Editor’s Note: This is the second installment in an ongoing series of videos from November 1, day one of the 100-Plus Years of Progress show.
Last month we showed some of the steam tractors plowing at Ederville. This month we turn to some of the vintage construction equipment that made an appearance in November at the Mideast Railroad Service’s 100-Plus Years of Progress show in Carthage, North Carolina.
In the video above, you’ll see – and hear – these classic machines in operation:
- ca. 1925-1931 Caterpillar Sixty
- 1936 Caterpillar Forty pulling a 1940 No. 2 Terracer
- 1945 Cat D7 dozer
- 1952 International Harvester TD24
More About the Machines
The first crawler in the video is a Caterpillar Sixty, which were produced between 1925 and 1931. Built off the Best 60 Tracklayer, the gasoline-powered Sixty Track-Type Tractor was one of the first machines from the newly formed Caterpillar Tractor Company through the merger of C.L. Best Gas Traction Company and Holt Manufacturing Company in 1925. It was also one of the first machines built for earthmoving rather than solely for farming.
Notice the gray color of the Sixty, which Caterpillar is paying homage to this year with limited-edition Centennial Grey models for its 100th anniversary.
The 20,000-pound track-type tractor has a Best 4-cylinder gas engine, 35 drawbar-horsepower and 60 belt-horsepower. These crawlers helped build the Hoover Dam, among other engineering marvels, and even helped place the iconic Hollywood sign overlooking Los Angeles.
Kyle Walker, who works for Mideast Railroad Service and helps keep the tractors in shape, says the Cat Sixty still helps out around Ederville, moving antique tractors around and starting the big prairie tractors, among other tasks.
It’s one of several Cat Sixties housed at Ederville.
Next up is Erik Christenbury’s gasoline-powered 1936 Caterpillar Forty pulling a 1940 Cat Terracer No. 2.
The Forty starts with a hand crank on the front. Though Caterpillar had diesel Forties, it still made gas versions. Christenbury says 584 gas models were produced.
The No. 2 Terracer was designed for farmers to build terraces to control erosion. It differs from a grader in that it does not have wheels on the front. It also does not have wheel lean.
The hand wheels are used to control blade angle and height.
“It’s real simple and fun to operate,” Christenbury says.
Christenbury also brought his 1945 Caterpillar D7 dozer to the show, which he demonstrates can still push lots of dirt.
Kyle Walker brought out his 1952 International Harvester TD24 dozer to join in at the sand pit for some earthmoving.
Walker bought the dozer from a local farmer. The dozer starts with a gasoline pony motor and has a Bucyrus Erie hydraulic blade package called a “bull grader.”
After buying the dozer, Walker got it running.
“For the age of the machine, I was really impressed with it,” he says. “And it's fun to operate.”
It was initially produced for the military, and underneath the yellow paint, which was added later by the previous owner, the olive drab green can be found.
He adds that it runs louder than a typical International dozer. That’s because the mufflers were removed at some point. “It sounds good to the crowd,” he says, “but if the pipes were just a little bit taller, it wouldn't be so bad.”
Just What is Ederville?
“Ken bought a tractor,” says Patti Eder. “That started it.”
The Ken she is referring to is her late husband Ken Eder, who owned Mideast Railroad Service Inc. before he died in an accident in 2018.
“Ederville,” as the 17-building site that houses all the tractors, trains and other antiques Ken collected over the years has been nicknamed, has drawn thousands of visitors the first weekend of each November to watch history come to life.
After that first tractor, Ken’s collection grew rapidly. His travels around the country for train derailments and other rail service jobs would often culminate with him bringing in tractor-trailer loads of vintage equipment, including massive steam tractors used in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
“Ken was just a very outgoing person, very knowledgeable,” Patti says. “When he learned about a tractor, it was in his head. He could tell you how much it cost, where he bought it, when it arrived here.”
At first, Patti would keep tabs on each new item, doing research on them and compiling a photo album. But they kept coming in too quickly.
“I lost count,” she says of all the vintage equipment.
Ken’s dream, she says, was to amass the largest tractor collection.
“He’d build a building, and it would be full before we finished building,” she says of the storage areas on the property. “He really enjoyed it. He bought some sight unseen.”
The show came about 20 years ago. It was supposed to be a pig pickin’ with about 300 of Ken and Patti’s fellow collectors and close friends. Somehow, though, word got out on the Internet. Hundreds more showed up than they expected.
“The next year, it doubled,” she says, “and it has just gotten bigger and bigger and bigger.” Anywhere from 75 to 100 volunteers arrive to help put it on; some of them bring their own vintage machines.
She praises their work to help the show and is thankful for those who stood by her after Ken died.
“I'm going to get teary-eyed,” she says. “When Ken died, these people stood beside me. People called and checked on me. People came by.”
They held his funeral at Ederville. Friends have stepped up to take charge of the myriad equipment and antiques.
This year marks the 100-Plus Years of Progress show’s 20th anniversary, to be held November 7-9. “We want to celebrate Ken's life and celebrate the show,” Patti says of the next event.
She plans to keep Ederville going into the future.
“We plan on continuing it. As long as I can keep the business going, I can keep the tractor collection and the tractor show going," she says.
“It was Ken’s dream. I enjoy doing it, and I enjoy the people. People in this hobby are just amazing.”
Video Contents
- 00:00 – Intro
- 00:03 – Caterpillar Sixty (ca. 1925-1931)
- 00:29 – 1936 Caterpillar Forty pulling 1940 No. 2 Terracer
- 00:47 – 1945 Caterpillar D7 dozer
- 01:29 – 1952 International Harvester TD24 dozer
- 01:58 – 1998 John Deere 750C and 1952 International TD24
- 02:36 – 1998 Deere 750C, 1952 International TD24 and 1945 Cat D7
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