Stem winder or steam winder?

I think stem winder is correct (at least that is what I have seen in print for years) and is a reference to a pocket watch (lots of busy gear works).

=>On Mon, 29 Dec 2003 19:42:46 +1100, "William Pearce" => wrote: =>

=>> Folks, =>> I've read occasionally that geared logging locos such as Shays, Climaxes =>>etc. are called 'stem winders'. I've also just seen a reference that calls =>>them 'steam winders'. Which is correct, or are both? Also, if 'stem winder' =>>what is the derivation of this term? =>> Regards, =>> Bill. =>>

=>I think stem winder is correct (at least that is what I have seen in =>print for years) and is a reference to a pocket watch (lots of busy =>gear works).

The incorrect spelling reflects ignorance of the term's original meaning and derivation (as given above by Charles.) Other words are subject to incorrect spelling for the same reason: I've seen "shoe in" for "shoo in" (I guess people don't shoo chickens out of the garden or into the hen house anymore); "Low" for "Lo" (it's a biblical term, and means roughly "Pay attention, look here, this is a major event in my story!") Then there are the effects of spelling checkers, which are notoriously unrelaible once you get into any kind of specialist vocabulary.

Wolf Kirchmeir ................................. If you didn't want to go to Chicago, why did you get on this train? (Garrison Keillor)

(snippage)

Then there are the effects of

Looks like your spell checker needs an overhaul! :)

Ode to a Spell Checker

Eye halve a spelling chequer It came with my pea sea It plainly marques four my revue Miss steaks eye kin knot sea. Eye strike a key and type a word And weight four it two say Weather eye am wrong oar write It shows me strait a weigh. As soon as a mist ache is maid It nose bee four two long And eye can put the error rite Its rare lea ever wrong. Eye have run this poem threw it Eye am shore your pleased two no Its letter perfect awl the weigh My chequer tolled me sew.

Bob Boudreau Canada

=>Wolf Kirchmeir wrote: =>

=>(snippage) =>

=>Then there are the effects of =>> spelling checkers, which are notoriously "unrelaible" once you get into any =>> kind of specialist vocabulary. =>

=>Looks like your spell checker needs an overhaul! :)

Yeah - it's my brain, getting old and foggy, I guess. -- I haven't set the spell checker to check outgoing posts for this NG, actually.

Wolf Kirchmeir ................................. If you didn't want to go to Chicago, why did you get on this train? (Garrison Keillor)

That's my understanding as well. I knew old guys when I was a kid and some of them called their pocket watches stemwinders. They could make quite a production out of telling you the time :-).

Thanks Fellas, I thought that 'stem winder' was the correct term, 'steam winder' is obviously an aberration. Also, loved Railfan's Ode, someone recently did a book on the world's lousiest poetry, the Ode deserves a place therein. Regards, Bill.

Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer is at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by istlef but the wrod as a wlohe.

(From the 12/03 Reader's Digest)

Sorry, this was supposed to be a follow-up to "stem winder." (Wrong button)

And yet........

Indeed, tihs is qutie ture. I had no porbelm at all reaidng the aobve stenence.

Now, try this one:

Nbppqeavt gb efpurrnepu ng na Ryvatfu hvareigvfl, vg qrbfa'g zggnre va jnug berqe gur yggrref va n jebq ner, gur byal vcezbngag gvuat vf gnug gur sevfg naq yfng yggrre vf ng gur etuvg cpynr. Gur efrg pna or n gbngy zfrf naq lbh pna fvgyy enrq vg jbhguvg cbeoryz. Gvuf vf ophfrnr jr qb abg enrq reirl ygrgre ol vfgyrs ohg gur jebq nf n jybur.

Cehres:......................F>

RrTnl, Vonl vqqnl bganl vaxgunl vgonl nfjnl nyyonl nggunl nequnl bgnl rnqenl, lfrysznl.

Joe Ellis ? CEO Bethlehem-Ares Railroad ___a________n_mmm___mmm_mmm_mmm___mmm_mmm_mmm___mmm_n______ ___|8 8B| ___ /::::: / /::::X/ /:::::/ /:::::/|| ||__BARR| | | /::::::/ /:::::X /:::::/ /:::::/ ||

---------------------------------------------------------------- [(=)=(=)=(=)=(=)] |_________________________| [(=)=(=)=(=)=(=)] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Serving America's Heartland Since 1825

Welsh?

BINGO !

..........F>

The double Ls give it away.

What a load of rot!

Believe it, it's true

.......F>

You may well think that, I couldn't possibly comment.

-- Happy Holidays Roger T.

In article , snipped-for-privacy@thepond.com by dropped his wrench, scratched his head and mumbled,

Ovatb? Must be Finnish. Or maybe I'm just Russian to conclusions.

Bob

I believe it. I believe it. I believe it. I believe it. I believe it. I believe it. I believe it. I believe it. I believe it. I believe it. I believe it. I believe it. I believe it.

Guess I should have waited a couple weeks to reply, like until the 13th.

Check out ROT-13 encoding - a simple 13 letter shift substitution code that many newsreaders can switch back and forth.