So, where do I begin? Well, I've lived in Southeastern Ohio all my life, and for as long as I can remember I have always been interested in anything mechanical, electrical, anything that had an engine in it, and anything that burned some kind of fuel, whatever that may be. I've probably been going to antique power shows since I was about 4 or 5, and I still remember most of them. The steam engines were and still are my favorite, and the gas engines are second to that. My dad owned a welding shop, and also used to install septic systems, and repair cars, farm machinery, and anything else people would drag in, so I've pretty much been around welding, construction, and farm machinery all my life. I can do just about anything from designing boilers to fixing computers, electrical wireing, welding, repairing engines and machinery to casting metals such as aluminum & brass parts and drilling water wells. I like to design and build working prototypes of whatever I can cook up, and sometimes people are amazed, or they just simply ask why? I also have an interest in electric generators. I've always wanted a steam traction engine, and since I didn't have a place to keep a full size engine nor did I have the kind of money to be able to buy one, my dad and I decided to build one since we had all the resources we needed to do so. When I was around 14 I designed a small stationary boiler, which had a 6" diameter shell, was a fairly simple design but very well built for the intended working pressure. We built 2 of these, the original which I still have and the other was built for another guy to run models. I've used the crap out of that boiler, but to this day still meets my original specs. As it has been well taken care of. Then when I was about 18 I started on the new boiler design for the traction engine and worked on it here and there off an on over the course of a couple years. Then finally in late winter of 2002 we started talking about the actual construction, runnning some calculations and gathering materials. We started construction in the winter of 2002 and finished up around the fall of 2003 except for a few small details. Which i've picked at here and there as i've found time. I was 23 when we finished construction of engine. I am now making plans to build a larger engine, somewhere around 1/2 scale of a Case 65, but it will be another one built from scratch, not a replica.