I ended up making an unexpected trip back to Illinois a few weeks ago as Mom had had a stroke and was hospitalized. She’s currently convalescing and we hope she will be able to go home in a month or so.

My brother’s the type who really doesn’t care about the old “rusty junk”, so my sister and I decided to clean out the old storage shed while I was back there so our youngest sibling wouldn’t decide one day to just have all the stuff hauled off as scrap. We came across a few more things that my dad had saved when he and mom moved off the old family farm almost 40 years ago. Unfortunately I didn’t think to get any before pictures on some of the stuff before I restored it but mostly it was just a rusty mass.

This is an old fruit press/lard press/sausage stuffer. I went ahead and cleaned and restored while I was back there and gave it to my sister who also loves this stuff .



This is my dad’s old vice. This was around the farm as far back as I can remember when I was growing up. I can remember dad using it a lot, besides using it myself all those years ago. I’m planning on putting it back in service but when I no longer have a use for it I think I will pass it on to my great nephew (dads Great Grandson).




I had grabbed an old pail that was in the shed to throw some odds and ends into. After I got it unloaded when I got home I noticed for the first time the raised letters on the side CB&Q RR CO (Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Rail Road Company). My Granddad had worked for the Rock Island and CB&Q railroads in 1920-21 so this is likely about the age of the pail.



Mom surprised me and said I could have the old bell in the basement and that I might as well take it back to AZ with me (I’m glad now I took the EL Camino this trip). It’s history as far as I know it is; Granddad got it after he left the Railroad and went back to farming (sometime in late 1921). It came off one of the steam locomotives that was scrapped in Galesburg Il during that time frame. It hung on a 12 foot tripod on the family farm and was used as a dinner/alarm bell until they started farming with tractors. Dad took it down in 1975 when he moved off the farm and it sat in my parents basement for the next 38 years.



I really debated whether to clean or leave it and cleaning finally won out as I wanted to see if I could find any serial numbers on it to tie to a specific locomotive. I did find some stamped numbers but no luck so far deciphering them.




I’ve got to build a carriage for it so I can try to yell at the Grandkids with a straight face for ringing it.


Finally this is an old Inland running board mounted tire pump I found in a corner. As far as I can tell these are close to the original colors. The seals are about shot but it will still move a little air.





Of course everybody’s a comedian, while Cade and I were putting the pump together his mom took this picture and later commented she couldn’t decide which caused more glare, the bell or the top of my head.







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