Les Jones

East Tennessee > Antique Engines and Tractors from the TVA&I Fair

I took these last month during the annual Tennessee Valley Agriculture and Industry Fair here in Knoxville. The Smoky Mountain Antique Engine and Tractor Association always exhibits.

That seventh picture is of a hydraulic ram, which can move water uphill without using an external power source. I knew what hydraulic rams were and how they worked, but somehow I always pictured them being huge public works to supply a town with water. I didn't realize they were sized to serve a single household's water needs. Live and learn.

Click on a picture to enlarge and to enter the slideshow.

Some of those new-fangled moving pictures

Red Engine (6 MB QuickTime)
Green Engine (4.7 MB QuickTime)
Another Red Engine and Blue Engine (10.5 MB QuickTime)

The movies are talkies and capture the charming sound of these old things. The chugging sound of that first red engine sounds exactly like the Hanna-Barbara Speed Buggy cartoon character. It's incredible.

I talked to the guy who owned the blue engine. He explained that it uses an inertia regulator. When the drivewheel is moving quickly the inertia pushes the regulator outward, keeping the gasoline intake closed. As it slows, the regulator closes, the intake opens, and then gas enters the single cylinder and fires. In the video you can see the wheel slow down and then hear the engine fire. I'd guess most of those engines used a similar principle, but it was really easy to observe with the blue engine.

I took these pictures in a pseudo-lomographic style with lots of color and tight framing. I did something similar with pictures from the world's longest yard sale.