So this year's Yankee steam- up is on Sat., 21 Sept., 2013 in East Greenwich, RI. This is a little copy from their website:

For model makers, Machinists, Engineers & Historians
Saturday September 21, 2013
8:00AM-4:00PM
1300 Frenchtown Road, East Greenwich, RI 02818
Steam & Compressed Air for Models.
Licensed Boilers & Licensed Engineers.
New Englands Largest Steam-Up Boiler.
Giant Working Steam Engines & Hot Air & IC.
Admission, $15.00         Exhibitors, Free

If you have not been and have any interest in cool mechanical trinkets, this is something to see one time I think. They have a Corliss mill engine there along with another mill engine (the steam engines that used to power up the entire mill with overhead shafting and belting) and both will run on Sat. It is a sight to see. Then there are all the other displays, some owned by the museum but a lot brought by folks to show off their incredible machining and assembly skills: full- blown Rhone engines running, 'Hit 'n Miss' engines running, and always a Stanley steamer or two on display and actually driving.

The other side of the museum is the wireless part (early radio). I believe the only spark- gap transmitter left in the US powers up and actually sends signals on the Steam- up day. Pretty neat. Crude but effective -when they fire this thing off, the Morse code comes through the receiver, all the electric motors around, the VCR's and TV's in all directions... and by that I mean the neighborhood. Too bad for them, great for us 'cause you get to watch the spark drawn between the brass balls and that is what makes the radio signal.

I don't think this would make a good COG day in itself but I wanted to let everyone know that it is open to the public and again, gadget lovers everywhere will get a kick out of how they used to do it in the days before electricity but after horses and mules.

Brian