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Steam engines like that were a common sight in rural Lancaster county, PA when I was a kid. The sound of their steam whistle was a sure sign that spring was here. Tobacco farmers would hire the steam engines to steam their tobacco seed beds to kill the weeds before they planted their tobacco seeds. Then when the plants were a few inches high they would transplant them in the field. A lot of work.
I believe the steam engines were hauled around by trucks not driven to the farms.
Guaranteed photoedit - tracks disappear at the top.
Abe, that part of working tobacco is the easy part. Each stage after becomes progressively more difficult. I have no fond memories of working tobacco.
Oh, I know! I meant all of the tobacco growing process is hard work. And it is pretty much year round. My grandfather grew a lot of tobacco and uncles, aunts, and cousins would all be there to help cut it, spear it on lathes, load it on the wagon, and put it up in the tobacco shed. I was pretty young so I wasn't allowed to cut the stalks or spear it but I drove the old John Deeres in the field and from the field to the shed. And I got to drive Grandpa's old Ford truck in the field to lay down the lathe for the men spearing... the same truck I now have. Grandpa sold the farm and retired before I was old enough to do "mens' work".
And I remember fondly my parents helping Grandpa and Granny in the winter in the stripping room on the ground floor of the tobacco shed as they stripped the leaves off the stalks and sized the leaves, then baled them as they listened to country music on the AM dial with an old stove blazing away.
In my older days I built a VW race car hauler out of a VW bus. You backed the VW racer up to the tilting ramps as as it went up the ramps it would pivot and the weight would set down on the middle of the bus chassis. Fans got a real kick seeing it unload. Handled OK on the road going to the races. By the way the racer ran 10" racing slicks!
TractormanBill
Thanks for sharing the pictures from Macungie. I really have to go there sometime!
Its definitely worth the trip. I went the year I interned at mack and just missed it this year by one week before i moved back to PA. Mack has the assembly plant open for tours that weekend as well.
I built a VW race car hauler out of a VW Type II bus. We backed the race car up to the ramps and as it goes up the ramps they tilt and rear end of the race car sets down in the middle of the bus chassis. It was heavy but still ran 60-70 OK. Fans got a kick watching us unload the race car down the ramps. The race car ran 10" racing slicks!
TractormanBill
Steam engines like that were a common sight in rural Lancaster county, PA when I was a kid. The sound of their steam whistle was a sure sign that spring was here. Tobacco farmers would hire the steam engines to steam their tobacco seed beds to kill the weeds before they planted their tobacco seeds. Then when the plants were a few inches high they would transplant them in the field. A lot of work.
I believe the steam engines were hauled around by trucks not driven to the farms.
Abe, my son took this picture from the Turkey Hill at Murell. Looking toward Haunstown rd. 7-24-16
