This is a girder frame engine constructed in 1892. A noteworthy feature is the wrist plate that drives the valves. This consists of a cast spider instead of the more commonly encountered disc or spoked wheel. The use of bold curves in the various parts of the engine is also a characteristic of engines produced by the Corliss Steam Engine Co. A careful study of this engine suggests that its original crankshaft was replaced by a disc crank by its owners, the Stratton Co. The disc must have been heated in a furnace and then shrunk on the crankshaft with two compression collars; a remarkable achievement by mechanics working in the remote areas of Maine. The engine also got a new Franklin Machine Company cylinder in 1926.
This engine was installed in a mill in Stratton, Maine that made made turned wood products. It ran for a long time and was only taken out of service when it’s cylinder head accidentally blew off. The engine has been restored to run on steam.
