Season's End

...for outdoor shows in the northeastern US at least. Usually Hershey is considered the "closer," although some small gatherings and tours continue as long as Indian Summer lasts. Shortly before Hershey, Jill and I took in the Connecticut Antique Machinery Association's two-day Fall Festival at their museum grounds in Kent, Connecticut.

"Antique machinery" is a broad category, more so than the focus of the Historic Construction Equipment Association, whose convention we attended in July. Not surprisingly, many of the exhibits were agricultural, with tractors prominently on exhibit, from a phalanx of Ford Fergies to obscurities like a British-built Nuffield. Most popular single tractor was the Farmall F12, present in, count 'em, 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 examples.

Somewhat unusual was the vast array of "lesser tractors," those of the household or small farming variety, names like Economy, Tiger, Beaver, Wheel Horse, even a Bolens brigade. Lawn mowers were not neglected, the luminary being a large Coldwell with water cooling.

Trucks featured among the exhibits, some specialized like this Mack-mounted well-drilling rig, others obscure like Crosley's Jeeplike Farm-O-Road and its successor, the Crofton Bug.A real shocker was this Studebaker doodle bug with two-cylinder Onan power.

In large part, CAMA is about engines, large, medium and small, even jumbo in the case of huge industrial steam powerplants. Railroads use engines, and CAMA has two of those, Hawaiian Railway Co.'s narrow-gauge Number 5 steam loco and a Plymouth diesel switcher (made by Plymouth Locomotive Works of Ohio, no relation to the car). CAMA's collection also includes a bevy of steam rollers.

Many exhibitors' engines were strutting their stuff, like grinding corn, splitting wood, planing boards or just sawing wood, both crosscut and circular. For collectors and tinkerers there was a large flea market offering hand tools on up to heavy machinery like lathes and milling machines.

It was perfect autumn weather, and we enjoyed every minute. As shadows lengthened, we drove homeward through Kent village, stopping to browse at an outdoor book sale. At the curb was a distinctive shape that turned out to be a Triumph Mayflower, a nice end to a wonderful day.