Buried Engines

[Colin]

Craig! lol Martinson im not sure if you are being sarcastic but 45 is the inflated boiler hp rating for the compounds. the singles were 35. im not sure if the rear wheels are the same height as the 110. the 45 tamdem compound at rollag seems pretty close in size and weight to the 110. Power wise i have no idea, ive never seen it plow. larson welding is in fargo ND

[A Martinson]

I figured it was an inflated rating, but I wasn't sure. And I asked if it was at Larson Welding, I know where Larson Welding is at.

[Colin]

oh ya sorry, im pretty sure its still there. Have i ever met or seen you at rollag or a spring steam up there? Someone was telling jims wife i was getting out of control on here lol cant figure out who it was. that engine had a intermediate shaft right through the boiler. i think 2 crank shaft pinions drove it, then that power went to one diff.

[A Martinson]

Nope, I've never attended the Rollag steam show.

[Dave Cripe]

I've heard several stories about buried engines over the years.
Heard one about several Case 110s being used as riprap along the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington. Story goes that for a long time you could see parts of the engines when the river was low.
Another one was of a center-crank Case that went through the ice covering Spirit Lake in Idaho while they were crossing.
Another one that I actually have "proof" of is of a 9 or 12 horse Russell that was buried by a flood resulting from a dam break in northwestern Washington. I have a picture of that one. The flood also buried a 75hp Holt (gas tractor). Both of which have been dug up and restored as of the mid 1980s.

[Ackman]

I've heard several stories, too...when some of the old logging camps closed down, if they owned a steam log hauler, the engineer would fire it up, for the last time, stick it in gear, jump off & let the engine run into a swamp & sink. There's supposed to be one of the PHOENIX Log Haulers in a swamp, in NE WI that during low rain years, you can still see part of the stack, sticking out. There's rumors of another one in NW central WI, too.

Originally Posted by ColinCase

oh ya sorry, im pretty sure its still there. Have i ever met or seen you at rollag or a spring steam up there? Someone was telling jims wife i was getting out of control on here lol cant figure out who it was. that engine had a intermediate shaft right through the boiler. i think 2 crank shaft pinions drove it, then that power went to one diff.

which engine? the minni or sumpin' else? I can't imagine a shaft THRU the boiler. did it go thru a rolled tube, or a rivited member?

[Dan Crist]

In south west Kansas there are many buried engines. The government bought them in the 1930s and put them in the Cimarron River for erosion control. I know of a mostly complete Avery undermount and a small Rumely. Also a 30-60 E Rumely Oil Pull that has good gearing, but the engine is mising a cylinder and crankshaft, flywheel, etc. All these are on federal grassland property and they won't let anything go.

[BenneMK]

Crazy thought,
I’m sure you have all had the same idea or at least pondered it.
Regardless of condition and who knows what you would have after x amount of years buried in the ground. Would anyone be interested in finding and digging up any of these engines? I’m sure some of the stories could be confirmed with some research.

[Tom Cwach]

Originally Posted by Rev Jim Jake Templin

which engine? the minni or sumpin' else? I can't imagine a shaft THRU the boiler. did it go thru a rolled tube, or a rivited member?

Colin is refering to the Minneapolis 45 double compound. The double countershaft engines drove the countershaft off the RH side of the crankshaft then through the boiler then a gear on the countershaft drove the differential gear on the left hand side of the engine. The boiler had formed flanges on the end of the flue for the countershaft rivited to the barrel. I need to learn how to get photos on here. I am looking at a 1911 Minneapolis catalog with collor illustrations of the 45 and the boiler.

[Tom Cwach]

A few years ago a tractor pulling buddy called to tell me the a contractor that was replacing a bridge near Wisner Nebraska had dug out 3 steamers that were placed by the old bridge for erosion control. I got down threre and there was the boiler and rear wheels of what I think was a 19 hp Advance, A pile of parts that was a 10-20 titan, and what was left of a 40 hp Twin City that may have been restorable before the excavator operator destroyed it. I let a restorer that had told me that he needed transmission parts for one get it. A excavator can ruin a mans day. Dan Crist has seen this travisty.

[30-90 Russell]

I found a 30 Russell buried this spring in Indiana it was in the bottom of a small ravine that was wooded. This is not the 30 Russell that Keith has, this one was by South Bend. I found this engine from just old photos that my great grandpa took of it back in the early 50's when he tried to buy it. I bought the engine in late spring, I cant wait to get running because it has not ran in over 70 years.

[GaarScott]

Gene Zopfi and a few friends were down by southern Nebraska/Kansas way when they heard about a 16 hsp Avery top mount engine that had fallen off of a barge and was stuck in the river bank. After a couple of attempts they managed to get the engine free from the river bank. The engine now resides at Gene's place in Champlin, Minnesota. They took lots of pictures and the engine was fairly complete, with the exception of one missing right front wheel, which had been removed during service. The engine was being used to harvest sand from the river bottom and was driving a large sand pump, which they were able to recover. The engine was pretty well preserved and most items were removed from the boiler using no more than a 10" cresent wrench. They have had to do some boiler repair, mainly replace a few staybolts. The engine has been in the restoration process for a few years now. They hope to have the engine up and running in the next couple years. I will have to see if I can find a few shots I have of the engine and its recovery.

[20 Reeves Highwheeler]

Colin and Rev.JJ,
I stopped at Larson Welding before the Rollag show this fall. It was interesting to see that 45 hp DTC engine setting there, after seeing the posted photos of it on this thread. That was the first time I'd ever looked through the sleeve or "flue" of a Minnie double countershaft engine. Tyler's at Moore, MT have a 30 hp double simple Minnie that also has the double countershaft. There were 30 hp single cylinder Minnie's that had it too, as well as the 35 hp double simple.

Buried engines: Don Bradley told of a 40 hp Reeves that was pulled alongside a washout on (I think the Yellowstone) a river in southeastern Montana. A bulldozer pushed it into the river for rip-rap and covered over, but a later flood washed out the fill and the 40 Reeves, taking it downstream.

I also sent in a photo to Colin's "Old engines photos" thread showing a 20 hp Case my dad used to irrigate out of the Missouri River with at U-L Bend - about 75 miles from Lewistown, and threshed alfalfa seed with in the fall. This was tough times, during prohibition, the great depression and all. Dad said they would get between two and three sacks of alfalfa seed per day, when threshing and they sold the seed for $50 per sack! Not bad wages for that time. The reason I mention prohibition, Dad also helped the land owner run a still there. Nobody ever busted their still either, because the Fergus County Sheriff at that time was a partner with the land owner. Anyway, this 20 hp Case engine is still under water, due to Fort Peck Reservoir.

[Tom Cwach]

found my pictures of the engine removed at Wisner,NE in 2001. Looked like an Advance to me

[20 Reeves Highwheeler]

Originally Posted by Tom Cwach

found my pictures of the engine removed at Wisner,NE in 2001. Looked like an Advance to me

I'd vote for Gaar Scott, looking at the driver wheels. I have been known to be wrong... Maybe Rev.JJ or SteamDaddy would know? It sure appears to have been buried underground for a time, or was it in water?

[30-90 Russell]

This is the 30 Russell I found in the woods in Indiana with 3 other engines. The Pic is of the day I got it home. I had to pull out the crank shaft to move the engine.

[Colin]

Originally Posted by 20 Reeves Highwheeler

I'd vote for Gaar Scott, looking at the driver wheels. I have been known to be wrong... Maybe Rev.JJ or SteamDaddy would know? It sure appears to have been buried underground for a time, or was it in water?

Thats what a Gaar looks like after a 110s done with it just joking Looks like the river wasn't nice to that engine 3090 what other engines did you find in the woods. i cant enlarge your pictures.

[2and92]

Originally Posted by ColinCase

Thats what a Gaar looks like after a 110s done with it just joking

Colin... You cry about people joking about case and you go and do this? Have you no concept of cause and effect?

[Tom Cwach]

It may be a Garr Scott. I may not be able to consider that posibility. It may have been a Case excavator that did it,run by Yaegers two friends.