I found the commentary, photographs, and Waterloo
Tractor Works “foldout” fascinating (November–
December 2011, pages 31–37). With the old
factory now all but gone, this information is invaluable.
As a former resident of rural Waterloo, I
remember that the foundry cupolas (source of
smoke in photo on page 36) were ultimately
“capped” to retain rather than release the emissions.
About when was that?
Chris J., Arizona
I don’t remember exactly when that took place, but
believe it was in the very early 1970s. Not especially a
“glamour” shot, insofar as industrial images go, we were
lucky to come up with just one photograph. In the front
center are the bag houses that contained hundreds of cloth
vacuum-cleaner-like bags, mounted vertically, that trapped
the particulate matter. Farther back is the sloped roof of
the melt department and the ductwork that capped the
cupolas and led to the bag houses. To the right are piles of
raw material (scrap metal, etc.) and the craneway. Progressively,
individual sections of the bag house would shut
down for “shaking” the contents of the bags into conveyors
for collection and disposal.
One of my first assignments as a new sales trainee
in the winter of 1948/1949 was to put on a series of
John Deere Days for the Portland sales branch. I was
given a 1946 Studebaker Champion, 16mm projector,
table, splicing kit, and reels of films, as well as
an itinerary. The schedule had been worked out previously |
with the sales promotion department and
the dealers. It was not the nicest of winters, but certainly
gave me a chance to meet most of the dealers
and company personnel. Most of the time the shows
were held in the dealer's service shop, which was
blocked out to form a temporary theatre of sorts.
As this was before the widespread use of television,
attendance was very good in spite of the weather.
As I recall, it was 32 degrees below zero in Burley,
Idaho. I do not recall 32mm films at that time,
although they may have been available on a separate
schedule and handled by the Territory Manager.
As a Territory Manager from 1949 to 1957, I recall
putting on more than a few John Deere Day shows in
central Washington. I also recall putting a Model “D”
Tractor on four Coke® bottles at the Central Washington
Fair in Waterville. With the clutch loosened up,
so that if it were pushed off the bottles it wouldn’t go
anywhere, it idled along all day without a problem. It
did attract quite a bit of favorable comment.
Fred N. Gilchrist, Washington
As a collector of 3-point Dubuque Implements, I
found the September–October issue on Matched
Working Equipment — Part VII of special interest.
It was mentioned in the July–August issue that
there may be only one to two percent of the pre-
1960 equipment left to be found. I can attest to
that, as I have been collecting for 12 years and have
20 different pieces. To find the equipment and parts
to restore them is like looking for a needle in a
haystack. The local John Deere dealer has been very
helpful with what is available, but if not there you
must develop your own sources or make your parts. Jim Slinde, Wisconsin
All the technical information I have read, including
the parts books, indicated the “30” Series Two-
Cylinder Tractors should have the BE CAREFUL
plate with the tractor’s PTO RPM affixed to the
back of the battery box. Did any of the early production
“530”, “630”, “730”, etc. leave the Waterloo
factory with BE CAREFUL plates that did not have
the tractor's PTO speed indicated? If so, did Deere
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