The Best Show On Tracks started as idle conversation several years ago by a handful of dedicated antique tractor collectors. They conceived an inspired idea to put on an event commemorating the founding of the Caterpillar Tractor company in 1925 by the merger of the Holt and Best tractor companies. As time progressed and its scope grew tremendously, worldwide attention became focused and the show turned into a unique, once-in-a-lifetime event.
Dan Best, the grandson of the founder, offered 160 acres of his Woodland, CA ranch for the show. Despite the current high cost of diesel fuel and the logistical complexities of transporting huge machines weighing from 3 to 20 tons, antique tractor owners generously hauled in many hundreds of pieces of equipment from all over the United States, plus a few overseas countries.
The show was a photographer's paradise, with so many concurrent things going on. Old-time construction equipment digging a huge hole in the ground and then filling it back in again. A 27-mule team hitched to a late-1800's Holt threshing machine. An hour-long parade of antique tractors each day. Steam tractor demonstrations. And much, much more.
For more information, if you're curious, go to:
http://www.bestshowontracks.org/
The Best Show On Tracks started as idle conversation several years ago by a handful of dedicated antique tractor collectors. They conceived an inspired idea to put on an event commemorating the founding of the Caterpillar Tractor company in 1925 by the merger of the Holt and Best tractor companies. As time progressed and its scope grew tremendously, worldwide attention became focused and the show turned into a unique, once-in-a-lifetime event.
Dan Best, the grandson of the founder, offered 160 acres of his Woodland, CA ranch for the show. Despite the current high cost of diesel fuel and the logistical complexities of transporting huge machines weighing from 3 to 20 tons, antique tractor owners generously hauled in many hundreds of pieces of equipment from all over the United States, plus a few overseas countries.
The show was a photographer's paradise, with so many concurrent things going on. Old-time construction equipment digging a huge hole in the ground and then filling it back in again. A 27-mule team hitched to a late-1800's Holt threshing machine. An hour-long parade of antique tractors each day. Steam tractor demonstrations. And much, much more.
For more information, if you're curious, go to:
http://www.bestshowontracks.org/
The Best Show On Tracks started as idle conversation several years ago by a handful of dedicated antique tractor collectors. They conceived an inspired idea to put on an event commemorating the founding of the Caterpillar Tractor company in 1925 by the merger of the Holt and Best tractor companies. As time progressed and its scope grew tremendously, worldwide attention became focused and the show turned into a unique, once-in-a-lifetime event.
Dan Best, the grandson of the founder, offered 160 acres of his Woodland, CA ranch for the show. Despite the current high cost of diesel fuel and the logistical complexities of transporting huge machines weighing from 3 to 20 tons, antique tractor owners generously hauled in many hundreds of pieces of equipment from all over the United States, plus a few overseas countries.
The show was a photographer's paradise, with so many concurrent things going on. Old-time construction equipment digging a huge hole in the ground and then filling it back in again. A 27-mule team hitched to a late-1800's Holt threshing machine. An hour-long parade of antique tractors each day. Steam tractor demonstrations. And much, much more.
For more information, if you're curious, go to:
http://www.bestshowontracks.org/
The annual Antique Nationals is a neat nostalgia drag racing event featuring vehicles mid-1950's and earlier. None of the old guys running their vintage machines needs to prove anything. They've been there, done that — the only order of the day being camaraderie and laid-back fun .
The April, 2008 event was held at Fontana Raceway.
Unfortunately my slide show program (a Microsoft freebie) is a tad flawed, with the frame wipes sometimes acting jerky. Also some persons with MAC computers seem to have problems running it. If someday I can find a better program, I will definitely change over.
THE ANTIQUE NATIONALS