Posted by Clint Dixon [162.158.137.66] on Saturday, March 21, 2026 at 08:50:00 :
In Reply to: Re: O/T Case 150 Steam Tractor - Real Torque posted by Vaughn [172.70.211.49] on Thursday, March 19, 2026 at 11:21:57 :
Durward and Koletta Steinmetz were an amazing couple. She fired the steam engine each morning and was the Engineer. He operated the family sawmill and was the Sawyer. Both engines shown here were used up to power their sawmill that produced dimensional lumber destined for the local flooring industry.
In the early 1960's, they switched to diesel power. This experiment lasted only a few years. They soon found that the piles of slabs and scraps from the logs were growing out of control. There was always a demand for the mountains of saw dust, but the slabs were another matter.
The decision was made to go back to steam power, which they had previously used for years, and which used the scrap wood as fuel. Problem solved. No more wasteful piles of rotting wood. They continued using steam power until the middle 1990's.
The two engines here (Case and Avery) were restored by Durward. The Power-Wagon that they ordered new in 1951 has never been restored. The two engines are owned by the gentleman on the left in the photo. He served his engineer apprenticeship under Durward. The guy on the right is yours truly. I only wish I could have spent more time with Durward as he was a wealth of knowledge.
Yes, steam engines are required to have blow-off safety valves in order to be licensed. These not only release pressure, they also flood the firebox with steam to quickly extinguish the fire. But a low water level that exposed the firebox is 100% the fault of the Engineer.
Junior