Summary Page

Well! It appears that you are interested in learing more about our project. At sometime in everybody's life the only thing that can be said is, " the only way to go is up," and that is exactly what has happened to the Shelor homestead in the past four and a half years.

Warren Shelor is the third generation owner of an original Peerless Steam Traction Engine. The original owner was Carl Shelor (June 2, 1885 -October 22, 1943), who bought it when "it still had good paint on it.". It was originally built in Waynesboro, PA. in 1902, production number 8549. It put out 13 horse power, 300 ft/lbs of torque and weighed seven tons when full of water. During Carl Shelor's ownership, it was used to saw lumber for neighbors and thrash wheat. He even devised an attachment to thrash beans with it. After Carl Shelor's death in 1942 the engine was never used again for production. In the early 1950's it was moved, by bulldozer, to the field behind George Shelor's house and left for junk.

On August 4, 1993 the Peerless Steam Traction Engine, a golioth in it's day, had been sitting for 40 years in the same place. Exposed to the elements and not used for anything more than a rifle target, it's future was not the greatest. On this day, the four living children of Carl Shelor, Henry, Eileen, Herbert and George, decided to pass the Peerless Engine onto the oldest of their children.

That is when a lot happenend fast. After having it delivered to it's new home at Warren Shelor's (no small feat!) things began to happen. Warren's next 4 years consisted of not much more than late nights, tons of sandblasting and painting, tracing down and remanufacturing antique parts and reassembling the entire thing! Don't forget figuring out how the machine operated, considering most people who had operated this kind of machinery hadn't done so in over fifty years!

Well, that's the brief summary! If anyone has any questions, please feel free to send it in email! We are more than happy to answer any and all questions.