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  • Farm Collector

    Models of Perfection

    Dec 06, 2019 5 minutes
    By Bill Vossler

    When Mike Riebel graduated from high school in 1977, he had different aspirations than many other young men. His goal was to build a 1/8-scale steam engine from scratch. Given his heritage, it was a perfectly understandable undertaking.

    “My father (Melvin Riebel) and uncles (Bob and Loren Riebel) were co-founders of the Le Sueur County (Minnesota) Pioneer Power Assn. show, so I was always around old iron,” he says, “and always interested in scale models.” He was also influenced by a neighbor, the late Stanley Baringer. “I used to go over and watch him build model steam engines,” Mike recalls.

    Before attending college, Mike worked for a machine shop, and that’s where he decided to make a 1/8-scale model. “The owner was nice enough to let me build some fun stuff,” he says. “An

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