How old is my boiler?

This time of year we have open house at out model railroad club. A guy came in that I recognized from previous years. He was wearing a New Yorker jacket and I knew he was a salesman for Burnham. I had my IPad along and showed him pictures of my boiler and the new grates. He seemed pretty impressed that I was still burning coal. His thoughts were that my boiler was from the 1930’s.

That external tankless coil is massive. Is there a model number on the boiler?

I don’t remember ever seeing a tag anywhere on the boiler, maybe there’s something under the jacket. It’s been over 40 years since I had the jacket off, so I don’t remember. To get new grates, there were 3 different sizes available. The ones that fit mine were a number 17 series.

The side arm heater was used to make hot water for an elementary school. My dad removed it in the 1970’s. It had 2 pinholes in the coils, I soldered them shut. We live in a limestone area, the school was in the foothills of the Allegheny’s sandstone rock. Their water is a little acidic. I ran 2” pipe to the heater from the boiler. It’s a B & G heater. I’ve been using it here at home for over 40 years.

Oh wow.. yer just over the hill from me. I'm in Olean. I know of that School. I've practiced there a couple times with bands. They rent the rooms out for stuff like that.

I would have thought the age of boiler would be from the 40s-50s. Because of having a jacket on it. I own a round burnham boiler with the exact same loading door. I was thinking my round boiler was from 20’s-30s.

dbsuz05 wrote: ↑

Fri. Dec. 17, 2021 4:38 pm

I would have thought the age of boiler would be from the 40s-50s. Because of having a jacket on it. I own a round burnham boiler with the exact same loading door. I was thinking my round boiler was from 20’s-30s.

I would have have thought the 1940’s also. I’ve read that Burnham moved to Lancaster PA in the 1940’s, but they could have doors that said Irvington NY that they needed to use up.

pintoplumber wrote: ↑

Fri. Dec. 17, 2021 4:27 pm

We live in a limestone area,

Oops I misread.. Thought it said "We live in THE Limestone area" lol.. There is a town over the hill from here called Limestone..

Lightning wrote: ↑

Fri. Dec. 17, 2021 4:31 pm

Oh wow.. yer just over the hill from me. I'm in Olean. I know of that School. I've practiced there a couple times with bands. They rent the rooms out for stuff like that.

The school was in Schoeneck Pa, it’s now an apartment building. Darn autocorrect changed Schoeneck to Schenectady.

We have a cabin in Potter. Olean is about 45 minutes from the cabin.

I’m guessing 1930-1940’s. If I remember next time I call US Boilers I can ask who has all the historical information.

Thanks for posting that. I’ve been waiting for Hajoca to have a Burnham counter day, but they haven’t had one in a while.

Nice Pinto

So the more I look into this. It appears that this boiler was originally made by “Lord & Burnham Co”. which made green houses and boilers for the greenhouse.

https://collection.mndigital.org/catalog/mpls:130 ... OSD_VIEWER

fig wrote: ↑

Fri. Dec. 17, 2021 8:26 pm

Nice Pinto

Yeah, my 1st car. It was later totaled in a parking lot. A lady came out of a bar, hit a car on main st, a car on 3rd st, and climbed the curb and sidewalk and hit my car parked in a parking lot.

Holdencoal wrote: ↑

Fri. Dec. 17, 2021 9:10 pm

So the more I look into this. It appears that this boiler was originally made by “Lord & Burnham Co”. which made green houses and boilers for the greenhouse.

https://collection.mndigital.org/catalog/mpls:130 ... OSD_VIEWER

Interesting, I saw a picture of the same grate system mine has. I gave $150.00 for it in the fall of 1978. Burned wood in it for 36 years because the grates were broken. 7 years on coal now.

I understand you have new grates. However Meyers’s Supply Inc in Johnstown PA for parts? Unless someone knows we’re the grates are coming from.

https://www.ebay.com/str/meyerssupplyinc