Wandering Locomotive Books: Difference between revisions

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Eugene H. Stevens, March 1938
Eugene H. Stevens, March 1938


To My Friends Who Refuse To Bother With An Electric Driven Engine:  Here I am with my first look at the [[Wandering Locomotive Book]] of the Brother of Live Steamers, having spent some years of my life poking coal into various kinds of engines that have a drag behind them, trying to keep the hand on the pin on that old fog indicator and having the smell of sulphur and burning coal in my system.  I cannot jump right out of that and run an engine run with a motor or a spring, so I am a dyed in the wool live steamer, so much for the reason for the itch to voluntarily assume the life of grease and cinders.
To My Friends Who Refuse To Bother With An Electric Driven Engine:  Here I am with my first look at the [[Wandering Locomotive Books]] of the Brother of Live Steamers, having spent some years of my life poking coal into various kinds of engines that have a drag behind them, trying to keep the hand on the pin on that old fog indicator and having the smell of sulphur and burning coal in my system.  I cannot jump right out of that and run an engine run with a motor or a spring, so I am a dyed in the wool live steamer, so much for the reason for the itch to voluntarily assume the life of grease and cinders.


These two engines, photographs No. 3 and 4 are my fifth and sixth locomotives.  These were built without drawings and using a sense of proportion only.  I wish to call attention to the boilers made from 3/16 inch or 1/4 inch by six inches in diameter steel tubing.  It is sawed half way through at length of firebox and this is cut longitudinally and the halves opened out to make the outside of the firebox.  The water legs are made of 1/4 inch plate welded, and all tubes are welded in at both front and rear, fitted with eight arch tubes 7/16 inch diameter and all boilers have had a test of 400 pounds per square inch without a leak, running pressure 100 pounds per square inch, but had to be cut down fro they were so slippery they would not pull your hat off.  The No. 462 engine was built in 1936, cylinders 1-5/8 by 1-3/4 inch stroke, using link motion, 7/16 inch valve travel.  The other engine has the [[Baker valve gear]].  The water supply by injector and eccentric pump on driving axle.
These two engines, photographs No. 3 and 4 are my fifth and sixth locomotives.  These were built without drawings and using a sense of proportion only.  I wish to call attention to the boilers made from 3/16 inch or 1/4 inch by six inches in diameter steel tubing.  It is sawed half way through at length of firebox and this is cut longitudinally and the halves opened out to make the outside of the firebox.  The water legs are made of 1/4 inch plate welded, and all tubes are welded in at both front and rear, fitted with eight arch tubes 7/16 inch diameter and all boilers have had a test of 400 pounds per square inch without a leak, running pressure 100 pounds per square inch, but had to be cut down fro they were so slippery they would not pull your hat off.  The No. 462 engine was built in 1936, cylinders 1-5/8 by 1-3/4 inch stroke, using link motion, 7/16 inch valve travel.  The other engine has the [[Baker valve gear]].  The water supply by injector and eccentric pump on driving axle.
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An effort will be made to let everyone know in good time so you can make plans to be there.  Free coal, water, oil and the coal is not plain ballaet which railway companies give their men to burn.  Let everybody see everybody at the meet, generally in August each year.
An effort will be made to let everyone know in good time so you can make plans to be there.  Free coal, water, oil and the coal is not plain ballaet which railway companies give their men to burn.  Let everybody see everybody at the meet, generally in August each year.


== References ==
== References ==

Revision as of 23:32, 11 March 2015

Live steam modelers were scattered all over the United States in the late 1920's, most not even aware of each other. The first man to start any sort of organization was Carl Purinton, from Marblehead Mass. He put together a loose leaf book with names of live steamers, including a photo of their locomotive and asked that it be circulated around the country. The "Wandering Locomotive Book" as Carl called it, found its way from Mr. Gunnick (Gunnink?), of Wichita Falls, Texas to Ernie Freeman of Los Angeles. In Purinton's letter of November 9, 1933 to Ernie, he states, "I can see no reason why you should not sign up Mr. Jackson and any other responsible live steamer in your vicinity."

Steve Bratina wrote:

The books known as the "Wandering Locomotive Books" were started when paper, pen and a Kodak was the only way, other than going to a meet, of describing the locomotive you have. Would it not be possible to do the same only electronically?

John Kurdzoniak wrote:

Carl Purinton did this in the 1930s with his "Wandering Locomotive Books".....books that passed from "live steam brother, to live steam brother" and these builders (they were all referred to as "brothers" back then) entered photos, notes, their location, comments about their projects, etc. and then passed it on to the next person, who entered all of HIS information. It was like a website registry of people and their locomotives, but the people back then had no concept of "internet" of course. But those books provided for THEM back then, what the internet is able to provide for us today.
In the 1930s and 40s these books went via mail, auto, (and probably rail in some cases), from Maine to California and back, probably Hawaii, and all across Canada. The only cost Mr. Purinton charged was the cost of more paper and supplies, etc. And I suspect each individual contributor paid the postage to send it to the next "brother", or, carried it in person via auto (or rail) when he was going to another club, or area of the country, during his vacation, hobby, or business travels and in order to give it to someone else while on the trip.
For example, if I had the book this month, and was taking my family to Florida by rail next month, I would bring it with me and drop it off at the home of another "live steam brother" who lived near where I was staying in Florida. Or if I was driving to Florida and not taking the train, I might drop it off at the home of a "live steam brother" while going through the Baltimore area.
Mr. Purinton said that he had SO MANY contacts from "the books", and his personal correspondences, that he could drive across the country and never be more than a few miles, or a few towns, away from someone he had written to in the past, or who was "in the book". Amazing. No computers to do that, either. Just paper and postage stamps.

See also:

* Harry Austin

Eugene H. Stevens

The following excert from the Wandering Locomotive Books was reprinted in The North American Live Steamer, Volume 1 Number 6, 1956 in the column by Charles A. Purinton.

Eugene H. Stevens, March 1938

To My Friends Who Refuse To Bother With An Electric Driven Engine: Here I am with my first look at the Wandering Locomotive Books of the Brother of Live Steamers, having spent some years of my life poking coal into various kinds of engines that have a drag behind them, trying to keep the hand on the pin on that old fog indicator and having the smell of sulphur and burning coal in my system. I cannot jump right out of that and run an engine run with a motor or a spring, so I am a dyed in the wool live steamer, so much for the reason for the itch to voluntarily assume the life of grease and cinders.

These two engines, photographs No. 3 and 4 are my fifth and sixth locomotives. These were built without drawings and using a sense of proportion only. I wish to call attention to the boilers made from 3/16 inch or 1/4 inch by six inches in diameter steel tubing. It is sawed half way through at length of firebox and this is cut longitudinally and the halves opened out to make the outside of the firebox. The water legs are made of 1/4 inch plate welded, and all tubes are welded in at both front and rear, fitted with eight arch tubes 7/16 inch diameter and all boilers have had a test of 400 pounds per square inch without a leak, running pressure 100 pounds per square inch, but had to be cut down fro they were so slippery they would not pull your hat off. The No. 462 engine was built in 1936, cylinders 1-5/8 by 1-3/4 inch stroke, using link motion, 7/16 inch valve travel. The other engine has the Baker valve gear. The water supply by injector and eccentric pump on driving axle.

Of course, after an engine is built the itch is just starting. It is a great source of pleasure to know how she will act under a load on a track and under running conditions. Will she keep up steam, will the fire burn even, will she keep the water up? That means everyone wants a chance to keep his engine running, and that is exactly the case, using the circular track at Oxford, Maine.

This track provides a continuous track of 1/5 of a mile. All gadgets can be given a running test. If a running test appeals to you, try to come along to Oxford, Maine and bring your engine and meet the gang. 2-1/2 inch and 3-1/2 inch gauge track. The track is mounted on posts so track is about 32 inches high. You ride a flat car behind your engine and blow your whistle and cuss the train dispatcher to dig the cinders our of your ears, just like a regular railroad. Come to the next meet if possible. I have now an Atlantic type engine about 3/4 complete, but expect to have this ready for the next meet. This engine has 1-7/16 inch bore and 2 inch stroke with six inch driving wheels. There were six engi9nes under steam at our meeting and at another about ten engines under steam, all day long and some the next day. Engines from Boston and Montreal have been there.

An effort will be made to let everyone know in good time so you can make plans to be there. Free coal, water, oil and the coal is not plain ballaet which railway companies give their men to burn. Let everybody see everybody at the meet, generally in August each year.

References