John Kvill likes to work in miniature, but enjoys worldwide demand for his projects.
“We’re unique around the world really,” said Kvill, owner of Hartland Scale Models in New Norway, Alta., who builds scaled-down steam engines as a hobby. “This hits a certain group of people.”
While most original steam engines ceased to move by the late 1920s, miniature versions come alive under Kvill’s hand. A tour through his cluttered shop reveals a “hodge podge” of tools, blueprints, metal scraps and finished treasures.
A shiny Case miniature steam engine, built to a quarter of actual size, is accurate from the boiler to the whistle, he said.
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Although the mini-ature, which weighs about 225 kilograms, only travels at about walking speed, it can handle a few thousand kg and holds great appeal for his eight grandchildren.
“My four-year-old grandson likes to kiss it,” said a smiling Kvill, noting it is accurate to scale within 1,000th of an inch and is brush painted just like the original.
A steam engine with all the bells and whistles sells for about $18,000 and takes about 10 to 12 weeks of steady work to make, he said.
“It depends what kind of a mood I’m in. Sometimes it takes all winter.”
A miniature thresher that can handle one bundle of grain is one project in the works and Kvill hopes to construct a miniature locomotive one day.
Some people who buy the completed models put them on display, while others take them to hobby shows, said Kvill.
“I like to make sure people enjoy them. If somebody has a reason to get up in the morning they’ll live longer.”
Kvill also sells kits to build miniature steam engines and parts for car and other machine restoration. These can be ordered through Antech Resources and Consulting Ltd., which he also owns.
“Anything we can’t scrounge we build,” said Kvill, who won the Popular Mechanics Golden Hammer Award in 1972 for his model of a Reeves Cross-Compound Plowing Engine.
At 64, Kvill has experience varying from museum curator work to teaching.
His interest in building steam engine models originated in the 1950s.
“I’ve made a point in life to do only what I want to do. I’ve wanted to make models since I was a kid.”
According to his wife Caroline, his business manager, Kvill is pretty much consumed by his hobby.
“It’s always been a part of his life and I expect the business will be around as long as he is,” said Caroline.
“He thinks it’s a hobby. I think it’s just another job. It keeps him out of my hair.”
