For example, the 75 Case Traction Engine on display at the Moose Jaw Western Development Museum during Blow Off Some Steam Day this past weekend – even though the massive machine had been resting for the better part of an hour, the waves of heat baking off the super-sized boiler made it almost uncomfortable to stand near for any length of time.
Just having an opportunity to experience such an artifact of engineering up close – and especially to see it in action earlier in the day – was one of the reasons the annual event remains so popular at the WDM.
“We celebrate all things steam,” explained education and public programs coordinator Karla Rasmussen. “We’re fortunate to have a few artifacts that are related to steam; everyone knows our Vulcan locomotive, which is the crown jewel of our collection here. But we’re also very happy to have our traction engine fully restored now... It’s definitely nice to have the demonstration pieces. When I started, the first time I did this event we didn’t have anything that was actively going and we were the only WDM at the time that didn’t have a demonstration piece.
“Last year the train came back, which was wonderful, and the traction engine going this year brings a different look at history coming to life. It’s one thing to see a static display, but when it’s out and moving and you can smell the coal and hear the steam, it just brings it to life and it’s fantastic.”
Blow Off Some Steam patrons had a chance to take a ride on the aforementioned K+S Shortline 101 Vulcan engine, complete with a team of engineers and conductors more than willing to offer up all sorts of tidbits of information.
That included Tim Pomeroy, the WDM provincial chief engineer and restoration manager, who was on hand throughout the day as hundreds of patrons made their way through the event.
“It was fantastic, the weather cleared off and co-operated and both steam engines ran perfectly,” Pomeroy said. “We had a lot of happy people here today, not just the operators but the public as well. There were a lot of little kids where this was their first exposure to something that our parents and grandparents took for granted… We were running time machines today, we were taking people back in time.”
Having the Case traction engine fully up and running was an added bonus for the event, especially with the amount of time and effort put into its restoration.
“It’s one thing to have them stuffed and mounted in a museum atmosphere, but it’s something else to have them doing the job they were built for, to not only see them work, but to feel the heat off them, hear the whistle, see the fire,” Pomeroy said. “A lot of people have no concept of how steam works until you show them the fire inside there and then lights come on, they understand.”
Youngsters who took in the event also had a chance to take part in a steam-themed scavenger hunt through the WDM building, seeking out pieces of coal that had been hidden in various places of interest.
All-in-all, Rasmussen felt the day was a success, with volunteers and workers a key part of how well the day went.
“A lot of our steam volunteers aren’t from Moose Jaw, they’ve travelled great distances,” she said “A lot of them have set aside personal time to come down here, they’ve helped with maintenance to get these machines operational… it’s just a wonderful way to all come together.”
