Model Steamboats To Chug At Cabin Fever Expo ANTHONY K. WIKRENT Cabin Fever Expo YORK (York Co.) The sev enth annual Cabin Fever Expo opens 9 a.m. Saturday and Sun day, January 18 and 19, at the York County Fairgrounds Me morial Hall East and West. This year’s special feature is a large indoor pond with dozens of model steamboats hoisting anchors and chugging away, op erated by members of the North American Steamboat Modeler’s Association. Cabin Fever Expo is an exhibi tion devoted to all types of model engineering, featuring live opera tion of scale model engines, and other types of machinery, includ ing machine tools, tractors, air craft, and trains. Cabin Fever Expo has grown rapidly to become one of the two most popular shows in North America for home shop machin ists and metal working hobbyists. Show organizers Gary and Jared Schoenly expect this year’s event will draw more than 6,000 at tendees, in addition to the hun dreds of vendors and exhibitors. Additional space this year al lows space for the indoor steam boat pond. Jared, Gary’s son, is studying mechanical engineering at the University of Pittsburgh, and did the necessary design cal culations for a plastic-lined 30x50 feet pond, containing 10,000 gal lons of water. Construction materials and know-how are provided by Gary’s brother-in-law, who oper ates a pool construction and maintenance company. Attendance has been recorded from almost all 48 contiguous states at past Cabin Fever Expos, and this year a special tour group representing European live steamers is expected to attend. About two dozen model steam boats, ranging from one foot to four feet in'length, will be operat ed by members of the North American Steamboat Modeler’s Association (NASMA). NASMA is group of model steamboat en thusiasts interested in building and operating all varieties of nautical live steam models. Tug boats are the most popular type of model steamboat operated, along with steam launches. Modelers like launches because there is no deck hiding the steam power plant and auxiliary ma chinery within the hull. The en gine and boilers thus are dpen to hill view, inspection and ad miration. All the models are radio-controlled, and run on al cohol or “camping gas,” a small can containing a combination of butane and propane that can be purchased at any sporting goods store. The pond is large enough for a handful of the smaller mod els to operate simultaneously, but may not be big enough for the turning radius of the larger mod els. Those will be able to run back and forth across the pond, and perhaps be turned around by hand. Steve Siegel, editor of the NASMA newsletter, said that one NASMA member from Lititz plans to bring his four-foot model of a Lake Chautauqua steam boat, which many people have mistaken for the real item when viewing'photos. * Lancaster North American Steamboat Modelers’ Association will have dozens of model steam boats hoisting anchors and chugging away in the indoor pond. The pond is large enough for a handful of the smaller models to operate simulta neously, but may not be big enough for the turning radius of the larger models. Those will be able to run back and forth across the pond, and perhaps be turned around by hand. Modelers like launches because there is no deck hiding the steam power plant and auxiliary machinery within the hull. The engine and boilers thus are open to full view, in spection and admiration. All the models are radio-controlled, and run on alcohol or “camping gas,” a small can containing a combination of butane and propane that can be purchased at any sporting goods store. Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 11,2003-B1 (Dcsites* The NASMA steamboaters will be making a conceited effort to have some of the smaller model steamboats available for opera tion by children and teens. Steve also expects a hill-size 25-foot steam launch, the Adamy 111, to be displayed by Charlie Roth, Gardiner, N. J. The hull is a de sign of the Rochester Launch Co., Rochester, N. Y. The engine is a 10-horsepower Crescent com pound, and the boiler is a 40 square foot vertical fire tube boil er. This steam power plant is about 20 years old, and was built and previously owned by the owner of the Crescent Engine Co., Point Pleasant, N.J. The propeller is 23-inches in diameter. Because the boiler bums either coal or wood, and the launch will be displayed in doors, Charlie will not be able to “fire ‘er up.” But that won’t be a problem for the estimated 1,000 model op erating engines. Compressed air lines will be available to run those engines normally requiring steam. For the internal combus tion engines, Gary and Jared have made sure the halls will be well ventilated. Altogether, 400 to 500 exhibi tors are expected at Cabin Fever Expo. In addition to hundreds of engines, machine tools and other mechanical devices will be on dis play. Displays include ail types of model engineering: hot air en gines, gas engines, internal com bustion engines, machine tools, airplanes, boats, ships, trains, cars, and tractors. In addition, 80 vendors will display a wide range of goods for sale, including complete model engine kits, parts and compo nents, plans, machine tools, tool and shop accessories, equipment, and books. An exhibitors sale area allows participants to sell up to six item s. This year, Gary and Jared have also organized an Iron Fever Auction for Friday, January 17, beginning at 4 p.m. Two hundred lots have been consigned, includ ing an Atlas Metal Shaper, a number of different make lathes, a few South Bends, a watchmak er’s lathe, hot air engines, hit and miss engines, rare machinery cat alogs, and Buddy-L toys. Inspec tion of items being auctioned will be from noon to 4 p.m. on Friday. $5 admission covers both days; children under 12 will be ad mitted free. Six seminars on various as pects of home shop machining taught by accomplished crafts men will be offered at various times during the show. No addi tional costs are charged to attend seminars by Jerry Frisbie, Bruce Harr, and Chuck Kuhn. • Carburetion miniaturization - Richard Zipper • Lathe rebuilding and scrap ing - Roger Grosser • Fundamentals of CNC ma chining - Marty Knox • Model builder materials - Cliff Schrock • Model engine ignition sys tems - Rudy Kouhoupt • Machining techniques in model engines More information about Cabin Fever Expo, directions, and a map can be viewed at the Web site www.cabinfeverexpo.com. 9