They are getting more and more difficult to find cheaply. I see them listed on CL occassionally, usually out in one of the old oil producing areas, since many hundreds (thousands? ) were used to drive the pump jacks out in the Permian basin, but they were used to power farm equipment too, so you never know where you'll run accross one.
I have seen several of them used as yard art. But doubt they will ever run again. Same with really old tractors, people around here love to make yard art out of them.
Just read up on how these engines work...pretty neat...I'd have thought they could've adapted it for modern engine use (at least, say, for small engines that run at a specific speed, like lawnmowers and such)...and that, potentially, it could be more efficient (volumetrically, at least) than our current throttling method of speed control.
Go to any steam show (antique tractor, farming, threshing demonstrations, etc) and bring a wad of cash. There will always be some guy with a trailer load of them.
We called the old JDs-------Poppin Johnnys instead of Johnny Poppers. I've started my share of those old side flywheel started JDs and don't miss it a bit. .
Here's a place about 20 minutes from me that has a bunch of gatherings. I've heard people come from as far a England just to drool over this stuff. I've never been to any of the events but now I'm curious.
------------------ "Kilgore Trout once wrote a short story which was a dialogue between two pieces of yeast. They were discussing the possible purposes of life as they ate sugar and suffocated in their own excrement. Because of their limited intelligence, they never came close to guessing that they were making champagne." - Kurt Vonnegut
