40th Steam-O-Rama Featured York-Built Equipment JOYCE BUPP York Co. Correspondent WINDSOR (York Co.) —Early American tractor buffs from the York area recently celebrated a 40th anniversary and honored their own. The annual Steam-O-Rama show was hosted by the Early American Steam Engine Society at its Windsor meeting and show grounds, Oct 2-5. Focus of the anniversary celebration was York and York-area built machinery and related equipment. “York was a ‘hot’ area of farm equipment manufacturing through the 19th and early 20th century and was really quite an industrial cen ter in that time,” said Floyd Miller, York antique equipment collector chairing the Yoik-made portion of Floyd Miller's SD-1 tractor was little more than a motor ized frame when he purchased it several years ago. ■ •■] (HD *MD *PK3 #>^| i [ |€ Burn wood, coal, oil, or gas and save &€ Heats your home and your hot water %€ Much more efficient than a wood burner | Comes in many standard sizes to fit most , I needs |€ The boiler system adapts to any plumbing | §*§ SAFE: The fire, fuel, and connections are # outside of your warm, comfortable home I ahoning utdoor W urnace "The Natural Way to Heat!" |. * | For more information and the dealer location nearest | you call TOLL- FREE Q I 1-800-692-5200 i n Limited number of dealerships available “ the show. “A lot of the manufac turing boom came after the Civil War era and up in the early 1900 s.” He noted that York-manufactured equipment is featured by the Stcam-O-Rama every fifth year. An added draw to this year’s steam event was the 60th anniver sary of Sheppard diesels. The R.H. Sheppard Company, originally known for shoe manufacturing, became an early developer of diesel engines. Those early engines went into use as genera tors, marine-equipment motors, and a source of power for the mili tary during World War 11. After the war, Sheppard turned to experi menting with its diesel engine is a farm tractor model. At first, the company is reported to have repowered a Farmall M, one of the early popular gasoline farm trac tors, with their own diesel engine. According to farm equipment history sources, the first Sheppard- Diesel tractor was introduced in 1949. It was dubbed the SD-1 Model, a 5.4 horsepower, single cylinder, air-cooled diesel tractor, sized primarily for lawn-garden type use. Largo' and additional models of tractors from the Shep pard firm continued to be manu factured until the early 19505. Floyd Miller has restored one of the three known remaining SD-1 models and polished it to gleaming for display at the Steam-O-ftama. The other two are owned by the Sheppard firm, which manufac tures power steering systems for large trucks and construction equipment. Miller, an avowed Sheppard diesel enthusiast and equipment collector for 40 years, joked that he spends his kids’ inheritance on his antique farm equipment pursuits. “I had the 2-, 3- and 4-cylinder models and needed the one cylinder to complete the set,” said this walking encyclopedia of anti que tractor lore. Miller tracked his prize down to a distant airplane hangar where it had been stored by the owner, a former employee of the Sheppard firm, and had been used primarily in its later years for mowing. He spent uncounted hours restoring to like-new the basic frame and motor that remained of the machine that, when new, had sold for $1,065. Rick’s Gradall Rental, Inc. Pond Building Pond Cleaning Stone Reventment Stream Restoration Demolition coll Scott or Bruce *t 10-35 H-7686 poqcr <tlo-339-8991 J FIRST TOBACCO SALE: J % December 1, 1997 jt jT Sale Every Mon., Wed. & Fri. J «, Until January 17 - 4 Tt» Last Sale for 609 Tobacco y / and Type 41. J S? Last year Type 609 tobacco % JT started out at $1.65 per pound and J ended at $1.92 as long as auction was open. y J We at Paradise make the farmer & money. Don’t get scared and sign 7* a contract from bull stories. J t Farmer, you will hear a lot from A* V county buyers in the field such as y J our tobacco goes overseas, and so J % forth. With Contracts signed in the % 1* country it's hard for Paradise to J i raise prices* Ak *L P.S. We have a strong demand y j for Type 41 tobacco at Paradise. J & Make Paradise your Type 41 'r marketplace. We Need 41 / I and 609. A* We Will Be On Your Farm Soon y / With Top Quality, Rocky Mountain J & Cotton Twine - Not Sefconds. V Remember, There Is A Difference. / PARADISE TOBACCO % I vf SALES $ L ' Mitch White-Sale Mgr. ' . Mitch Aehby-Auct AU0002616-R J I. i Lineal* rtMig, «MuUy. 'OdUm fir Though Yoik-area-built farm equipment was widely known in its heyday, the Sheppard diesel was the only tractor ever manufac tured in the county. As local farms were relatively small and their owners often conservative about switching from the familiar gas powered tractor to the then-little known diesel technology, histo rians note that the Sheppard’s j diesel did not generate widespread purchase by locals. In addition, the firm required that the full price for one its tractors be paid up front, a formidable financial barrier for many family farms. In addition to the estimated 35 to 40 lovingly-restored Sheppard diesels on hand at the Windsor steam show, exhibitors displayed Market Lamb Zimmerman Young Flock; 1. Jenniffer Zimmerman Champion Southdown Ram: Jay Zimmerman Reserve Champion Southdown Ram: Jen Zimmerman Champion Southdown Ewa; Jenniffer Zimmerman Reserve Champion Southdown Ewa: Jen Zimmerman SUFFOLK Ram Lamb: 1. Adam Zurm Ewe Lamb: 1. Andrew Gerhart, 2 Adam Zurm, 3. Adam Zunn Yearling: 1. Andrew Gerhart, 2 Keith Bol linger, 3. Andrew Gerhart Aged Ewe: 1. Andrew Gerhart, 2 Keith Bollinger Pair of Breading: 1. Andrew Gerhart, 2 Adam Zurm, 3. Keith Bollinger Young Flock: 1. Adam Zunn Champion Suffolk Ram: Adam Zunn Champion Suffolk Ewa: Andrew Gerhart Reserve Ewe: Andrew Gerhart LINCOLN Ewa Yearling: 1. Gabriel Bowman an array of literature on the Shep pards and numerous other antique machines. He noted that factory manuals that went with new trac tors, as well as a variety of other original literature, are eagerly sought by collectors of such histor ical data. Other York-produced equipment names once common around rural America included the Farquhar Company, Pullman, the United Engine Works, and Flin chbaugh Manufacturing Com pany. The Acme Wagon Works, an Emigsville establishment original ly known as the the American Tube and Axle Company, was also familiar on farmsteads for pro ducts such as feed grinders and watering troughs. (Continued from Page A 24) Champion Lincoln Ewa; Gabriel Bowman POLYPAY Ram Lamb: 1. Oallatia Bowman Ewa Lamb: 1. Oallasta Bowman, 2. Dal lassa Bowman Agad Ewa; 1. Oallassa Bowman Pair: 1. Dallaasa Bowman, 2. Dallassa Bowman Young Hock: 1. Oallassa Bowman Champion Polypay Ram: Oallassa Bowman Champion Polypay Ewa: Oallassa Bowman Rassrva Champion Polypay Ewa: Dal lassa Bowman Champion Ram; Radell Peters Reserve Champion Ram: Jay Zimmerman Champion Ewa: Jen Zimmerman Rassrva Champion Ewa: Travis Redmond Grand Champion Breading Shaap: Jen Zimmerman Reserve Champion Breeding Sheep: Radell Peters Halloween at Sheerlund Forests Free Hayrides Halloween to Pumpkin// / fa (k \\\ Decorations Patcli I ' 1 I \ / I Tag a Tree Spook Walk VOvX*!r /JJ for Christmas Free Cider and Cookies 3 Miles South of Reading on Route 625 (New Holland Road) (61 0) 777-9351 Hours: Weekends 9:00-5:00 www.sheerlund.com
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers