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| Photo visit to the Warther Carving Museum http://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=22574 |
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| Author: | bobyar2001 [ Thu Mar 08, 2007 11:01 am ] |
| Post subject: | Photo visit to the Warther Carving Museum |
Photos of the locomotive models hand carved by the late Ernest Warther, on display at his museum in Ohio. He reportedly did own a lathe, scribing wheels on a piece of wood, then carving down to the line, an incredible task.. http://www.clevelandtrains.net/ngallery/albums/10.aspx |
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| Author: | PaulWWoodring [ Fri Mar 09, 2007 12:08 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Photo visit to the Warther Carving Museum |
I remember seeing Mooney Warther in person when I was a kid. On Sunday afternoons he would be near the front of the museum hand-carving small working wooden pliers out of a single piece of wood in about 30 seconds that they sold in the gift shop. I can't imagine what they would be worth now. Mind you, he was into his '80's at that point. He had this unkempt shock of white hair. Just an amazing craftsman. |
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| Author: | cwylde [ Fri Mar 09, 2007 2:38 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Photo visit to the Warther Carving Museum |
I still have my pair, but it was carved by his son-in-law. Very impressive place. I heard about it on "Tracks Ahead" several years back. |
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| Author: | Jim Robinson [ Fri Mar 09, 2007 9:20 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Photo visit to the Warther Carving Museum |
A few weeks back there was a discussion about the Warther Museum on the railfan.net forums tourist RR and museums board. I've copied and pasted (below) my post from there and added a link to the discussion which included many great photos of his carved locomotives. Sometime during the late 1960's, when I was around 7 or 8 years old, my parents took me on a visit to the Warther Museum. At the time Mooney Warther was alive and still carving in his 80's. I believe he died in 1973 at age 87. Although that visit was nearly 40 years ago, I remember it well. Mr. Warther was a wonderful fellow to meet in person. Like most, if not all, young visitors, he made me a pair of his world famous pliers. He took a pen knife from his pocket and to prove that it wasn't even sharp, pulled it across it his wrist (I remember him telling me "Don't try this with your mommy or daddy's knifes"!!!). He picked a piece of basswood about a 1/2 inch square and about 4 or 5 inches long. He made a few cuts with that dull knife and in about 10 seconds time he had made a working pair of pliers out of a single piece of wood! I still have the pliers he gave me and they still amaze people when I show them. My memories of his carved steam locomotive collection are a bit more vague, but I remember the UP Big Boy he carved from a walnut stump that an Amishman gave him. I also remember he had carved a scale model of the large stationary steam engine that powered the steel mill in which he worked when he was young. Like the locomotives, the steel mill engine had working parts set in motion by electric motors. The museum was quite a place to even a 7 or 8 year old. I've always wanted to make another visit, but unfortunately I've never gone back. Really enjoyed seeing the above photos, thanks for posting them. Regards, Jim Robinson http://forums.railfan.net/forums.cgi?bo ... 89;start=0 |
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| Author: | Les Beckman [ Fri Mar 09, 2007 9:57 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Photo visit to the Warther Carving Museum |
I seem to recall a brochure on the Warther Carving Museum which showed a caboose on the property. Don't see any signs of the caboose in the photos of the museum on this thread. Was it removed, or is my memory playing tricks on me? Les |
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| Author: | cwylde [ Fri Mar 09, 2007 1:42 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Photo visit to the Warther Carving Museum |
The caboose appears in the second page of photos from the link in the initial post. |
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| Author: | Aarne H. Frobom [ Fri Mar 09, 2007 3:40 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Photo visit to the Warther Carving Museum |
As I recall, there is a small tank engine or switcher on the grounds, too. I saw the place en route to a RRPCA meeting some years ago, many years after seeing a big article in Model Railroader, with Warther on the cover. An astonishing piece of folk art. |
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| Author: | survivingworldsteam [ Mon Mar 12, 2007 12:21 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Photo visit to the Warther Carving Museum |
Jim Robinson wrote: I also remember he had carved a scale model of the large stationary steam engine that powered the steel mill in which he worked when he was young. Like the locomotives, the steel mill engine had working parts set in motion by electric motors.
Here is an online picture of the steel mill engine: http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/pho ... 9120xJBPkw According to Rick Rowland, head of the Tod Engine Foundation, it is a single cylinder Corliss driving a train of sheet rolls. The model is animated and all the motion on the engine is functional. There are actually two of these. Actually there were three. The first he wasn't satisfied with and he threw it in the fireplace. The second was better but didn't like it so he gave it away. Finally Mooney built the model pictured here. Models 2 and 3 sit side by side at the museum now. -James Hefner Hebrews 10:20a Surviving World Steam Project |
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