This year was the 30th for the Gateway Farm Toy Show in St. Louis. The Baker family and the Gateway Farm Toy Club have been working together for three decades to make this event a success.

One of the things that makes this show so unique is the Model and Display Contest sponsored by the club. The show was a weekend event kicking off on Feb. 4 with the model and display contest on Feb. 5.

The adult division offers a variety of opportunities for competition. This year’s adult display winner was Jim Rye of Clifford, Mich. The first-place winner in the 1/16-scale scratch-built division was Robert Denson of West Memphis, Ark., for his tractor and cotton module hauler.

Robert has won before and many visitors to the show were excited to see another remote-controlled entry from him. This year, his winning 1/16 display was a 379 Peterbilt with the cotton module hauler. In the past Robert has displayed his remote controlled TerraGator and John Deere combine.

Robert explained, “Cotton is harvested in the fall around October and can run all through to December. Once the cotton has been picked, that is when it is formed into a module. The cotton picker empties into a module builder. The module builder compacts the cotton, then the modular builder is like a truck – it pulls away and leaves the cotton module in the field.”

Sitting next to Robert was Steve Schultz of Monroe, Wis. Steve won the 1/32 and 1/16 custom-built category in the adult division. Steve also had some amazing entries into the scratch-built category with his Allis-Chalmers forage wagon and fertilizer spreader.

“It has a working jack, and tension for a V belt,” Steve shared. “This was my first attempt at a V belt. I used string, then cast rubber; the string is so it would not lose its shape. I plan on using belts now on my other equipment.”
Features on Steve’s wagon include side shields, the chain rattler and standard PTO, as well as levers on the side pan that actually lift up.

“I have pressed teeth on the two-bar beater system,” Steve added, showing the fine teeth on the bar that was part of his forage harvester. Made from a stainless steel bar, this section was labor-intensive.

Another memorable scratch-built builder was Bill Herbest, who crafted several combines. “I started pretty young,” Bill said. “I just wanted items that Ertl didn’t manufacture.”

Brian Long of Iowa Park, Texas, took first place in the 1/64 scratch-built category.  Mike Wadzinski of Peoria took first in the 1/64 custom, and D.J. Harrison of Coatesville, Ind., took first place in the 1/64 scratch-built truck category.

In the model category, the Junior Division for 13- to 19-year-olds offered a customized opportunity as well. Eric Rinkel of Glen Carbon won first place and in the Youth Division for those 12 years and younger, Clayton Lyons of St. Charles, Mo., won first place.

The Ugly Toy first place winner was Kevin Tolka, second place went to Austin and Marshall Stirtz and in third was Rita Tolka.

Readers with questions or comments for Cindy Ladage may write to her in care of this publication.