The Arcanum man says his interest in steam engines began as a toddler. Photos show him with a model steam engine. When he was a child, his grandfather took him to the first Darke County Steam Threshers Reunion in 1956. He’s attended every one since then.
This weekend, he and his wife, Deb, will have their steam engine, a 1925 Baker, made in Swanton, Ohio, at the Darke County Steam Threshers Reunion, north of Greenville.
During the reunion, which is open to the public, Besecker and others will have the engines running and will use them to saw logs and thresh wheat. They’ll also participate in events testing the operator’s ability to handle and maneuver the multi-ton engines. A highlight of the event is the evening spark show. Steam engine operators stoke a sawdust fire, causing sparks to come out of the stacks.
Besecker said his interest in steam engines started with his grandfather, who farmed with a steam engine until 1949. Before the gasoline-powered tractor came about, the steam engines were the power behind threshing wheat, cutting lumber and other tasks.
Besecker has a workshop where he works on the steam engines. Around him are parts for an engine. He said maintaining them takes a lot of work.
“You’re constantly working on them,” he said, adding that it helps to have welding and machining skills. Because of their age, new parts aren’t available. Steam engine enthusiasts must either find old parts or make them.
After buying his current engine in 1994, he set about working on it, replacing the rubber tires for original steel ones, and painting it. He also is working on restoring a steam engine for a friend.
Throughout the summer months, he and his wife, Deb, attend steam engine shows in Ohio and Indiana. For Deb, her enthusiasm for steam engines came after she met Kim.
“I didn’t have a clue what a steam engine was until I met him,” she said. Now, she is well-versed in the different makes and models and can tell the engine manufacturer by the sound of the engine.
She speaks about the steam engines and reunions with as much enthusiasm as her husband.
“It’s a good family event,” she said. Their family enjoys camping and spending time with other steam engine enthusiasts.
When asked if he used his engine for work other than the reunion demonstrations, Besecker said his family used it for cooking — blanching five dozen ears of corn — and baking a turkey and ham in the front compartment. But eventually, he plans to use his engine to power a sawmill.
“It’s a lifelong hobby,” his wife said with a smile.
Contact this columnist at (937) 448-0101 or sears@erinet.com.
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