CALIFORNIA RARITY

Frisco Standard stationary gas engines are a rare sight. Manufactured by the Standard Gas Engine Co., San Francisco, California, Standard engines – particularly their marine engines – were popular on the West Coast, but it seems that very few made it over the Sierra Nevada mountains to the central or eastern parts of the U.S.

The company was established around 1900 as the Standard Machine Works, and in 1901 built its first engine, a single-cylinder marine engine similar to the engine featured here.

Rapid growth led to reorganization and a reincorporation as Standard Gas Engine Co., in 1902. Initial offerings were single-cylinder marine engines available in 3hp to 9hp sizes. Designed by former Union Gas Engine Co. machinist Peter Morhdieck, the vertical sideshaft engines featured mechanically actuated intake and exhaust valves, and incorporated Morhdieck’s unique throttle governor design. Morhdieck’s engine and governor designs were not patented until 1906, although the applications for patent were made in