09/13/2026
A little late getting this one posted, but we wanted to take a look back at our 2026 Steam School!
One of the neat things about this year’s Spring Show was that several of the steam engines didn’t leave when the show was over. They stayed around for another weekend so we could put them to work for our Steam School.
And what a lineup we had!
Twin Bridges’ Frick Portable
Frantz Family Case
Baker Family Frick
Grease, Steam & Rust Association Frick
Swailes Family Peerless
Coldsmith Family Frick
The engine in the photo is Steve Coldsmith’s Frick, and it was especially cool to see this engine running at CVAEMA again. This was the first time it had run here since 2004, and it had recently received a new boiler from Missouri. Pretty special to have it back in operation!
We had a great group of instructors who were willing to share their knowledge and experience:
Alex Baker, Wyatt Baker, Dave Frantz, Jake Frantz, Kai Wilhelm, Brent Daub, Steve Coldsmith, and Larry Engle.
And of course, none of this works without students willing to climb in, get their hands dirty, and learn:
Lane Hykes, Will Rotz, Ricky Leese, Clayton Smith, Glen Smith, Tyler Harris, Chandler Fishack, and Wyatt Mong.
A big THANK YOU to everyone who made the weekend possible — especially those who brought their steam engines and trusted us with their equipment, our instructors for taking the time to teach, and all of the students who came out to learn.
And we can’t forget to thank the club and everyone who helped provide lunch for the group. Good food and steam engines make for a pretty good weekend!
The whole idea behind a Steam School is to pass along the knowledge that goes with these machines. We have some incredible experience within our club, and we’d like to find ways to keep sharing it with the next generation.
Would you be interested in attending a future CVAEMA Steam School? If so, let us know! We’d also really like to hear what you thought about this year’s school — what you liked, what we could do differently, and what you’d like to see in a future school. Your feedback will help us decide whether and how we do another one.
And while we’re talking about local steam history, don’t forget about the Peter Geiser presentation in Waynesboro this Thursday, hosted by the Waynesboro and Smithsburg Historical Societies. Peter Geiser and the company he started had a pretty significant connection to the steam and agricultural equipment history of our area. It’s definitely worth checking out!
Thanks again to everyone who helped make Steam School 2026 happen. We hope this isn’t the last one!
