{"id":131938,"date":"2026-06-05T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/beloved-steam-tractor-a-staple-of-durango-parades-to-be-auctioned\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T05:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T11:00:00","slug":"beloved-steam-tractor-a-staple-of-durango-parades-to-be-auctioned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/beloved-steam-tractor-a-staple-of-durango-parades-to-be-auctioned\/","title":{"rendered":"Beloved steam tractor \u2013 a staple of Durango parades \u2013 to be auctioned"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Keith
Keith Newbold talks about Old Abe, a Case steam tractor on Thursday that dates back to the turn of the century that his father Jack Newbold rebuilt. The tractor will be auctioned off during his family\u2019s estate sale today and Saturday in west Durango. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Old Abe, the steam- and coal-powered tractor that became a staple in parades and events across Southwest Colorado in the 1960s and \u201970s, will be auctioned off this weekend in the estate sale of lifelong Durango resident Jack Newbold.<\/p>\n

The steam tractor was built by Jack using an 1898 steam engine found on the edge of a field and a boiler from a laundromat that was going out of business, his son, Keith Newbold, said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBack in the 1960s and \u201970s, he was taking it all around to a lot of mountain communities for the Fourth of July parades, and then he would have it out in Mancos, and Bayfield and different places,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The tractor was also a common sight at Durango\u2019s Fiesta Days parade, previously known as the \u201cSpanish Trails Fiesta.\u201d Keith, who is now in his 70s, rode the tractor with his father from as young as age 10. He would ring the bell and help shovel coal during parades and events.<\/p>\n

\"The
The late Jack Newbold, right, stands with Old Abe, a Case steam tractor that dates back to the turn of the century that he had rebuilt years ago. The tractor is being auctioned off during his family\u2019s estate sale today and Saturday in west Durango.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Jack, who became a bit of a celebrity in his own right for his collection of valuable old-timey items, made appearances in Rolling Rock beer commercials in the late-1980s and early 1990s alongside Old Abe, Keith said.<\/p>\n

\u201c(Rolling Rock\u2019s) motto at the time was, \u2018We do it the old-fashioned way,\u2019 or something,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The tractor has always held monetary value, Keith said \u2013 but Jack was never interested in selling.<\/p>\n

A hopeful buyer \u2013 a Case Tractors dealer from Texas \u2013 offered Jack a brand-new Cadillac in 1965 in exchange for Old Abe, Keith said; but Jack declined.<\/p>\n

The exact starting bid for the tractor, which will be up for auction Saturday morning, hadn\u2019t been set as of Thursday. But the ballpark will likely be in the thousands, according to auction and estate staff members.<\/p>\n

\"The
The emblem on the front of Old Abe, a Case steam tractor that dates back to the turn of the century that was rebuilt by the late Jack Newbold. The tractor is being auctioned off during his family\u2019s estate sale today and Saturday in west Durango. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The family\u2019s hope is that the tractor will be bought by the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad and be featured in the D&SNG museum on Main Avenue.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just hope it goes to someone who\u2019s going to display it,\u201d Devin Newbold, Jack\u2019s grandson, said. \u201cIt\u2019s been hiding in the shop for so many years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jack, despite having only an eighth grade education, which he received from the Old Fort, was an accomplished self-taught engineer who built and refurbished many vehicles and other items, and garnered a reputation as a sharpshooter among the Durango community.<\/p>\n

\"Old
Old Abe, a Case steam tractor that dates back to the turn of the century, was rebuilt years ago by the late Jack Newbold. The tractor will be auctioned off during his family\u2019s estate sale today and Saturday in west Durango. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cBoth of his older brothers went away to World War II, and one of them was killed in action, and the other one never came back, so he had to step up when he should have been going to school,\u201d Keith said. \u201cHe was happy to take care of the old folks. He was working on stuff like this, figuring it out, since he was a kid. He just had a knack. He just had that \u2018it\u2019 factor.\u201d<\/p>\n

A NASA engineer once consulted Jack when he was stuck on an engineering problem, Keith said \u2013 one of many mechanical professionals who would come to Jack for help throughout his life.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe guy literally was a rocket scientist, having problems with an engineering issue, even though that\u2019s what he did, and somebody said, \u2018If anybody can figure it out, Jack Newbold can,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cHe came up here (to the shop), and my dad said, \u2018Well, what you need to do is this, this and this.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

When he wasn\u2019t restoring steam engines and antique tractors, Jack was involved in a range of business ventures and jobs over the course of his life. He worked as a firefighter with the Durango Fire Department for five years, was a founding board member of Animas Fire Protection District, and owned and operated several area businesses with wife Jolene, including Welding Service and Supply, Cottonwood Camper Park, Hermosa Gravel Products and Newbold Firewood.<\/p>\n

Pat Story, who runs Hesperus-based Treasure Auction Services with Calvin Story, said going through the extensive estate has been like a treasure hunt.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs you go through (Jack\u2019s) belongings, you start to learn how he thought,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd he was a genius.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The
The late Jack Newbold rebuilt \ufffdOld Abe\ufffd a Case steam tractor that dates back to the turn of the century and is now up for sale during his families estate sale today and Saturday in west Durango. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n

\n<\/p>

Along with the tractor, the auction will feature a range of antiques, collectibles and oddities from Jack\u2019s and late wife Jolene\u2019s collection, including a Bobcat Mod 763 Skidsteer; a wood-burning shop stove; a sorghum press; a 1994 Dodge Ram 1500 V8 Mag Single Cab; a bee smoker; a VW Jeep; a Honda 600 Project Car and a Bachman Climax 97 Incline two-man steam-powered parade engine, which Jack built from scratch.<\/p>\n

\"The
The late Jack Newbold built from scratch a Climax 97 Incline two-man steam-powered parade engine, which will be auctioned off during his family\u2019s estate sale today and Saturday in west Durango. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The Bachman traveled from Antonita to Chama, New Mexico, on the Cumbres and Toltec Railroad, Keith said.<\/p>\n

Jack died in 2014, and Jolene in 2021 \u2013 but this year felt like the right time to hold the auction, Keith said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019\u2019 just time,\u201d he said. \u201cI mean, my dad died in (2014), my mom died in 2021, and there\u2019s just so much stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The
The late Jack Newbold added chain steering when he rebuilt Old Abe, a Case steam tractor that dates back to the turn of the century. The tractor will be auctioned off during his family\u2019s estate sale today and Saturday in west Durango. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Jack stopped bringing Old Abe to parades and events around 2006, when the state began requiring pricey boiler inspections \u2013 and residents noticed its absence.<\/p>\n

\u201c(The tractor) was very well-received by a lot of people,\u201d Keith said. \u201cWhen he stopped running it in parades, people were calling him and saying, \u2018Jack, why isn\u2019t it in the parade anymore?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Auction information<\/h4>\n

The Newbold Estate Auction is scheduled for 12:03 p.m. Friday and 9:04 a.m. Saturday at 21010 U.S. Highway 160 in Durango. Friday\u2019s auction will feature collectibles and smaller items, and Saturday\u2019s sale will focus on larger items in the shop, including the Old Abe tractor. For more information and a list of items for sale, visit www.treasureauctionservice.com\/upcomingauctions\/newbold-estate<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Though Old Abe has been dormant in Jack\u2019s shop for the last 20 years, Keith is confident the tractor will be fit as a fiddle after being cleaned and given a good oiling.<\/p>\n

It will be bittersweet seeing Old Abe and the rest of his parent\u2019s collection sell, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to be good to get things wound down,\u201d he said. \u201cBut you know, I\u2019m 70 years old now, and I spent my whole lifetime watching (my dad) collect stuff. \u2026 He wanted to set up a museum, and, you know, he just kind of ran out of time.\u201d<\/p>\n

epond@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Ol
Ol Abe, a steam and coal-powered tractor, seen as part of a parade in about 1951. (Courtesy of Edward Horvat\/La Plata County Historical Society)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Ol
Ol Abe, a steam- and coal-powered tractor, seen as part of a parade in 1962. (Courtesy of Edward Horvat\/La Plata County Historical Society)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Ol
Ol Abe, a steam- and coal-powered tractor, seen in 1965. (Courtesy of Edward Horvat\/La Plata County Historical Society)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Old
Old Abe, a Case steam tractor that dates back to the turn of the century, was rebuilt years ago by the late Jack Newbold. The tractor will be auctioned off during his family\u2019s estate sale, which will run Friday and Saturday in west Durango. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u2018Old Abe\u2019 was built by Jack Newbold using an 1898 steam engine<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":131939,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5736,5735],"tags":[1357,255,1820,28,198,714,1408,2274,6419],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-131938","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news","category-news","tag-contests","tag-death-and-dying","tag-dh-trueanthem","tag-headlines","tag-history","tag-human-interest","tag-parade","tag-sales","tag-tj-trueanthem"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131938","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=131938"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131938\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/131939"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=131938"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=131938"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=131938"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=131938"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}