WEST OSSIPEE – About two dozen Model T Ford snowmobiles provided lots of fun and nostalgia at a gathering of antique vehicle enthusiasts held Saturday.

The snowmobiles were the creation of Virgil D. White, who owned a Ford garage near the intersection of Rte. 16 and Rte. 25, and in 1913 patented his "Snowmobile." It was created with conversion kits for Model Ts that enable them to be run in snow.

The "snowmobiles" feature double rows of rear tires equipped with belt-like caterpillar chains to grip the snow, and instead of tires, the front ends have five-foot long wooden skis with metal runners.

Saturday's gathering was held near the site of a factory which turned out 25,000 conversion kits during the 1920s and attracted Model T enthusiasts like Howard "Buzz" Baker of Wolfeboro.

Baker, a Coast Guard retiree, is a Model T collector who built his own snowmobile from a 1924 Model T roadster, using parts from other Model Ts. His is one of just a handful of machines which still need to be cranked by hand in order to start the engine.

He said that's because his snowmobile actually has a 1917 engine, built before there were battery-powered electric starters.

The engine was a little balky Saturday and stalled out several times, but finally produced a blue haze of smoke as he took it out onto the nearby rail bed to give a ride to Howard Towne of Dorchester.

He wasn't the only one to experience problems.

Marty Boutwell of Boscawen has a 1922 Model T he spent several years putting together. His first run was made with tires still on the front and after he brought it back in and substituted wooden skis he had built he had trouble with the steering and had to have one of his assistants head down Rte. 16 to the nearest hardware store to get a part for him.

Boutwell owns M&S Farm off from Corn Hill Road in Boscawen and said he might even use the snowmobile for some of his work around the farm.

Steve Rosen of Hill, a carpenter, and his son, Andy, an auto body worker, brought along their 1924 Model T truck for its inaugural run in a snowmobile event.

Like others, they put their machine together with a collection of parts.

"It was a year and a half long project. And it took five years to collect the parts," said Rosen, who said he was fortunate the truck had been stored for years in a large culvert pipe and had been covered with grease.

"It was well preserved, no rust to speak of," said Rosen, who has been attending gatherings of Model T snowmobile enthusiasts for years, and was finally decided to put together one of his own.

Taking it all in with keen interest was John McBride of Wolfeboro, who is planning to put together his own machine.

The retired carpenter said he has all the parts in his garage and will be starting to work soon with his 1921 Model T.

"They're a lot of fun, Half the fun for me is just collecting the parts," said McBride.

But he doesn't expect to set any speed records with his machine. He says the four-cylinder, 20 horsepower engines are no match for modern snowmobiles, and the Model Ts have a top speed of about 15 miles per hour on the snow.