Petrolia - Canada's Victorian Oil Town

STEAM THRESHERS
     On August 18 2007 I had the pleasure of attending the Forest Ontario Steam Threshers meet. I have included all the pics that were taken and hopefully if you could not be there this will give you an idea of what it was like. One old gent that I talked to said that he was there to see, feel and hear the old machines. He was from Ohio and had driven here to have a look. Another older gent said that he was there to just look and relive his childhood as his Dad and Grandfather had used these type of tractors on their farm.
        My favourites were the aerodynamic Olivers and the STEAM. The smell and the sound of the old steamers conjures up memories of some old boys around Petrolia that operated these vintage marvels around their properties and I can still hear the steam whistles in the Fall Fair parades. These machines are very time consuming, laborious and costly to maintain. However the men that do keep them running and love them seem to disregard the negative aspects and are driven to keep these mechanical Goliath's alive. If you have any local Petrolia or Lambton vintage tractor and especially steam pics send them in and I'll include them here.
For more on the Canadian Group here is their website    http://www.steamthresher.com/

A few steam related Websites http://www.steamtraction.com/
                                                        http://www.smokstak.com/gallery/
                                                 http://paulbelford.blogspot

Also at the bottom of this page see my steam gauges.
Please enjoy this look at the Forest Ontario meet. W.O.S.T.A.
(Western Ontario Steam Thresher’s Association)

editor's collection This is the kind of tractor that Earnest Kells used in the Eureka street oil fields to pull rods on the old oil wells.	editor's collection
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One could buy fenders for the old Olivers	This is a ca. 1910s hit & miss engine that was running.



editor's collection This is a cool little early gauge that I picked up in London with a brass inspection or registry tag on it.	editor's collection Here is a CROSBY steam gauge( ca. 1906 ) from the Goldie & McCullock Co LTD. Galt , Ontario Oil. Hopefully some of the steam folks might enjoy this look at some of my steam gauges. I am always looking for pre 1920s gauges. An 1859 Ashcroft would be nice. If you have some pre 1900 gauges or valves or level indicators etc. I can post your pics here, or maybe we can strike a deal for your gauges.
editor's collection This is 4 of my gauges together to show the size of the big 12" (ca. 1876) Ashcroft beside a Pepsi can.	editor's collection This is my favorite gauge that I own. Those of you that know me will be able to know why.
editor's collection This is the big 12"Ashcroft { ca.1876 } as above by itself.	editor's collection Above right and below the 10" Jas. Morrison Brass Mfg.Ltd Toronto steam gauge. It sits beside the 12" Ashcroft and a can of pop to show size. It came from a guy in Sarnia and was quite a mess. However it cleaned up nice and shows really good. The Bourdon Tube had ruptured and that is why it ended up in a drawer for many many years. Rightfully so the mechanic thought it was too nice to toss out. As the story goes he was a pipefitter at Imperial Oil and had to replace this gauge with a new one and thought that he would keep this one & brought it home. This was in the ca. 1920s and the gauge is not dated but estimated ca.1890s. I bought the gauge at a garage sale sometime in the late ca.1980s.
editor's collection I just picked up this little gem from a Strathroy picker. A ca.1898 Ashcroft .	editor's collection Here are some of my gauges at the 2009 Heritage Day Open House at Victoria Hall. This shot shows my mobile table that folds up and my gauges bolted to it. They were a big hit again this year and showed very well .
This is what remains of a very early gauge. The top pic shows the body with a copper ring and then a thin brass ring that may have held the glass face. This gauge was found in a Forest Ontario farmer's dump with bottles and metal. It was extremely corroded, and I soaked it in Tarnex and found a very surprising punched name on the reverse. The second pic shows the back where it says "IMPERIAL OIL CO. PETROLEA " .What a little beauty!	My steam gauges go on the road. Here they are bolted on the new display board at the Petrolia Levee Jan1/08. I have collapsible table legs attatched on the bottom and a lid for travel protection.I think everyone liked them & they will be at Victoria Hall again on Feb 9/08 for the Heritage Day Show.
editor's collection This is a 12 inch steam gauge that is not quite done yet. I am just posting it early as a collector in Texas asked to see it, so here it is Buck.	editor's collection This is a nice little speed gauge that I picked up recently from ca.1876. I havn't done anything to and I don't think th at I will.
editor's collection This little gem comes from the Albert Baines collection and is 10" across the bezel. A Petrolia Water Works gauge from probably the late ca.1880s.	Another gauge from Albert Baines collection, salvaged from an old boiler before it was scrapped. Yet another significant Petrolia artefact. Even though the glass and the indicator needle are gone this is a beauty. It looks like while spending several decades waiting in a field she took 3 or 4 hits from a .22 cal. rifle and won. These are the type of gauges that I am always looking for or any other early gauges from prior to ca.1920s.
editor's collection Th is gauge is a ca.1903 'American Steam Gauge' used by the DM Dillon Steam Boiler Works. It is 10" across. The nickled face really shows well.	editors collection This gauge is the ca.1903 Allis Chamers Steam gauge. Note the spelling not Chalmers but Chamers. Also note that this is an all brass body gauge like my Galt Ontario gauge above. I have yet to shine this gauge but will change the pic when I do.
editor's collection This gauge is the ca.1889 W.M Stevenson Boiler Works Petrolia Ontario. A great early local gauge. I got this one from Albert Baines of the famous Baine's Machine Shop, a working museum.	This little gem is mounted on a pump in the Oil Springs Oil Museum. I look at it every time I go out there.

We are always looking for vintage Petrolia & area pics of anything to buy or borrow for copying. If you have pictures that I can borrow I only need a few minutes to scan them.
Email martyd@ebtech.net