Small Town Steam Presents:
The Lancaster Project
Join us as we dive into the history of the scale models built by the Lancaster Brothers of Mt. Savage, Maryland
A continuing process of adding to history
Small Town Steam is diving into the history books, newspapers, and the minds of steam enthusiasts to bring you the Lancaster Project. The story of James, Ray, and Danny Lancaster from Mt. Savage, Maryland. The Lancaster Brothers (and nephew) were legends of their time and their replica model creations are still well-sought after and have left a lasting impression on anyone who has had the honor of experiencing these models in person.
If you have any additional information, or models, to add, feel free to contact us!!
Models as Described by James Lancaster (Courtesy of The Iron Men Album – Magazine)
Replica- Climax – No. 11
“It is built about 1/3 size or 4″ to the foot. It is mounted on rubber and driven from the four rear wheels and steered from the four front wheels. And it has two sets of brakes; one is hydraulic, the other is air. It has two injectors and two whistles and a bell, speed is about 20 miles an hour in high gear. It has 3 speeds, forward or backward. Weight 5100 lbs.”
Built ?
Replica – General Locomotive
“Replica of the famous General locomotive used in the great locomotive chase of the civil war. This one is a gasoline propelled job and has a four cylinder Leroy air cooled engine with four speed transmission and four wheel drive. It is built to a scale of about 4″ to the foot. It also has bell and whistle which blows by air, having an air compressor installed to operate whistle. It has mechanical brakes. Speed about 25 MPH.”
Contact us if you have more info!
“No. 3 is me 1/2 size replica of a model U Peerless traction engine, center crank. It weights 3600 lbs. It has one injector and boiler feed pump. The cyl.bord is 5″ x 5″ stroke. Diameter of flywheel is 24″ x 5” face. Whole engine is about 10 f.t. long. This is a fine engine and has received a lot of favorable comment at the different steam shows where I have had it on exhibition.
Built 1962
Replica – Aultman Taylor – No. 8
“No. 4 is our 1/2 size replica of an early Aultman Taylor with the drive shaft on the side to the rear wheels. This is a very good account of itself on a large hay baler at the New Centerville Firemens Jubilee. All the old timers long for a chance to run it. It performs beautifully. It weighs about 3000 lbs.”
Built 1962
Replica- Model R Peerless – No. 9
“Model of a Model R Peerless of the period of about 1903. It is built to 1/2 size of the prototype as it appeared around the turn of the century. It is a fine model and has the reverse mechanism built inside the crankshaft as was the original. It has wood wheels and all the features found in the engines built at this vintage date. It weighs about 2950 lbs.”
Built 1963
Model- Early high wheel automobile
“Replica of an early high wheel automobile of the vintage of 1893. It has the tiller type steering gear and outside lever brake. It is modeled after the Duryea auto of the vintage. It is powered by a two cylinder automobile engine taken from a 1949 Crosley car. It performs beautifully at about 25 MPH. Its weight is 850 lbs”
STEAM automobile
“No. 7 is a STEAM automobile I am in the process of building at the present time. I have it well under way with frame and body and wheels etc, completed. Boiler and engine are mounted and ready for burner piping and accessories to be completed and tested. It is not copied after any previous car that was every built but rather is of my own design. Not yet weighed.”
“Model of a Peerless engine model G. It is scaled to 4″ to the foot. The cylinder bore is 3″ x 4″ stroke, fly wheel is 16″ x 3″ face. Boiler is 10″ diameter 40″ long with ample firebox for easy steaming. I use it on my up and down saw mill which had at New Centerville Jubilee last September 12-13-14.”
Built 1958
Replica – Model R Peerless 1/4 Scale
“Model of a Model R Peerless. This one is built in 1/4 scale or 3″ to the foot. It and the threshing machine (no. 12) are a complete threshing outfit and will thresh grain as completely as did the prototype in years gone by.”
Built 1959
Replica – Consolidation Locomotive
“No. 10 is my Consolidation Locomotive as built and used by the Cumberland & Pennsylvania R.R. in Mt. Savage Md. It is built to the scale of 1″ to the foot, and performs beautifully.”
Built 1960
Replica – Model Wood Taber & Morse – No. 10
“Model of a Wood Taber & Morse, Four wheel drive traction engine which my father owned and used when I was a small bout. It is built to 2″ to the foot and drives on 2 or 4 wheels as selected by the operator. These were very hard to steam and anyone could keep steam in them could consider himself a very good engineer. I tried it many times but was never able to keep it hot as it was used mostly on a saw mill. It being only 12 HP, it worked it to the most of its capacity all the time.”
Built?
Replica- Threshing Machine
“The threshing machine (Peerless) 3″ to the foot which I have also operated with the Wood Taber & Morse engine. It handled it most satisfactorily, but the 3” model R Peerless dose a better job and more easily. No trouble for steam with the Peerless engine.
Built 1959
No. 13 – Tractor
“No. 13 is a tractor which I built for use around here to move dead steam engines around. Also in loading them for shipment to local exhibitions and for plowing snow. It has a four speed transmission and a 12 HP motor, 4 cylinder Waukeshau and has plenty of power
Display – Model Model Railroad Equipment
“On display at my place … my very unusual display of model railroad equipment in a room 16x20ft. This display is unique in that it has never been duplicated in the USA, it being the result of some thirty years of time and effort. I am now getting old, and would consider disposing to a museum, or others.”
Through the years, James Lancaster built a recorded 26 engines. We are still gathering information on these other models, feel free to contact us if you have pictures or own one of the models to contribute the Lancaster Project collection!
Built in the early 1970’s by James E. Lancaster for Russell Harvey of Oakland, Maryland.
Built 1970
1/3 Scale of T.T. Peerless Steam Engine
Built in 1970 by James E. Lancaster, this engine was first purchased from Lancaster in 1976 by Dave Weyand. The engine was then purchased by Dwight Shaffer and Dennis Scheffel in 1982. The engine was purchased by the Roberts family in 2010 and has since been sold.
Built 1970
Built in 1978 by James E. Lancaster for Mr. and Mrs. Russell Harvey.
Built 1978
The last recorded replica scale model built by James Lancaster.
Built 1979
Ray Lancaster worked with James on multiple projects, as well as having some pieces he produced alone.
Danny Lancaster, the nephew of James and Ray, also continued on tradition by building models
