[SEL] Fwd: Letter to the Editor - TOMM

[bill at antique-engines.com]

Not to mention culture sharing, and the sharing of the history of nations
and peoples. It's "not just the iron" being shared, it's an understanding
and common history and will bring us together in the end.

Well done.

Bill

> To the Editor:
>
> I read with great interest the Letter to the Editor from Mr. Andrew Gibb
> (TOMM,
> Issue 133, Oct-Nov, 2007).  The letter was entitled “Anti Export of
> Machinery.”
> It was only by chance that I happened to read the piece as I had just
> finished
> reading the main content of that issue.  One of the things about the
> content
> that really struck me was how few Australian engines and tractors were
> included.  By my count there were 19 USA, 30 British, and 11 Australian.
> I’m
> not counting the steamers or the items For Sale.  It seems to me that an
> issue
> containing ONLY those 11 Australian entries would be bloody boring;
> especially
> to the Australian readership.
>
> And this brings me to the heart of the matter and where I strongly
> disagree with
> everything that Mr. Gibb has to say.  How can a so-called engine man drift
> so
> far off the track?  The essence of this hobby is the enormous diversity of
> machinery that is around and the equal diversity in the folks who make the
> hobby so much fun.  If poor old Mr. Gibb had his way, we’d all become
> hermits
> squatting alone in dark caves on the few machines we happened to own.
> What a
> horrible prospect.  I feel so incredibly sorry for the man.  He needs to
> get
> out more.  He NEEDS to get a life!
>
> The USA and British engines were included in the TOMM issue for the same
> reason
> that different engines appear in Stationary Engine Magazine and Gas Engine
> Magazine.  Diversity is what makes the hobby interesting.  Who wants to go
> to a
> rally and see the same old local stuff year after year?  Why does an
> American
> engine on an Australian rally field attract so much attention?  And why
> does a
> British engine attract so much attention on a rally field in the USA?
> It’s
> something different and there’s usually an interesting story that goes
> along
> with the engine.
>
> As an example, a good friend in England decided to get her husband an
> American
> oilfield engine for his 40th birthday.  She contacted friends in the USA
> who
> quickly located a very rare 20 hp Tillinghast half-breed.  The deal was
> done
> and the friends began to restore the engine.  The finished engine on
> massive
> polished white oak timbers was presented to him and then rallied at the
> Portland engine show (the largest in the world).  The engine was then
> crated by
> the same group of friends and shipped over to England.  The engine is
> obviously
> one-of-a-kind in England and is even pretty rare in the USA.  It commands
> a lot
> of attention and is highly sought after by rally organizers.  The story,
> the
> oak, and the engine itself generate equal interest.  The full story may be
> found in articles in both GEM and in SEM.
>
> Another friend has acquired a gorgeous 11 hp Austral.  It’s complete, on
> an
> original transport, and in lovely original running condition.  Now this
> engine
> has excited engine folks from one side of the USA to the other.  In
> addition to
> displaying the normal adverts and engine literature, he also has history
> on the
> engine and what it did for a living (pumping water and powering a
> sheep-shearing operation) on the sheep station it came from.  Also
> displayed
> are kero tins and boxes along with a description of how those were used in
> the
> outback for everything from furniture to roofing and siding.  As a result
> of
> this engine being on exhibit, Americans are learning that there’s far more
> to
> Oz than Crocodile Dundee, kangaroos, and shrimp on the barbie.  The 11 hp
> Austral is featured in a 5-page spread in the Dec-Jan 2007-2008 issue of
> GEM.
>
> Mr. Gibb would be strongly opposed to the fact that the Austral was being
> enjoyed in the USA.  I can only assume that he would be equally distressed
> that
> an item of American “cultural heritage” ended up in England.  In fact, I
> imagine that he is even more distressed that so many British and American
> engines are in Australia at present.  He’s probably apoplectic at the
> current
> rate at which old American iron is flooding into Oz by the container load
> thereby diluting the native stock.  Damn the favorable exchange rate
> anyway.
> Although, interestingly enough, he doesn’t say a word about rare foreign
> iron
> showing up on Aussie rally fields.  A bit inconsistent wouldn’t you say
> Mr.
> Gibb?  Maybe now is the time to begin an old iron repatriation movement.
> Let’s
> start, shall we, with the ultra-rare 7 hp Frisco Standard Engine on page
> 34 of
> that issue of TOMM.  That engine should be back in San Francisco where it
> could
> contribute to the local cultural heritage.
>
> The final aspect of his screed that I would like to address is his ranting
> about
> “dealers” and someone making a “profit” on what they sell.  Clearly, Mr.
> Gibb
> is a Communist and as such will have difficulty grasping what I have to
> say
> next.  The presence of dealers in the old iron hobby is a good thing.
> They
> will buy whole barn loads of “stuff” from a farmer who wants to sell even
> though only one or two pieces are desirable.  He then has his money tied
> up
> until he can finally turn over the last knackered old Lister D.  Dealers
> also
> make the investment so that collectors who might never encounter that
> particular farmer are able to buy an engine that they’re interested in.
> Similarly, by having an inventory, dealers make it easier for newcomers to
> the
> hobby to acquire an engine or two to start their collections.  I bought my
> first engine from a dealer.
>
> I loved this line in Mr. Gibb’s letter:  “How can genuine enthusiasts buy
> an
> engine if they have to compete against the dealers who have too much money
> to
> spend and no interest in our nation’s heritage?”  There is so much wrong
> with
> that single statement that I hardly know where to begin.  Dealers, because
> of
> the need to make a profit, can never pay more for an engine than a
> collector
> would.  That’s just simple economics.  The market price for old engines is
> pretty well normalized these days by the want ads in the various magazines
> (TOMM, SEM, GEM), by eBay, and other Internet sales outlets like Harry’s
> Engineads.  http://www.enginads.com/
>
> As to “profit” Mr. Gibb says “
it is a disgrace that some people are
> willing to
> sacrifice our history, in order to line their own pockets.”  Well, excuse
> me
> Mr. Gibb, but I guess you were absent at school when they discussed the
> concept
> of personal property and the owner’s right to dispose of it how he sees
> fit.
> Engines change hands for a great many reasons.  It may be a change in
> personal
> circumstances, it may be health related, perhaps a child is going to
> college or
> getting married.  Or it might be as simple as getting bored with the old
> one
> and wanting something different.  In any case, if the seller makes some
> money
> on the deal, that allows him to buy something better or, as is often the
> case,
> just keep up with the ever changing market price of old engines.  Making a
> profit is not a bad thing.
>
> I think you should wake up and smell the eucalyptus Mr. Gibb.  Instead of
> ranting about old iron leaving Oz to go to collectors in other countries,
> perhaps you would do better to encourage young folks by embracing the joy
> that
> this hobby actually provides and a real part of that joy involves engines
> moving from one collector to another and from one country to another.
> Engines
> and engine friends are not limited to one’s country of origin.
>
> Best regards,  Arnie
>
> Arnie Fero
> 7050 Leechburg Road
> New Kensington, PA 15068 USA
> Phone: 724-722-6004
> Email: fero_ah at city-net.com
>
>
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