IH Tractors on Montana Farm

[Roger Byrne]

  TwoStep, I hate to break it to Gary, BUT in 1894 the engineer would NOT have been wearing one of those Poky-Dot caps.  The Kromer cap didn't come about until 1903 and even then, they were first made with blue & white striped material.  Even today, you can buy blue/white striped caps and solid color caps from Komer along with the ones Gary wears.   The paragraph below is from the Kromer Company's own history page.  Please also note that both George and Ida are pictured in NON Poky-Dot hats! 

"One semi-famous railroader took time off to play semi-pro and professional baseball. George "Stormy" Kromer was an engineer for the Chicago and North Western. Kromer made a habit of wearing his baseball cap while at the controls of his engine, but it just wasn't quite what he needed while on the job.  Kromer came home one day and lamented his discomfort to to his wife, Ida. The Kromers put their heads together and came up the design of what we now call the railroad engineer's cap.  Ida Kromer, an expert seamstress, assembled George's new cap with what she had at hand: blue and white pinstripe pillow ticking. Their efforts were a hit. The cap became very popular among railroaders, and ultimately resulted in the beginning of a business that still exists today."

George and Ida Kromer

[twostepn2001]

OBG talk about coincidence!!! l was born about a mile from where that DeBolt gin was in Ralls, Texas. lt was later torn down and they built a cotton compress on that location. When gins started using high density presses the compresses were phased out and now the buildings are used for cotton storage.

You can see stack for the boiler room in one building. We lived about a mile from there and you could hear whistle blow at 7:00am, at 12:00 noon for lunch and at 7:00pm for quitting time. And several times a day you could hear the whistles blow and the engine "chugging" on the steam trains that hauled the cotton off to the Texas coast for transport.

This pic was taken in 1950, about 3 years before l was born.

 

[twostepn2001]

5 minutes ago, Roger Byrne said:

TwoStep, I hate to break it to Gary, BUT in 1894 the engineer would NOT have been wearing one of those Poky-Dot caps.

l've seen a lot of controversies in my life, (i.e. what kind of oil to use or IH v.s. JD) but never one so hotly debated as the "polka dots vs. stripes" engineer caps.....lol 

[Sledgehammer]

1 hour ago, twostepn2001 said:

Does that mean that Delta Dirt or Tony Ramos would have to develop a new type of cotton that grows with stripes or polka dots? lf they could grow it we can gin it at Booger Creek.....😎   And you can haul it with your cabover KW.

For polka dot cotton....would every other boll be colored or every so many plants?  Striped cotton would need to be a hybrid I’d think. I could drop the low boy and haul some stuff down for ole buddy Anson. Tony would be out of the way a touch and they might not let an old Detroit powered non-emission rig in Cali at all but I could get ahold of the bandit and maybe he could run blocker for me. All this truckin talk is making me hungry, is better go have a Diablo sandwich and a DrPepper....

[Old Binder Guy]

On 11/13/2021 at 5:12 AM, Delta Dirt said:

Sometime late last night on the western channel following Gunsmoke, "Wild West Chronicles" was featuring a show on Charles Russell (western artist) from Montana.

I was familiar with Russell since We have discussed Charles Russell right here on the old codgers classroom------thanks to the Professor.

Channel 364 on our satelite (Direct TV)------

I fully expected Bat Masterson to interview the Professor but they missed him-------hopefully next time????

 

DD

 

Anson, Bat Masterson was busy last night and had to cancel our interview. He was headed upstairs in the Varieties Saloon and Dance Hall in Dodge City for "business." 

His Brother George Masterson was tending the saloon bar and informed me about Bat's upstairs business engagement. Notice the dance ladies in the distance. They weren't your average ladies.

Charlie "Kid" Russell wanted to leave his birth home of St. Louis, Missouri and become a cowboy. So Central Montana became his choice. This is a studio photo of him in his earlier years cowboying.

Charlie "Kid" Russell is third from the left seated in the cow camp for the huge outfit he worked for in central Montana.

Charlie "Kid" Russell is on his horse, Monte.

Charlie would ride from his cow camp job to Utica for supplies. Bullets, tobacco, whiskey, whatever he needed. Sometimes he'd even ride to Granville Stuart's DHS Ranch and to his cowboy friend, Teddy "Blue" Abbott's ranch near Gilt Edge, Montana.

The Utica Mercantile ca 1900.

Russell worked at his art when at the cow camp. This one was of the terrible winter of 1886-87 in the northern USA that killed plenty of livestock and people. It is the worst winter on record. The owner of his livestock inquired from the warm south, with a postcard asking how his cattle were doing. This was the answer sent back to him from the ranch, painted for the foreman by Russell. This is his most famous piece of art. It lives about a mile and a half from me in the Montana Historical Society Museum. It is well protected in a heavy glass case too.

Russell began working more diligently on his art. Pen, pencil and paints. This is of a scene he'd seen in Utica, Montana. In without knocking, painted years later.

Another Utica Street scene of Russell's he had remembered. Bucking Bronc. The son of Charles Lehman, owner of the store at right, Walter Lehman was a friend of Dad's and mine when he lived in Lewistown.

Charlie Russell was even known to stop at our ranch and visit with Grandpa Frank Jäger on his May 27th 1881 Homestead to visit, when on his way to Lewistown, Reeds Fort, Gilt Edge or Cottonwood, Montana. He stopped at different neighbors too. He liked to B.rown S.ugar with people.

One of Charlie Russell's favorite people was his cowboy friend "Teddy Blue" Abbott. They had this studio photo done at Culver Studio in Lewistown. I visited with Abbott's daughter Catherine (or Katherine?) years ago. She showed me the Christmas cards Russell had painted for her dad.

Teddy Blue Abbott had other friends too. He's shown here at the Gilt Edge, Montana Territory Saloon, trading hats and drinking beer with Calamity Jane ca. 1887. Abbott married Mary, half Shoshoni daughter of Granville Stuart of the DHS Ranch. Stuart purportedly found the first gold nugget at Gold Creek here in Western Montana. I've held that nugget in my hand!

After Charlie Russell became known for his spectacular artwork he was doing. He was famous for going to saloons and trading his art for drinks. But he noticed a lady who saw his potential. Charlie fell in love with and married Nancy Russell. She became his "agent" for art and made him famous and somewhat rich too.

I like  this painting of Indians watching a "Fireboat" on the upper Missouri River, since Grandpa Jäger had come to Montana working on T.C. Power's Block P steamboat Benton. He worked on the Benton (mainly) for three years, from St. Louis to Fort Benton, the World's Innermost Port.

This is one of my favorite Russell Art pieces, the Bull Whacker, and Oxen. Since Grandpa Jäger was a freighter for T.C. Power's Block P line in Fort Benton, it gave me such appreciation for this wagon train out of the World's Innermost Port.

This is my next favorite Russell painting. The "Jerkline" wagon train.

After civilizing Charlie by Nancy, he built a log cabin art studio that still stands in Great Falls. My uncle used to walk by and B.rown S.ugar with Charlie, who was often on the porch with his friends.

Russell inside his studio. His artifacts he used to relay authenticity to his paintings are there as well. Winchester rifles, Colt handguns, tomahawks, bows and arrows, clubs, etc.

Charlie working on a painting in his studio.

Charlie Russell spent much time living with the Indians in Montana. He learned their equipment and their ways. Charlie and Nancy are attending an Indian event in Montana.

Indians planning an attack of a wagon train camped on a River in eastern Montana.

Russell's premier painting resides in the Montana House of Representatives room in the Montana Capitol. Charlie had to jack up the roof of his studio to accommodate the size of this stunning painting of The Indians Meeting Lewis And Clark At Ross Hole. The late Ted Kennedy used to find excuses to fly to Helena, Montana to just go, sit and admire this painting on the wall.

Since my feet have crossed Charles Marion Russell's footsteps, I wish to thank and praise him for preserving a part of American History that seldom got photographed, leaving us a mental picture of what the old west was really like.

Not only was Montana blessed with Charlie Russell preserving the old west of Montana, we ARE blessed with pencil artist and friend of mine, Don Greytak of Havre, Montana. Don has preserved the era of farming before I was a farmer, but during my era as well. And Don is "color blind" his reason for pencil drawings. It is done as he sees it.

This is Don's "selfie" drawing of himself in his younger years farming with a WD-9 McCormick Standard. He puts out a calendar every year. We farmed with WD-9s too. I can sure relate to this picture, pre-MacDonald Cab!

This picture really spooked me when I saw and bought it years ago when I lived in Whitefish. Dad had me pulling two McCormick-Deering #5 rod weeders, as in this picture. I was in our WD-9 with a MacDonald Cab when I hit our neighbor Roger Long's fence between us. The only difference in this picture and the picture in my mind, ours had an exhaust extension pipe. I think I even looked like this guy back in those days.

My last picture I bought from Don is this one with a McCormick WD-9 Standard, a 121 PT McCormick pull type combine and a K-5 IH truck just like the one my dad owned. 

So you ask, what does Don Greytak have to do with Charlie Russell? This is pretty telling. Nancy riding a "side saddle" and Charlie on horseback. I'm thinking this was done of them before marriage, when they were getting to know one another?

Charlie Russell born in 1864, died in 1926. He hated the internal combustion automobile. (I couldn't tell you about steam cars or electric cars back then? But I'm betting he didn't like them either. I'm sure he had to calm his horse more than once?) One of my favorite Don Greytak drawings of Russell riding his horse west of Great Falls with the Square Butte in the background and a 1904 Cadillac passing by, frightening his mount.

Charles M. Russel's body interred in a horse drawn hearse on a street in Great Falls, Montana in 1926. I understand the procession was many, many blocks long.

I'll be forever indebted to Montanans Charles Marion Russell and Don Greytak for their preservation of the old and newer west. Now, Anson, I'm sorry I was unable to meet up with Bat Masterson to make your TV night complete last night. Some night when he is not upstairs with the girls. Maybe some other time down the road, it could perspire.... er.... transpire.  Gary😁

PS: Old Binder Guy (aka: Rainman) and many times, Gary, who does his best editing several times after hitting "Enter."

 

 

 

[Sledgehammer]

I really enjoy those pencil drawings. I was looking at some of his drawings listed on eBay. All JD and no IH. Red paint in grayscale must be more rare? 😊

[Old Binder Guy]

44 minutes ago, Sledgehammer said:

I really enjoy those pencil drawings. I was looking at some of his drawings listed on eBay. All JD and no IH. Red paint in grayscale must be more rare? 😊

Todd, this is one of my favorites. Gary😁

[Sledgehammer]

1 hour ago, Old Binder Guy said:

Todd, this is one of my favorites. Gary😁

That is a nice one. I’m not anywhere near an art connoisseur but these really appeal to me. True life events captured. Could easily be a picture.  I do like the older stuff, like this pic of a blacksmith from the worlds fair in the 1890s. It’s an original poster framed. Still waiting for the right spot to hang it up. 

[Delta Dirt]

4 hours ago, twostepn2001 said:

l've seen a lot of controversies in my life, (i.e. what kind of oil to use or IH v.s. JD) but never one so hotly debated as the "polka dots vs. stripes" engineer caps.....lol 

 

Don't worry too much about the hat misunderstanding TwoStep------

"IF" for some reason Roger and myself EVER ATTEND ANOTHER EASTER EGG HUNT-------we will do our best to acquire a PokaDot cap for the occasion!!!!!

 

DD

[Sledgehammer]

3 minutes ago, Delta Dirt said:

 

Don't worry too much about the hat misunderstanding TwoStep------

"IF" for some reason Roger and myself EVER ATTEND ANOTHER EASTER EGG HUNT-------we will do our best to acquire a PokaDot cap for the occasion!!!!!

 

DD

I believe I would pay to see that. Ha ha 😂

[Old Binder Guy]

1 hour ago, Delta Dirt said:

 

Don't worry too much about the hat misunderstanding TwoStep------

"IF" for some reason Roger and myself EVER ATTEND ANOTHER EASTER EGG HUNT-------we will do our best to acquire a PokaDot cap for the occasion!!!!!

 

DD

Anson, don't belittle the Easter Bunny. I'm saving my striped Choo Choo cap for Halloween. Darn near another year to wait, I guess? I hate putting a photo of me wearing a Choo Choo cap a guy bought me years ago. I told him I'm not a steam locomotive engineer, but he said keep it for Halloween then. Wearing this cap like this is almost as bad as getting caught posing on a John Deere tractor. Gary🤮

[oldscoutdiesel]

I'd like to offer you 2 fella's an opportunity to get together in Nebraska in 2023 at the RPRU in Grand Island.  The chapter #12 worked on more plans today to offer all IH interested folks to enjoy.  Slowly it comes together.  More info will be available on the web after January 1, 2022.

[Rusty_Farmer]

If anyone ever gets to Great Falls; go to the Russel museum ! I Spent 4 hrs there and at the " cabin". Could have spent more time if I had it. Need to get back there some day.

[Delta Dirt]

11 hours ago, oldscoutdiesel said:

I'd like to offer you 2 fella's an opportunity to get together in Nebraska in 2023 at the RPRU in Grand Island.  The chapter #12 worked on more plans today to offer all IH interested folks to enjoy.  Slowly it comes together.  More info will be available on the web after January 1, 2022.

RPRU in Nebraska is really intriguing.  I have Nebraska roots-------my great grampa was an early settler in Cass County (Nehawka) in 1856 after having been to the California Gold Rush and back home to their native Vermont.

First trip to California was by steam ship and across the Isthmus of Panama-------they took a likening to Nebraska on their return (overland) trip to California and stuck a stake in the ground along Weeping Water Creek.

Grampa Sheldon bought land here in Mississippi after making friends with some Mississippi boys during the Spanish American War and moved here 1911.

Grand Isle and 2023 are along ways off for this old codger-----seriously  doubt that I will make it.  (getting to the drug store and grocery store has become an ordeal!!!) 

In case I do-------I will most likely be wearing a hat somewhat similar the ones pictured below.  (and Gary and I will still be arguing over the "steam caps".)

 

 

 

 

Anybody ever runs upon the GoldRush smoked beef sticks------give them a try.  Sure are tasty!!!   I just ran across them in a local hardware store-----need to pick up somemore.

 

Delta Dirt   Avon Ms  38723

 

 

 

 

[hardtail]

Gary, Andy Russell was a popular guide in Southern Alberta and wrote stories, any relation to Charlie?

[Old Binder Guy]

1 hour ago, hardtail said:

Gary, Andy Russell was a popular guide in Southern Alberta and wrote stories, any relation to Charlie?

I doubt it, hardtail. His parents sent him from the east. The Russells adopted a boy, but his name wasn't Andy. Gary😉

[Old Binder Guy]

I got this email from Tom Railsback, aka Tubacase47 today. I didn't realize all of this nonsense existed. But he found it. Gary😉

 

IH Tractors on Montana Farm

 

I'm still keeping track and next Tuesday will be the 15th anniversary of this, as you call it, NONSENSE.

2.5 million views and 23,300 responses, give or take a few on 931 pages.

My computer died a month ago and I tried to sign up so I can post but it did not work.

 

Tom aka Tubacase47

[Old Binder Guy]

Son Mike and Daughter Pam (No Mike didn't marry his sister, she's just like our daughter though!) invited us out for supper tonight. We always love getting to see and love on our grandkids AND their parents.

They had moved their piano to the basement this past summer. They have a nice basement. This is our grandkids Heather and Jacob when the piano was still upstairs last Christmas. Two accordions in the photo too!

I took this photo of the wall tonight, with the piano gone. Heather is into her phone. But the middle where the piano was, has Mike's Greytak pictures. Since I'd just posted Greytak pictures of mine, I thought I'd post this here.

This is a closeup of the Don Greytak pencil drawings.  They all have meaning for Mike when we were still on the central Montana farm. Notice the lower right picture shows an IH Farmall A raking and an IH Farmall M with its mower all caught up in barbed or woven wire. I can't remember which?

On another living room wall is this aerial photo a pilot took of their place this past summer.  He brought the picture by and they bought it from him. Their place is quite a nice place for Granddad (one of the guys with the polka dot cap fetish.) to come and play in the shop, on steam engine, with a Model T, etc., and his car is at the shop. The steam engines are parked by the shed. If you look at the right of center, there is a McCormick-Deering IHC Farmall F-12 parked there. That would make it an IH Tractor on a Montana Farm. 

Another thing..... beyond (behind) Mike's shop and shed is a green path, in a little valley. That is a freighting road that Mike's Great Grandpa Frank Jäger would have freighted on when hauling mining equipment and store goods from the steamboats at Fort Benton, Montana Territory, to the mining town of Helena.

Grandpa Jäger worked as a freighter for the T.C. Power company, which was the company he also worked on the steamboats from St. Louis to Fort Benton (the world's innermost port) from 1874, 75 and 76. That fall Grandpa stayed at Fort Benton, herded mules for Power, and shot coyotes. Spring of 1877 until just into 1881, he freighted for T.C Power. Helena and Virginia City were high volume gold mining areas for the freight arriving on steamboats to freight to Helena.

Freight is being loaded on a steamboat in St. Louis, Missouri, (Mazurrah?) bound for Fort Benton, Montana Territory.

The steamboat Block P Benton is at the left on the Fort Benton, Montana Territory Missouri River Levee in 1879. The Benton was the steamboat Grandpa spent most of his three years working on. (Six trips, two each season, up from St. Louis.) He was a baker and a hunter (jäger!). They would drop Grandpa, his horse, his single shot .22 rifle and a butcher knife at a wooding landing. He'd shoot wild game, field dress it and meet the steamboat Benton at their next wooding landing with fresh meat for the crew and passengers.  

The T.C. Power & Bro freighting and steamboat headquarters in Fort Benton. This was Grandpa's headquarters for his freighting.

Freight bound for one of the gold mining camps of Montana Territory.

More freight for the mining camps. Note the steamboat on the levee in the distance.

This is freight bound for Virginia City, Montana Territory.

Freighting wagons in Virginia City, Montana Territory.

These freighting outfits are headed for Helena, from Fort Benton.

Freighters in Helena in 1870.

My favorite photo of freighters in Helena is this one of the jerkline mule train.

But T.C. Power also had a store in Lewistown, Montana. Power had bought this trading post from the originator of Lewistown, Francis Janeaux. Note the Indian "travois" on the horse at left. Grandpa located his May 27th, 1881 Homestead about 9 miles west (as the crow flies), while freighting to the Lewistown store. Gary😁

[Old Binder Guy]

On 11/14/2021 at 7:38 AM, Delta Dirt said:

RPRU in Nebraska is really intriguing.  I have Nebraska roots-------my great grampa was an early settler in Cass County (Nehawka) in 1856 after having been to the California Gold Rush and back home to their native Vermont.

First trip to California was by steam ship and across the Isthmus of Panama-------they took a likening to Nebraska on their return (overland) trip to California and stuck a stake in the ground along Weeping Water Creek.

Grampa Sheldon bought land here in Mississippi after making friends with some Mississippi boys during the Spanish American War and moved here 1911.

Grand Isle and 2023 are along ways off for this old codger-----seriously  doubt that I will make it.  (getting to the drug store and grocery store has become an ordeal!!!) 

In case I do-------I will most likely be wearing a hat somewhat similar the ones pictured below.  (and Gary and I will still be arguing over the "steam caps".)

 

 

 

 

Anybody ever runs upon the GoldRush smoked beef sticks------give them a try.  Sure are tasty!!!   I just ran across them in a local hardware store-----need to pick up somemore.

 

Delta Dirt   Avon Ms  38723

 

 

 

 

I've never heard of or tried GoldRush beef sticks, Anson. You and Wrangler are looking great. I love your cowboy hat. It looks GREAT!

I know I've posted these hats before ages ago. I have a "hard hat" cowboy hat I was given.

I used to go to Virginia City. Montana years ago for a "buffalo shoot." There were different targets and a life size steel buffalo placed on a hill 1,000 yards from the shooting line. I had a 16# Sharps 45-2-7/8 (45-110) black powder genuine Montana Buffalo rifle. However, son Mike hit the target with an elevating open sight on a Springfield 45-70 carbine, more times than I did with that Sharps and expensive sights (and 40 grains more of black powder). I know.... I was wearing a derby here.

But we used to go uptown before the noon hour, sponsored by the Virginia City Cafe. We performed shootouts on Main Street for the tourists. I carried a Colt .45 and a sawed off shotgun for shooting black powder blanks. I wore my own cowboy hat here.

Our shootout results. The good guys standing, the bad guys laying. I'm at the left.

But my favorite photo taken there at Virginia City was this one. It was one of about 10 $pendy cowboy hats that were "sweaty" from "makeup" and were worn by John Wayne in the movie McClintock. Me and the Duke must have had pretty much the same size heads. I tried to buy this hat from its owner, to no avail! (I really don't blame HIM!)  Gary😁

 

[Old Binder Guy]

10 hours ago, Old Binder Guy said:

I got this email from Tom Railsback, aka Tubacase47 today. I didn't realize all of this nonsense existed. But he found it. Gary😉

 

IH Tractors on Montana Farm

 

I'm still keeping track and next Tuesday will be the 15th anniversary of this, as you call it, NONSENSE.

2.5 million views and 23,300 responses, give or take a few on 931 pages.

My computer died a month ago and I tried to sign up so I can post but it did not work.

 

Tom aka Tubacase47

I'm sorry to hear your computer died. Covid19 has killed so many in the past year and a half. Gary😢

[Old Binder Guy]

On 11/13/2021 at 5:35 PM, Sledgehammer said:

That is a nice one. I’m not anywhere near an art connoisseur but these really appeal to me. True life events captured. Could easily be a picture.  I do like the older stuff, like this pic of a blacksmith from the worlds fair in the 1890s. It’s an original poster framed. Still waiting for the right spot to hang it up. 

Todd, That's a great picture of this blacksmith/farrier at work. Not only is he hammering on a horseshoe with that blacksmith hammer, look at that 16 pound sledge hammer this side of the anvil! I love the forge bellows too. 

I used to have a set of forge bellows that Dad got out of Utica, Montana, where Charlie Russell frequented. The Miracle of America Museum in Polson, Montana owned and operated by my good friend Gil Mangles is one of the finest museums in the northwest. Maybe farther, because patrons have dubbed it the Smithsonian Of The West! It is a massive layout. It even has several steam engines!

Gil is a machinist, welder, fabricator, restorer in real life. So he has set up a spectacular "old shop" display.

Gil knew I had Dad's forge bellows. He drove to Kalispell to "twist my arm" about them, I ended up donating the bellows and operating mechanism if he'd have a sign made in honor of my blacksmith father, Joe Yaeger. And Gil did just that.

Sledgehammer, or Todd, you may have noticed that Gil also collects hammers. I guess you and I don't have a corner on the market?

Thank you again, my friend, for posting that photo above of yours, of the blacksmith/farrier. I love it. Gary😁

[Sledgehammer]

2 hours ago, Old Binder Guy said:

Todd, That's a great picture of this blacksmith/farrier at work. Not only is he hammering on a horseshoe with that blacksmith hammer, look at that 16 pound sledge hammer this side of the anvil! I love the forge bellows too. 

I used to have a set of forge bellows that Dad got out of Utica, Montana, where Charlie Russell frequented. The Miracle of America Museum in Polson, Montana owned and operated by my good friend Gil Mangles is one of the finest museums in the northwest. Maybe farther, because patrons have dubbed it the Smithsonian Of The West! It is a massive layout. It even has several steam engines!

Gil is a machinist, welder, fabricator, restorer in real life. So he has set up a spectacular "old shop" display.

Gil knew I had Dad's forge bellows. He drove to Kalispell to "twist my arm" about them, I ended up donating the bellows and operating mechanism if he'd have a sign made in honor of my blacksmith father, Joe Yaeger. And Gil did just that.

Sledgehammer, or Todd, you may have noticed that Gil also collects hammers. I guess you and I don't have a corner on the market?

Thank you again, my friend, for posting that photo above of yours, of the blacksmith/farrier. I love it. Gary😁

I can only “like” a post one time so I will say it again here. I’d love to find some blacksmithing power tools to make certain processes easier.  Looks like a very nice hammer selection. A lot of custom stuff. I’m sure I could give him a run for his money in volume of hammers but probably not quality. That place would be a destination for someone like me for sure. Thanks for sharing that Gary!

[Old Binder Guy]

On 11/13/2021 at 1:03 PM, Roger Byrne said:

  TwoStep, I hate to break it to Gary, BUT in 1894 the engineer would NOT have been wearing one of those Poky-Dot caps.  The Kromer cap didn't come about until 1903 and even then, they were first made with blue & white striped material.  Even today, you can buy blue/white striped caps and solid color caps from Komer along with the ones Gary wears.   The paragraph below is from the Kromer Company's own history page.  Please also note that both George and Ida are pictured in NON Poky-Dot hats! 

"One semi-famous railroader took time off to play semi-pro and professional baseball. George "Stormy" Kromer was an engineer for the Chicago and North Western. Kromer made a habit of wearing his baseball cap while at the controls of his engine, but it just wasn't quite what he needed while on the job.  Kromer came home one day and lamented his discomfort to to his wife, Ida. The Kromers put their heads together and came up the design of what we now call the railroad engineer's cap.  Ida Kromer, an expert seamstress, assembled George's new cap with what she had at hand: blue and white pinstripe pillow ticking. Their efforts were a hit. The cap became very popular among railroaders, and ultimately resulted in the beginning of a business that still exists today."

George and Ida Kromer

 

Roger, young man... Are you trying to tell me something new? George Kromer was a Railroad Steam Locomotive Engineer. Agreed? So he wore a "Choo-Choo" Cap his wife made him from pillow ticking? I wasn't arguing that steam locomotive Engineers didn't wear Choo-Choo caps. (actually I was arguing that they DID wear Choo-Choo caps.) I was arguing that Steam Traction Engineers don't swear Choo-Choo Caps, is all. 

"The Kromers put their heads together and came up the design of what we now call the railroad engineer's cap.  Ida Kromer, an expert seamstress, assembled George's new cap with what she had at hand: blue and white pinstripe pillow ticking. Their efforts were a hit. The cap became very popular among railroaders, and ultimately resulted in the beginning of a business that still exists today."

This is a steam show in America and I don't see one single Choo-Choo cap. Every one of these polka dot cap wearers own a steam traction engine at this show.

I've had a lot of steam mentors and great friends with them as well in my life. The late John Schrock was one. He's shown here at the helm of his 110 hp Case, in a polka dot cap.

The late Max Tyler was a friend and steam mentor back to 1953.

Pretty hard to tell with this newspaper photo, but he loved his polka dot caps.

Two other late steam engineers and mentors didn't wear polka dot caps. Austin Monk and Carl Mehmke. They wore another acceptable period hat at the steam show at our place near Whitefish, Montana. They're excused.

Now this guy posing with the 150 hp Case that pulls 44-bottoms of plow also wears a correct period cap. His son at right wears the specific polka dot cap, which is the other accepted cap among steam traction engineers.

A dear friend and gas tractor man who knows how to operate steam engines took this photo of this steam engineer at the throttle of the USA's only Gaar Scott Big Forty engine. He wears a correct polka dot cap. 

So we've discussed that George Kromer was a Steam LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEER. 

George and Ida felt sorry for the REAL engineers who operated steam Traction Engines, so they went to work making an authentic cap for them. Ida got out her same old dress so they could pose again with her latest cap for George to model. He could even wear it on the railroad, if HE so chose.

 

And Roger and Anson, who cares what kind of oil is used in John Deere or International tractors? We've got serious business to take care of, getting these new Kromer caps out to the real engineers who operate steam traction engines.   

TwoStep, I hate to break it to Gary, BUT in 1894 the engineer would NOT have been wearing one of those Poky-Dot caps. Someone else must have made a special order polka dot cap for this steam traction engineer on this 1878 Blumentritt engine.  Gary😊😁😉

 

 

[Roger Byrne]

NOT AGAIN . . . .     

[Old Binder Guy]

2 hours ago, Roger Byrne said:

NOT AGAIN . . . .     

Not again, Roger. STILL!!!!!  Gary😁