Steam Enthusiasts Admire ‘Quiet Giant’ Up-close

The checklist for a wedding can be daunting in those final days leading up to “I Do”, especially when you’re the parents of the bride. Making sure the flowers and cake are scheduled to arrive on time, going over the reception details, confirming travel arrangements if needed, visiting a giant steam engine at Louisville Water… wait, what?

“We’ve been wanting to come the last few years,” Jim Evans said about squeezing in time to take a tour at Louisville Water Tower, home to the Allis Chalmers steam engine, two days before his daughter’s wedding.

Evans first saw the “Quiet Giant” in 2015 while in town for an FFA (Future Farmers of America) convention. Since then, he’s been planning a return trip with his good friend and fellow ‘steam enthusiast’, Jerry Holmes.

“Triple expansion steam engine, you don’t see those every day,” Holmes said with glee. “When you think about the time, the Model T (Ford) was a brand-new car in the ‘20s. Look at the technology they had to build this.”

The COVID-19 pandemic and the restoration of the Tower kept the pair from making the trip from Iowa any sooner. Evans’ daughter’s wedding weekend in Louisville presented the perfect opportunity. And they had a beautiful October day to take a glimpse inside the Tower and admire the Allis Chalmers steam engine up-close.

“It was very impressive. The engine’s huge, but the whole (WaterWorks) museum is really impressive,” Evans said.

“We ran it at about 24 million gallons a day during the 1920s,” explained Visitor Experience Specialist Lynn Humphrey. “At 100 feet tall and weighing 930 tons, it’s a sight to see.”

“There’s no place in the U.S. that can cast those components now,” Evans marveled. “We’ve lost that technology to even build those things anymore.”

These steam enthusiasts have set their sights on restoring an engine of their own with the help of their agricultural history non-profit. The organization acquired it with the caveat of transporting it roughly 100 miles.

“It took like 40 trips to move it all. But now, we gotta set it up again, a thousand-horsepower, 150-ton steam engine. (It) Powered all the electricity for the Iowa State Penitentiary at one point,” shared Evans.

The gleam in Holmes’ eyes was evident as they talked about their plans.

“I’ve been playing with steam for over 35 years. This will be our first industrial steam engine,” he said. “We’re fascinated by the whole principle behind how steam power works. It’s so quiet, yet so much power.”

While the men and their wives might’ve sampled the bourbon Kentucky is known for, they were encouraged to taste the water Louisville is known for, while they were here.

“That’s what all the tours for the bourbon say here, this is the best water,” Evans shared.

We may be biased, but we agree, Louisville Pure Tap® is top-shelf!

**Schedule your own tour at Louisville Water Tower. It will be open this Sunday, November 10 from noon – 5 p.m.