John Ledbetter
Collector of Old Antique Gas Engines
Member of E.D.G.E. & T.A. Branches 7 & 150

Hi! I'm John. Back in the 1980's I decided to try to find an old one-lunger engine, the kind my Dad used on the farm during the 1930's and 40's, which we used to run a buzz saw for cutting our firewood. We also had an engine that ran a stone gristmill for grinding cornmeal and flour for our family and the neighbors.

Well, I found and bought an engine, then another, and another, etc. --all you engine collectors know what happens once you get started. I enjoy the hobby and through collecting and restoring have met many nice people all over the country and made lots of good friends.

There are many people I should thank for helping me to get started. One in particular is Lauren Langdon, who gave me so much help and advice. Another is Harry Matthews for his excellent classified ad service on the Internet which has helped me to find many of the parts I needed for restoring some of my engines. Harry also helped by setting up a Website for me.

Each year at the Twin Falls County Fair we display a number of engines and equipment. The picture shown is from one of my Branch 38 displays. This particular setup created much interest because many people, probably for the first time, could see how a corn sheller actually works. The engine is a 1-3/4 HP Hercules; the corn sheller is a gear-driven Montgomery Ward.