Rough & Tumble Engineers
Kinzers, Pennsylvania
Rough and Tumble Engineers Historical Association, Inc. is a unique 501(c)(3) non-profit museum located on 33 acres in Lancaster County in PA that helps preserve America's Agricultural and Industrial history by holding events throughout the year. We have many operating exhibits as well as numerous Steam Traction Engines including one of the oldest running Steam Traction Engines in the US, the Schiedler built in 1886 recently restored! See the video of the first test of this engine in our 2012 Photo Gallery.
Ride two special Steam Trains that loop around our grounds. There is a huge collection of Gas Engines including the Oldest Internal Combustion engine running in North America built by Otto and Langen in 1867 and the oldest running Diesel Engine built by M.A.N. We have a large building of Stationary Steam Engines all running. You will see some of the best restored John Deere, IH, and Rumely tractors around to name a few. Our Model Shops have many very unique hand built items on display and running. Watch our Blacksmiths forging items. Founded in 1948, we are celebrating our 77th year in 2025 with the unique history as one of the longest and earliest running organizations of this type in the U.S.
Rough and Tumble is "The Most Complete Operating Steam and Gas Engine Show in the East"! Our Threshermen’s Reunion attracted thousands of visitors from across the U.S breaking attendance records last year. Come visit us and see up close the wide range of unique operating equipment of all types on our grounds.
Our Museum is open to the public for 7 special events per year. If you would like to arrange a private tour please send your request to [email protected] at least 6-8 weeks prior and we will do our best to meet your needs.
The 77th R & T Threshermen's Reunion is the 2nd Oldest show in the Country to be held again August 13th to the 16th in 2025 featuring Construction Equipment with Yellow Power Organization, Empire Gas Engines and Fairbanks-Morse & Co.
• No Camping
• No Firearms
• No Alcoholic Beverages
• No Politics
• No Bikes Of Any Kind (1, 2, or 3 wheels)
• No Exotic Animals
• Rough and Tumble Engineers Historical Association Reserves the Right to Refuse Admittance to Anyone at Anytime for Any Reason. (This includes Members). Admission Guidelines can be found here.
Welcome to the updated, mobile friendly Rough and Tumble Web Site. Our site allows members and visitors to join, renew, and update their Membership and purchase Membership and Gift Shop items on line with their credit card via PayPal. Members can also sign-in and update their profile information, read R & T By-Laws, Club Info, and download and print the quarterly Whistle newsletter.
Facebook users can also look at the The Rough and Tumble Historical Association page we help support here. Please “Like” the page and you will see updates.
The Rough and Tumble Gift Shop has been updated with restocking, new items, and free shipping in the US.
The model building has a exhibit that includes a oil fired boiler and steam engines. We are looking for some steam school graduates and volunteers who would like to take over this building. We rebuilt and operated this exhibit for years, but currently do not have the staff to do so. Questions? I can be reached at 732-233-3035 or email to [email protected]. Andy Slade. Model engineering chairman.
Garden Tractor Pull April 25th 2025
There will be a garden tractor pull Friday April 26th at the Rough and Tumble pulling track. Everyone will enter and exit the event from the rear (North Gate). The weigh in starts at 4 pm the pull starts at 6 pm. For weigh in/ registration. Everyone will weight their garden tractors at the scale and park them. Then they we take the card they get at the scale with their weight class over to the pulling shed where they will finish their registration. Each pull is $10. Everyone must be a member as per usual. If someone is not a member, membership cards will be available for purchase in the pulling shed during registration. Info here.
The Steve Koser Antique/Classic Tractor Pull April 26th 2025
Come out to the pulling track and watch antique and classic gas tractors complete pulling down the track. Gates Open 8:00 AM. Tractor weigh-in starts at 8-10 am. Tractor Pull starts at 10 am. There will be food truck at the track. FREE ADMISSION! Info here.
Henry James Proctor, 83, of Oxford, PA passed away on January 30, 2025 at Chester County Hospital. Jim was an avid collector of farm equipment and toys. No tractor was too big or too small for him to collect. His collection started with his first toy when he was 8 years old. He was a member of the IH Club, John Deere Waterloo Boys of Southeastern PA, Oliver Club, and Rough & Tumble Historical Association. More information is available here.
Honoria “Nonie” Hine Diebold, a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, aunt and friend, died peacefully on February 5, 2025, after a 2.5 year battle with Glioblastoma. She is survived by her husband, Dudley G. Diebold, the love of her life for 47 years, and her daughter, Caitlin Kiely Diebold, and her husband, Kevin O’Connell. She will be greatly missed by her grandsons, Edward James Diebold O’Connell and Patrick Kevin Diebold O’Connell, who always cherished their time with “Nana”. More information is available here.
A Long History of Making Horseradish in Lancaster County Information with Jeff Long is available here.
Video of the many areas at Rough and Tumble. All Corners slide show.
The new 77th 2025 Threshermen’s Reunion Brochure with details and listing of 2025 and 2026 events is available here. The 2025 Reunion Poster is here. The 77th R & T Threshermen's Reunion is the 2nd Oldest show in the Country to be held again August 13th to the 16th in 2025 featuring Construction Equipment with Yellow Power Organization, Empire Gas Engines and Fairbanks-Morse & Co.
Our final show of the year celebrating "A Time of Harvest" was held October 11th and 12th. Special events were held for children on Saturday including the Pedal Tractor Pull, Harvest Rides, and other events for children including Pumpkin Face Painting and a Barrel Train Ride. Rough and Tumble equipment was in operation from steam trains, gas engines, and the model shops to steam traction engines, and more. Photos are here.
Reunion Exhibits include Steam Traction Engines, Antique Tractors, Threshing Machines, Hit & Miss Gas Engines and Large Gas Engines. Ride Two Steam Trains that loop our grounds, Visitors watch the Saw Mill and Shingle Mill in Operation. Visit the Model Shop, Antique Car Museum, Line Shaft Machine Shop and the Large Stationary Steam Engine Museum. See the featured Rumely Display, Stationary Balers, Antique Wagons and the new Line Shaft Machine Shop. There are many activities for Children including the Children’s Pedal Pull.
Blacksmiths pound Iron and the Huge Flea Market over 2-3 acres will have over 100 vendors. There are the large John Deere and IHC Displays, Numerous Craft Displays. Antique Earth Moving Equipment in Action. The Daily Parade of Power and the Pageant of Threshing. Enjoy the Good Home Made Food with Plenty of Shade around the grounds. Evening activities include Tractor Games, Antique Tractor Pulls and Steam Engine Games.
We Demonstrate the Daily Pageant of Threshing!! From Hand, to Horse Power, to Steam, to Tractors at the Threshermen’s Reunion!
The Rough and Tumble Pulling Committee is pleased to announce that we are including Classic Tractors to our pulls along with the Antique Tractors. A new web page has been added for Tractor Pulling Information under R&T Information which included links to regulations and is also available here.
Our Mission: To Develop And Maintain An Educational Living Museum That Showcases Antique Farming Machinery And Other Equipment, Which Are Demonstrated Periodically At Organization Shows And Events.
Membership in Rough and Tumble is widespread both by age and geographically. It is not unusual to see three and even four generations of a family riding around the grounds on a huge steam traction engine during events. Likewise, the parking lot is full of cars and motor homes from all over the United States and Canada during Annual Reunions. Membership in Rough and Tumble renewable at the beginning of each year and is payable at the gift shop, via mail or now by PayPal with your credit card thru our web site. We also offer Lifetime memberships. Membership brings many benefits. Now is the time to renew your yearly membership. A reminder, anyone operating equipment at R&T must be an active member.
Volunteers are working on projects around the grounds preparing for events. Jim Wiest is the Volunteer Coordinator and is working on a variety of projects around the grounds. Every weekends Saturday Volunteer Activities can be seen on the Volunteer section in Saturday Volunteer Activities here. A special thanks for all the Volunteers that help make Rough and Tumble the great and unique organization it is today! We have several projects going on this year and more information can be found on our Volunteer Info page above. Another Volunteer with projects around the grounds to connect with is Wayne Hartshorne who is working in various areas.
Rough and Tumble has received some great reviews on TripAdvisor. We thank all the many people that visit our unique Museum every year. The link to TripAdvisor with our reviews can be found here.
The Patriot News of Central PA wrote a special article on what Rough and Tumble has to offer a visit to our grounds during shows. You can read their article "Rough and Tumble's show of power is like no other ", here.
Our Circa 1900's,Line Shaft "Machine Works" continues to grow and add more equipment. We would like to thank R & T Director Bud Burdy and his team for the beautiful job they are doing after much research on how to design and build the shop. You can see project photos in the Photo Albums. They are finding more interesting circa equipment as the project progresses. Note the ceiling mounted line shafting.
Bill Hazzard and his team have worked the Cooper Engine Project for many years from dismantling it in Ohio, to bringing it back to R & T, pouring concrete and installing the engine. Bill was able to turn over the engine with compressed air in the summer of 2012 to prove the mechanics. The next step was to complete the exhaust, fuel supply lines, and cooling system which is now complete. The engine first ran for 30 minutes on 7/20/13 as shown on the video. Look at the Cooper Engine Project and New Running Videos in our photo section. New Notes and an engine diagram were added to photos pages.
A Great Piece of Cooper History from Roger Kriebel has been added regarding the Cooper Engine. You can see that information here.
Rough and Tumble Engineers Historical Association, Inc.
4997 Lincoln Highway East
Kinzers, PA 17535
Telephone (717) 442-4249
.jpg)
