Frostbite videoFrostbite Crank Up - Straw Hollow Engine Works
13 December 2009
Golly. Another year has rolled by and the final event of 2009 has flown. The Frostbite Crank Up of the Straw Hollow Engine Works is held on Route 70 in Boylston MA just down the road from the volunteer firehouse which has a pancake breakfast on the same day. Coincidence? I think not!
Frostbite video
L to R are Errol Groff, Norm Jones, Rich Hubbard and Russ Steeves.
Anyway, I met up with Russ Steeves, Rich Hubbard and Norm Jones for a fine breakfast treat and we then proceeded from there to the show. The temperature was maybe in the 20's (F) or less but with no wind to speak of it was not bitter cold. The parking area had been cleared of most of the snow as can be seen in the photos to the gathering had a nice area to meet in.
Center and right photos are of a steam engine converted from an old compressor.
Russ Steeves and his Ryder-Ericcson engine
Rich Hubbard and his (R) three poster engine which is under construction.
I should have put a dollar bill in the photo to show scale. The
engine is a bit less than 6 inches long and maybe 3" wide.
Norm didn't have much luck getting his Ryder-Ericcson to run as the propane
bottle was so cold that it would not build the necessary pressure. I
suggested a brief stint in the camp fire for the bottle but that was rejected.
The boys perched on the roof of the car to keep an eye on the goings on. If you
don't know by now they are Roy Bear and Eddie Moose my traveling
companions.
An appropriate engine to show in the snow.
I couldn't get a good photo of this electric rail car as the sun was behind it
an pretty low in the sky.
The boys are never shy about caging hugs from the ladies and apparently Norm has decided to follow their lead!