2010

Weekend Steam: Commitment

How much are you willing to spend on your hobby?  I figured out long ago that steam traction engines will cost you approximately the same as a nice new car (not a plain Jane).  This has stayed pretty constant for the last forty-five years that I have been watching old engines, and listening for clues to the value.  Showing these old behemoths isn't cheap, either.  This engine belongs to a big farmer, so he would have had the Diesel rig for moving equipment, but this trailer may have been built just for moving steam engines.  These machines sort of get into you blood, and folks pull out all the stops to have a good time with them.

You never know when you may need a boost to get out of a mudhole; that looks like a mighty handy helper to keep in the toolbox.  Models don't come cheap, either.  They must have a coded boiler, and the castings and machine work to build one push the cost up out of reach for most people.  Luckily, steam hobbyists are happy to let the rest of us look for 'no charge.'

2 comments:

KurtP said...

He at least knows how chain things.

If I were driving, I'd probably use more chains,,, but I don't know how much they weigh as compared to an average backhoe.

David aka True Blue Sam said...

I figure "more chains is more better", and with a load like this, some wheel chocks would also be good. Following distance on the highway is darn important to prevent scattered iron.