Everyone wants to know when an engine was built. How old is it? It’s a frequently asked question at shows, and the serial number of the engine is one way to narrow what year the engine was built. What follows is a table with an estimate of the starting serial number for each model year for the steam engines.
| Year | Start Serial | Year | Start Serial | Year | Start Serial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1877 | 1 | 1893 | 4202 | 1909 | 10306 |
| 1878 | 217 | 1894 | 4692 | 1910 | 10681 |
| 1879 | 457 | 1895 | 5055 | 1911 | 11056 |
| 1880 | 697 | 1896 | 5430 | 1912 | 11431 |
| 1881 | 937 | 1897 | 5805 | 1913 | 11806 |
| 1882 | 1177 | 1898 | 6180 | 1914 | 12164 |
| 1883 | 1417 | 1899 | 6555 | 1915 | 12552 |
| 1884 | 1657 | 1900 | 6930 | 1916 | 12916 |
| 1885 | 1897 | 1901 | 7305 | 1917 | 13185 |
| 1886 | 2137 | 1902 | 7680 | 1918 | 13326 |
| 1887 | 2377 | 1903 | 8055 | 1919 | 13451 |
| 1888 | 2571 | 1904 | 8430 | 1920 | 13690 |
| 1889 | 2810 | 1905 | 8805 | 1921 | 13820 |
| 1890 | 3146 | 1906 | 9180 | 1922 | 13981 |
| 1891 | 3447 | 1907 | 9555 | 1923 | 14011 |
| 1892 | 3782 | 1908 | 9930 | 1924 | 14046 |
Below is described the method used to produce this estimation of serial numbers. As new information comes to light, this estimation will be further refined. But generally it is thought that these serial number are at least within a year or two of what the actual must be. In fact, the years 1887 to 1894 are known to be exact because build documentation to the day for each engine exists. The years 1913 to 1924 are almost absolutely known except for the fact that the last serial number of 14073 is still not 100% proven fact.
The author would suggest if a reader has an engine and this data suggests the year is off by a year or two from a prior estimate of their own means, that the reader might leave their estimate as-is, especially if already painted on the engine! This recommendation is particularly encouraged if there is background lore as to what the engine year might be. If the serial number year is a great mismatch, the reader might look closely at Engine Models and Types and Characteristics to see if there are clues bounding the engine age. It is very possible the reader might be convinced the year must be different than originally assumed, but it is also very possible the reader may have uncovered confounding information that can be used to correct the story given here!
Serial Number Badges
Older pre-1901 engines had a brass serial number plate installed near the back close to the sight glass, while newer engines had a cast iron plate installed on the band wheel side of the smoke box.
Care must be taken not to confuse a 4-digit part number, which appear on every casting, with the serial number of the engine (or of a year, for that matter!)
Help Refine This Information!
If you have documents (mortgage, original sale documents, etc), a readable boiler year stamp, or a cross-head date stamp (see below), then please reach out with your information to help refine this estimating guide.
What If My Engine Serial Is Missing?
Serial number badges do go missing, either via collectors, or simply as they are bolted and can detach. If this is the case, read through Engine Models and Types and Characteristics to bound the age. There are many clues that can refine to 5 years or even finer.
Facts About Serial Numbers
The following facts can be declared about Nichols-Shepard serial numbers based on information documented below. These facts are captured in the estimating chart at the start of this document.
- Engines with serial numbers 2377 to 4691 have precise build dates documented for model years 1887 through 1893
- Engines with serial numbers before 4806 are built in 1894 or earlier. (Cross-head stamp)
- Engines with serial numbers before 5888 are built in 1898 or earlier. (Cross-head stamp)
- Engines with serial numbers before 8215 are built in 1903 or earlier (Mortgage documents)
- Engines with serial numbers before 8375 are built in 1903 or earlier (Mortgage documents)
- Engines with serial numbers before 11805 are built in 1912 or earlier (Board production minutes)
Serial Number Records
Nichols-Shepard assigned consecutive serial numbers to engines as they were completed in the factory. It is unknown if the first serial number started at 1 or if any serial numbers were skipped, but based on known serial numbers it seems likely they were ordered from serial #1. For example, serial numbers going back to 595 are referenced in the 1924 Factory Repair Price List, and this book is certainly not comprehensive for early parts. Serial numbers were assigned regardless of the specific model of a given steam engine, but are most certainly distinct from the separator machines, gas tractors, horse powers, and other machines. As an example, a part in the 1924 repair list reference 25H gas tractor serial numbers of 1 to 490, and separators are listed with serial numbers well after 33,000. The fact that gas tractors and separators started at serial number 1 strongly suggests steam engines did as well.
Formal engine memorandum ledgers exist for the years 1887 through 1893 precisely documenting serial numbers 2377 through 4691. Information will be gathered from these ledgers and published on this website. Each engine is documented with a final build date, and the documentation includes horsepower rating, type (straw burner, etc), boiler dimensions, and casting numbers used in construction.
For years after 1893 there are a few fact sources that lead to reasonable estimating of when a serial number was assigned. These sources include production data reports from board meetings from 1913 to the end of production, date stamps on older engines, and surviving purchase or mortgage documents for some engines. Some boilers also have manufactured date markings. While document and boiler dates do not precisely define when an engine may have been assembled, the document/boiler dates do place a bound on the date of assembly. That is, an engine is not assembled after a referencing document is written, and an engine is not assembled before a boiler is constructed.
Model Years
Nichols-Shepard had the concept of a model year. The board meeting minutes reveal that the model year starts in November of the prior year and the engine memorandum ledgers from 1887 to 1893 also reflect this fact. Therefore, “years” on this page will generally refer to “model years”, so 1912 would represent engines built from November 1911 through October 1912. Where this detail can be important is when the 1912 is compared against documents or boiler dates. Specifically, here the serial number for an engine assembled in December 1911 would be called a 1912 serial number.
Estimating Years for Serial Numbers
It is rumored that the last steam traction engine produced was serial #14073. It is known that #14064 is referenced by the 1924 repair parts book, and it is known that #14072, a 16HP rear mount engine, exists, so it is reasonable to believe that #14073 may be the last engine made. Assuming serial numbers are sequential, one can work backward from that serial number if production numbers are known for each year. An estimate of a start year per serial number is simply a matter of plotting production on a graph over the span of years. This minimally requires a start and end year and any detailed information can be used to refine this graph.
The end year is known from board meeting minutes to be 1924 when 28 engines were assembled [ref]. The start year is not precisely known, but it is known that Nichols-Shepard advertised in the Michigan Argus in 1876 showing the Vibrator Thresher, but not mentioning their own steam engine. Further it is known that Nichols-Shepard was building engines by May 1878 from advertisements placed in the The American Agriculturist magazine in that year. For purposes of estimating, the year 1877 will be used as the start year.
There is data to refine this crude estimate starting with production data from 1913 to 1924. This production data was published via board meeting minutes [ref] and can refine the graph for those last years.
| Model Year | Number Built | Starting Serial Number* |
|---|---|---|
| 1913 | 358 | 11806 |
| 1914 | 388 | 12164 |
| 1915 | 364 | 12551 |
| 1916 | 269 | 12915 |
| 1917 | 141 | 13185 |
| 1918 | 125 | 13326 |
| 1919 | 239 | 13451 |
| 1920 | 130 | 13690 |
| 1921 | 161 | 13820 |
| 1922 | 30 | 13981 |
| 1923 | 35 | 14011 |
| 1924 | 28 | 14046 |
With the board meeting data from 1913 to 1924, the crude graph can be refined as follows.
While the refined estimate helps, it barely makes a dent in the long production of engines from 1875 through 1912. This averages about 310 engines per year! When making adjustments by including the actual 1887 to 1893 data and information from cross-head stamps and mortgage documents explained below, the graph does shift a little, but not by a tremendous amount.
The slight inflection points in this refined graph are based on known data from 1887-1893, 1894, 1898, and 1903. Otherwise, the spaces between these points remain straight lines as the best-guess estimate for serial numbers in those ranges. However, it should be clear the addition of data will not greatly move the line. If the line must drop or raise greatly at some point, the change will be compensated somewhere else. And note that the war years are already covered. The table at the start of this page is generated from this graph.
Engine Memorandum Ledgers
Ledgers for the years 1887 through 1893 exist which document all Nichols-Shepard steam engines manufactured in those years. An example page of the ledger from 1892 is shown. As can be seen, the ledger documents the final assembly of engines on a serial number basis. Each entry is dated, and with less than a handful of exceptions through all the ledgers, the dates are in chronological order.
Cross-head Stamps
The locomotive style cross-head guides were used in Nichols-Shepard designs up through 1901. It has been observed on these engines that the cross-head block has stamped the horsepower rating and build year of the engine.
Other engines known in this manner are engine #2538, a 6HP 1885 engine, as well as engine #5888, an 8HP 1898 engine. Engine #2538 is particularly interesting because it has a second year 1899 stamped, presumably because it was converted from a portable to a traction engine at that time.
NOTE: if a pre-1901 engine is being restored, please pay particular attention to the cross head block for this stamped date. If the part must be machined or replaced, save the original, or at least save a rubbing and/or photo of the stamp to keep with the engine’s history.
Mortgage Documents
A threshing rig was a serious investment and therefore bank loans were made to fund the purchase of an engine. One Chattel Mortgage has been posted online for engine 4554 signed August 23, 1894. It follows that 4554 must be a 1894 or earlier model year. For estimating purposes 4554 is assumed to be an 1894 engine considering the mortgage was signed late in the model year. But if other emerging data conflicts, it should be noted that the engine may have been 1893 or even earlier as this level of detail is not in the mortgage.
Other specific mortgage documents have been mentioned online, but not posted with images. These include engine 8215 with mortgage on September 11, 1903 and engine 8375 with mortgage on July 23, 1903. These two mortgages demonstrate there can be a skew of time as the sale of engine 8215 was either made after 8375, or other temporary funding was arranged ahead of the mortgage. This should not be surprising when 300 or more engines were being built per year.
Boiler Build Dates
This guide does not yet incorporate boiler build dates, but this addition could greatly refine serial number data. The important caveat to consider is the fact boilers were made in advance (sometimes well in advance) of the assembly of an engine when a serial number is finally assigned. Therefore a boiler build date bounds a serial number in the reverse direction of other data. That is, the engine serial year must be after the boiler was built.
Another caveat on boiler dates is that it is possible for a boiler to be replaced while the serial number of an engine stays the same. It would be a great service if boiler swaps were documented reasonably with the resale of engines so new owners are not confounded by this possibility.
Engine 13147 was shown to have a 30-98 Brodrick boiler build date of 12-5-16 on the rear head (smokstak) with a letter from the owner that stated the build date as May 12, 1916. This date fits with the 1913 – 1924 production data so doesn’t refine the serial estimate further, but does help confirm that range is correct.
Steam Dome Date Stamp
Engine 8292, an 18HP single side mount, was shown on smokstak to have a stamp of 2-03 on top of the steam dome. This was interpreted as February 1903, and is no doubt correct because 8292 is sandwiched between engines 8215 and 8375 which both have mortgage documents from 1903.
Replacement Parts Manuals
Parts manuals exist that map part numbers (4-digit) to particular model year engines. This may be used to help refine the year a particular engine was built. For example, the 1924 repair parts manual references engine #14064, suggesting that engine had been assembled before the parts manual was printed.
Engine Build Sheets
One engine, serial number 14062, is known to have a factory build sheet dated 1925. This build sheet says the boiler was built by Broderick in Cleveland Ohio in 1922 and shipped to Battle Creek. It is unclear if the build sheet says the engine was assembled in 1925 or shipped and sold in 1925.
