The longest-running event of its kind in North America once again brought a wide variety of hobby enthusiasts to the Energy City.
The 31st annual Estevan Model Engineer Show was held Saturday and Sunday at the Wylie-Mitchell Building. Four clubs and 46 exhibitors were on-hand for the show, and 214 engines were among the items on display.
People came from several Canadian provinces and U.S. states for the event.
Kelly Tytlandsvik, who is among the organizers of the show each year, was pleased with the variety of the machinery.
“It’s all hand-built,” said Tytlandsvik. “There’s miniature steam engines, shop equipment, gas engines, trains, trucks, well-drilling (machines and) motorcycles.”
Exhibitors at the east end of the building used remote-controlled machines to move dirt around.
Tytlandsvik pointed out that there is always something new for people to see.
“Whatever people bring, it’s always interesting to see,” said Tytlandsvik. “There are nice projects that have been built.”
Don Holloway from Kipling has been coming to the show for 20 years. Among his displays this year was a small red engine that he created.
“That’s totally built from scratch, from the drawings on the paper right up to the engine being built,” said Tytlandvik.
Holloway said it’s a horizontal steam engine. He also brought a 65-horsepower Case steam tractor that is one-fifth scale and fully operational.
“It gives me something to do in my spare time,” he said. “It’s just a hobby, like golfing or fishing or anything else.”
The show has become like a family, as he has built strong friendships with many of the other exhibitors.
Then there’s Clifford Roemmich, who is from just outside of Rapid City, S.D. He brought a model of a Lance Bulldog farm tractor, which was sold from 1923-1926. There are only six in the world; the other five are in Europe.
He found out about it when he saw the website of someone in Belgium who was working on one.
“I started working on it early this year,” said Roemmich. “I put five months into it. It’s not done yet; it probably has about three months of work to finish it this winter.”
But he wanted to make sure it was ready for the Estevan show. Roemmich has been coming for the last 20 years, and it is always a fun event.
“Usually I’m working on two or three projects at the same time, different engines, because I’ll burn out working on one, get tired of it, and then go on to the next one and then come back.”
Roemmich built his first model engine when he was eight years old. He eventually bought a lathe, and he has dedicated his life to learning what he needs to know about model engineering.
Tytlandsvik pointed out that Benjamin Roth from Elgin, N.D., brought a 3-D printer to print off patterns for a miniature Flour City tractor he is building.
The printer is a reflection of how changes in technology are having an impact on the hobby, Tytlandsvik said.
“It’s new technology to old guys like me, but it’s surprising how many older people, too, are catching on to the digital stuff,” said Tytlandsvik.
Tytlandsvik also applauded the efforts of Clarence Elias of Edmonton, a fixture at the show who brought his miniature motorcycles once again this year, along with a miniature gas pump that’s about 2 1/2 feet tall and operational.
Sask. Polytechnic was present to promote their machinist courses in Saskatoon, and the wives of the exhibitors were on hand to showcase some of their hobbies.
“We get people who just come walking through, maybe for the first time, to come have a look, and don’t realize that these are guys who made this at home in their shops, in their home machine shop, and the different stages to making an engine, whether it’s the machining or the casting or the printing of 3D parts, or the drafting or design part of it.”
The exhibitors are friendly to talk to, he said, and they’re always willing to share information and ideas with each other.
