
An un-restored but working steam-powered cement mixer. Note the steam-powered backhoe in the background. Manufactured by Keystone Driller Corp. in Beaver Falls, Pa., it probably was the only steam-powered backhoe ever manufactured.
Editor's note: This column is the second in a two-part series on the Rough and Tumble Engineers Historical Association exposition in Kinzers, Pa. The first installment appeared in the October 2006 issue.

A small John Deere hit-and-miss gas engine power unit is being used to power a piston water pump with a flat belt.
I rode my electric scooter around the grounds until the batteries gave out, and I had to retire it to recharge. Everything was so interesting that I continued to walk around until my legs finally gave out. Next time, I'll take a bigger scooter with larger batteries, or take my riding mower with a trailer for Bess.

Could this steam-operated drill be that same rope drill that Brown Brothers Drilling purchased in the '30s?
They provide free parking and free shuttles - tractor-pulling people-trailers - all the time. As one tractor comes in, another is waiting in line. There seldom is any waiting. There are facilities for motor homes and campers - some displaying and selling their goods - on site. However, I think you do have to provide your own water and electric. There are all kinds of food available for sale at reasonable prices. There are restrooms and port-a-toilets everywhere. I believe the fee to attend only is $7 per person.

This type “B” Erie steam shovel, owned by R. Fleetwood in Chester, Pa., was built by Ball Engine Co., Erie, Pa.
Incidentally, I received a letter recently from Brown Brothers Drilling in Nottingham, Pa. It states that in the mid-1930s, Maurice Brown and his brother, Ralph Brown, bought a new Keystone rope drill. It was delivered by railcar to Port Deposit, Md., at a cost of around $3,000. Could the steam-operated drill at Rough and Tumble be that same rope drill? I don't suppose there were a lot of manufactured drills sold back in the '30s in the northeastern part of the United States.
ND
Rough and Tumble Engineers Historical Association Exposition 2007 Schedule:
Tractor Pull: April 21Spring Steam up: May 1-12
IH Collectors Spring Show & Pull: May 25-26
Blacksmith Days: June 8-9
John Deere Show: July 20-21
Threshermen's Reunion: August 15-18
A Time of Harvest: October 12-13
Membership Banquet: October 27
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