Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad owner Al Harper bought a cherished steam tractor at the Newbold family’s estate auction on Saturday along with several other items to be displayed in the D&SNG museum or incorporated for use with the railroad.
“That family (the Newbolds) is a very nice family, very important to the history of Durango,” Harper said. “I just think it’s going to be neat to have some of their family items in the museum.”
Harper said he opened bids for the tractor – built by the late Jack Newbold and powered by a 1898 steam engine – at $5,000 and closed on it at $7,000. He bought another tractor built by Newbold for $1,500.
He said Jack Newbold was an interesting man and a self-taught engineer.
“He just knew how to do things and how to use things that other people didn’t know what to do with,” he said. “I’m glad I was able to do something with the family and put something in the museum.”
He said he also picked up some other interesting items: a display of brass whistles and instrumentals, some of which will be used on the railroad’s steam engines; propellers; another display of electrical insulators; and a couple of pallets of miscellaneous steam engine parts.
“I did buy a bucket of brass parts. I don’t even know what’s in it, but brass is valuable,” he said. “It was probably connected to a steam engine, but I don’t know what they are.”
The brass display was a competitive bid, Harper said. He ended up paying $4,500 to close on it, more than he expected. He said he could have continued bidding on other items but he decided not to.
“Numerous people came up to me and thanked me for saving it (the steam tractor) so it was staying in Durango and in the museum for everybody to enjoy,” he said. “That made me feel good.”
Treasure Auction Service ran the auction on Friday and Saturday. Cody Story with TAS said there were at least 85 active bidders over the course of Saturday, in addition to more bidders the previous day.
“It’s great, lots of people up here looking, just kind of seeing what’s going on, and a lot of people actively buying,” he said. “... We’ve got a lot more lookers today, just because of the Americana that surrounds this whole town.”
He said a lot of the bidders showed up knowing what they were looking for, which works out well for the Newbolds and TAS.
Keith Newbold said on Friday it’s bittersweet to hold an estate auction – his father Jack and mother Jolene died in 2014 and 2021, respectively – but he’s looking forward to getting it done with.
Jack used to take the steam tractor to parades in mountain communities in the 1960s and ’70s. It was also a staple at Durango’s Fiesta Days, as The Durango Herald reported on Friday.
Keith said he used to ride the tractor with his father when he was a boy. He would ring the bell and help shovel coal to keep the tractor moving during parades and events.
cburney@durangoherald.com
