Rudy Kouhoupt built this miniature steam roller, a “Copperhead,” in 1977. On the original roller, motive power was provided via steam, while rear rolling drums provided the weight needed to roll asphalt flat on early road projects. Rudy’s miniature steamroller replicates all of the detail from the original machine.
One of the first large donations to the Miniature Engineering Craftsmanship Museum was the collection of famed model engine builder Rudy Kouhoupt. Rudy’s niece, Susan Alvaro, was kind enough to donate his entire lifetime engine collection for display at the grand opening of the museum in 2006. After retiring as a chemist, Rudy had a second career building engines and writing magazine articles documenting the process. Many people have built his models, but we have the honor of displaying all of his original prototypes. Rudy’s collection includes scale model engines, locomotives, tractors and more. Additionally, thirteen of Rudy’s model steam engines are hooked up to run on compressed air to demonstrate their function.
