Steam shovel loading a flat car

I acquired this vintage photo long ago.  It has minimal identification - just says North Western RR.   It shows an early wood sheathed steam shovel loading a flatcar with dirt or something along the right of way.  The loco has an old balloon style stack.  The scene appears to be some time in the late 1800s.

The photo is somewhat distressed, but it is interesting.

Gas and Steam show April 14th

I attended the local annual Gas & Steam show at a nearby agricultural park last Sunday.  As usual there were lots of vintage tractors and vehicles, plus a variety of old steam and gasoline pumps and weird machinery.  It is close by and usually has something new each year.  This year there was a really neat old 1914 police truck that was used in New Hampshire until 1927.

This truck is in great shape and runs nicely.

Another item at the show that I found interesting was a 1937 farm dozer.  Just a little older than me.

This little guy was used just like a regular farm tractor but had better traction and a pulley on the rear for operating other machinery.

Of course there were a few nice Peerless steam tractors as usual.

Another old unusual gasoline tractor.

And I had to take a photo of this tractor - the money pit.

These guys buy old tractors and restore them as a hobby and it is not inexpensive, hence the slogan on the side of the tractor.

This event is always fun and each day concludes with a parade of the tractors a vehicles.  Of course I always buy a plate of funnel cake to eat while watching the parade.

Turpentine Company Model

I finally finished my turpentine company model.  It is somewhat of a composite of photos I found in my old industrial books and on the Internet.  The industry is correct for my modeled timeframe of the 1930's.  The still heats rosin from slash pine sap, with the vapor being condensed into turpentine.  The firebox heats the attached kettle (in the back of my firebox under the platform).  The turpentine is collected in the large barrel on the left side of the still, and then tapped into smaller barrels for shipment.  This company is served by trucks as it is too small for rail service.

This was an enjoyable modeling project despite a lot of fumbling as to the construction.  One of the books I consulted, printed in 1937, talked about the advantages of using asbestos mortar and asbestos sheeting - we live and learn.  These businesses typically included a water tank and I may add one depending on availability of space where I place it on the layout.

I thought I would add one of the vintage turpentine mill photos I used for inspiration for this model.

This mill was located in Florida - the book with the photo was published in 1937.  I found others via Internet search - each a little different but in general similar.

I appreciate the nice comment just posted.