[SEL] Remembering Charlie Bryant;

[Arnie Fero]

   Ken,



   Thanks so much for that reminder of Charlie.  He was one of the best
   enginemen that I knew.

   I heard him tell that "goat story" at Coolspring the first year I was
   there.  He always had a

   real twinkle in his eye when he told it.



   I remember when he still lived in MO and used to make annual "engine
   plundering" trips

   up to Maine.  He would show up at Coolspring with a trailer load of
   rare and beautiful

   engines for sale; fresh out of the Maine woods.  He had a whole bunch
   of "local

   scouts" who would find engines for him.



   He also taught me one of the most important concepts for being happy in
   this hobby.

   Again it was at Coolspring.  I was walking the rows and came across a
   beautiful

   vertical (I think Olin) on a baseplate with a transfer pump.  It had
   been used to

   transfer oil from well-side storage tanks into the pipes that would
   lead to the

   main transfer points where it would go into bigger tanks, then later by
   barge to

   Pittsburgh.  Well, this was a HEAVY looking outfit and I wasn't sure I
   wanted

   to deal with the weight.  So I walked on and thought about it.  Turned
   the

   corner and started down the next row.  Decided that I wanted the outfit

   and picked up my pace heading back



   Well, when I was in sight, they were loading the rig onto another

   collector's pickup truck.



   I got back to where we were setup, and started grousing about missing
   out

   on the engine.  Charlie comes up to me, puts a hand on my shoulder,

   and sez "Arn, you snooze, you lose."  Truer words were never spoken.



   Charlie, I'm much happier for having known you.  You were a "one of a
   kind

   engineman."  I'll miss you.



   See ya,  Arnie
   Dec 21, 2013 07:09:43 PM, sel at lists.stationary-engine.com wrote:

     For those who weren't around a few years back, here is a favorite
     story as recounted by Charlie Bryant.
     http://www.oldengine.org/members/christison/resources/sacrifice.htm
     Ken