WAYNE TOWNSHIP – After a long winter, it was time to get those engines running Saturday, May 9, in Wayne Township.
The Ashtabula County Antique Engine Club held its 2026 Spring Gas-Up Show from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
There were many sights to see, including a S.M. Jones Co. oil field engine from 1914.
Don Wharton of Grafton, Ohio, brought it to the show.
“This is an engine out of the oil field,” he said. “It’s an S.M. Jones.”
He recalled how he came into possession of the engine.
“A friend of mine had it and we did some trading,” he said.
Over three years, Wharton restored it. He said it had been “junk” and he made it like new.
Wharton enjoyed the task, although it was a lot of work.
The task included putting in a new base.
It was a relatively cheap project.
“I don’t think I got 100 bucks in it,” he commented.
Today, he runs it on propane.
But back in the day, he said it would have been fueled with natural gas from the wells.
He said people like his restored engine, and take pictures of it.
“We’ve got about eight of these in the family now,” he said.
Wharton said he was attracted to the engine because of “the mechanics of the machinery.”
Now, he’s gotten his son and grandson interested in such projects.
He said he enjoys being at the Spring Gas-Up Show.
“I’ve been coming here for many years,” he said.
