[SEL] Oil Well Supply Engine

[Arnie Fero]

Jim,

The half-breeds are really interesting beasts.  If you think about all of the
different steam engine makes that were operating in the early oil fields and then
cross that with all of the companies than made gas conversion cylinders (and other
supporting parts), you end up with literally thousands of different half-breed
combinations.  One of the more common (and pretty) early half-breeds combined the
Farrer & Trefts hog-trough steam bed with a Bessemer gas cylinder.  Here's a look at
mine...  http://www.oldengine.org/members/arnie/bessie.htm

(I really need to get some of the current pics of that engine onto the website!)

For more info on half-breeds, contact Coolspring.
http://www.coolspringpowermuseum.org/index.htm

They have a publication, Bores & Strokes, and one of the early issues was totally
about half-breeds.  Call 'em and order a copy.

See ya,  Arnie

On Thu, October 1, 2009 6:10 pm, Kangas, James G. wrote:
> Now that you mention it I do remember reading about those conversions,but I some
> how thought this was an early development in the history of internal combustion
> engines and was not that common.
> ________________________________
>
> From: sel-bounces at lists.stationary-engine.com on behalf of Doug Tallman
> Sent: Thu 10/1/2009 5:36 PM
>
> No Jim, a halfbreed started out as a steam engine used to drill a well
> and was converted to internal combustion to run off natural gas from the
> well. Doug T
>
> Kangas, James G. wrote:
>> If an engine uses a single part  made by another company does that make it a
>> half-breed?
>> ________________________________
>>
>> From: sel-bounces at lists.stationary-engine.com on behalf of Bruce Younger
>> Sent: Thu 10/1/2009 12:28 AM
>>
>> I was at a show Sunday - Prairie Land, Jacksonville, IL - and among the displays
>> was an OWS half-breed.  I asked the owner if the cylinder was a Bessemer, as that
>> was what it looked like, but bore no marks.  He replied that it was not, it was a
>> licensed copy, as Bessemer was overwhelmed with orders for some time.  He said the
>> maker was South Penn Oil Company.
>>
>> I found this in research:  "Bessemer's chief customer, the South Penn Oil Company,
>> wanted so many that they paid royalties to manufacture additional
>> half breeds in their own shop at Allegheny, Pennsylvania. During
>> the first three years of manufacture, 10,000 pumping units were
>> converted in Pennsylvania and West Virginia."
>>
>> I bet there were probably dozens of manufacturers of conversion cylinders.