25-75 Russell Traction Engine

Where there’s smoke, sometimes there’s steam and the engine shed at the Cumming, Georgia Fairgrounds during the annual Steam Expo. is the best place around here to find it.

Buddy Castleberry was busy stoking the boiler on his 25 HP. Russell Engine at the 2017 Show when I wandered by. He says that getting the engine ready to run is the hardest part, even more work than cleaning it after it’s shut down. He should know, he grew up running this engine that’s been owned by the Castleberry family since 1925.

Engine number 15516 was ten years old when the Castleberry family bought it. A list of serial numbers posted at www.russellcollectors.org indicates it was built in 1914 with production beginning at 15370 and ending at 15648. At first it was used to power a portable sawmill that was hauled to the location where trees were being felled. A buzz saw was attached to a shaft that was supported by the engine’s frame and powered by a belt drive. Later on it was used to run a cotton gin and as a general power source around the farm. It’s been participating in Forsyth County steam events right from the beginning back in the 1950’s.

Russell and Co. dates to 1838 when Clement and Nahum Russell opened a carpentry shop in Massillon, Ohio. In the early years they built houses, made furniture, plows, threshers and other farm equipment. They constantly expanded their product line making everything they could find a market for from caskets to railroad cars.

By the time the company incorporated in 1878 it was one of the largest employers in Massillon, playing a major role in the local economy and marketing products around the world. They got into the steam engine business in 1882 and by 1924 had built 15,882 of them ranging from six to 150 horsepower in traction engine, portable and stationary versions. Other products included water wagons to supply the engines, threshing machines and sawmills for the engines to run. The company even made a brief appearance in the overcrowded gasoline tractor market.

A Russell and Co. catalog published in 1914 offered simple and compound engines in their traction engine line with standard or universal boiler options. Threshing machines, portable engines, stationary engines and saw mill machinery were available as well.

The 1914 catalog gave the following specifications for a 25 - 75 HP traction engine.

Overall length: 18’ 6”

Weight of engine without water: 22,300 pounds

Water tank capacity: 125 gal.

Boiler shell: 32” in diameter by 90” long containing 50 tubes 2” in diameter

Firebox dimensions: 49” long X 26” wide X 44 ⅛” high

Engine cylinder: 9” X 13”



Road speed: 2.11 mph

As this photo illustrates the Russell Company was very concerned with proper maintenance procedures. Engines came with instructions cast in iron and riveted in place.

Many today consider the Russell steam engines among the best ever built but apparently the company didn’t successfully manage the transition away from steam power. In 1912 it merged with Grissom - Spencer Company and continued under that management until 1962 when it was bought by Baldwin - Lima - Hamilton Co. who closed the Massillon Works and laid off 10% of the towns workforce.

Resources:




The Massillon Museum has posted a collection of documents about Russell & Co. including Russell Catalogs at their website: www.massillonmuseum.org




The National Russell Collectors Association provides a list of serial numbers, information about the history of Russell & Co. and links to other sites of interest at their website: www.russellcollectors.org