(scroll down to read the story of this piece while the image is loading)

Serial #0403

Running Gear Sentinel 

Its working days had ended about two generations back. Since then, the old freight wagon undercarriage had gradually settled into the dirt along Palo Duro Creek in the northern Texas Panhandle. Unbolted from the powdery oak remains of the back axle, the forged strap-brace dictated the shape of the Running Gear Sentinel and is now riveted to the door frame. A tie rod bushing from the wagon’s front axle has become the door pull. Steel straps on the cherry door panel were once part of the grain sieve section on a J.I. Case threshing machine.

Sheet metal cladding the Sentinel sides has been cut from the tail panels off of two shelled-out John Deere combines.