It's a buyer-driven market, but I'm not interested in selling,'' he said. Selvey found the engine in 1983. A salesman who noticed fire memorabilia in his office had seen it parked amid weeds in a field near Oglebay Park in Wheeling, W.Va. He disassembled its 889 pieces and worked with family members and friends to restore it. He found replacement parts at flea markets and sales of antique fire equipment.
Some collectors have the money to spend and can restore equipment quickly.
I'm not that fortunate. I had an Amish carpenter make new wheels and gradually got it back together,'' he said. Selvey is one of the few collectors who take steam engines to parades. Most of the engines are in museums. He doesn't fire up the boiler to pump water.