Below is a brief story of where the 40 HP Buffalo worked
and spent most of its life. I am still in the process of doing more
research on the Olin and will update the homepage as the information
becomes available. The people of Sanborn, New York have been very
helpful and I would just like to say thank You.
click on the thumbnail for a larger image
The Sanborn Mill. Located in Sanborn, New York in 1997
The 40 HP Buffalo Olin powered an apple dryer (evaporator) for
drying fruit from 1901 to 1917 when the evaporator burnt down.
The evaporator employed 50 hands from running the
dryer, packaging, and shipping for two shifts. The fruits where
shipped all over the world from Western New York. It was also the
largest evaporator in New York State at the time.
There is no sign
of the crankshaft ever having a pulley on it so it is assumed
that the evaporator was belted up to one of the 6 foot
diameter crowned flywheels on the Olin.
This is a view from the back of the mill. The apple dryer
(evaporator) was in the clump of trees behind the tank.
These next two photos are of the foundation the evaporator was
mounted on. The foundation is huge. You can get an idea of the
size seeing two of my friends up on the foundation on either end.
Below is a picture of what we believe to be the concrete from the
Olin engine foundation. The concrete is located about 50 to 60 feet
in front of the main evaporator foundation.
Here if you look close we found a long 3 1/2 diameter pipe on the
side of the engine foundation. We believe this to be what is left
of the exhaust pipe. It sticks out by an old abandoned railroad bed
that is hard to see in the photos but if you look close you can see
some old railroad ties.
Here are a few photos of the 40 HP Buffalo Olin all completed.
I guess they are never really done though...
To hear a 30 second sound clip of the Olin click here
Also available is a 3 hour long VHS video of the entire restoration project.
It includes getting the engine, tearing the engine down, making and machining parts,
pouring babbitt, assembling the engine, and running her for the first time. If you
are interested in a video contact me at the e-mail address below...
Return to The
Olin Page
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