Virtual Museum: Snow for the Steam Rally – The Snow Corliss Engine at NMIH

As antique engine shows, threshing bees, tractor pulls, and other popular mechanically inclined events are put on hold, a fascinating virtual steam rally #TwitterSteamRally is shaping up for this coming Saturday, May 9th, 2020. Join NMIH at 2PM EST for a presentation about the 115-ton stationary steam engine at the center of the Museum. The illustrated talk will detail the history and operational restoration of the engine, built in 1914 by the Snow Steam Pump Works in Buffalo, N.Y. for use at the York Water Company in York, Pennsylvania, USA. Once capable of pumping eight million gallons of water per day, the engine is now most powerful operating water works steam engine in America.

Stay tuned for upcoming operational days to be scheduled following the museum’s reopening. A short book about the history and restoration of the engine can be purchased here.

This lecture is presented by NMIH Historian Mike Piersa. Mike graduated with a bachelor’s in history from Moravian College and a master’s in history from Lehigh University. He has been with NMIH for over 17 years and has been instrumental in the research and interpretation behind the museum’s collections as well as the restoration of historical industrial equipment both at the museum and at outside facilities. His quarry machinery preservation work resulted in him becoming an MSHA Certified Miner and taking leading roles in important restoration and preservation projects across the country, including the Bangor Quarry Hoist Project, a collaboration between the Totts Gap Arts Institute, the American Industrial Mining Company Museum, and the Borough of Bangor, PA.

Part of NMIH’s Virtual Museum Live Programs. Get more info at https://nmih.org/virtualmuseum

ALL LIVE STREAMS WILL BE AT https://www.facebook.com/NMIHorg/live_videos/