Steam Traction on the Road: From Trevithick to Sentinel: 150 Years of Design and Development

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Anthony Burton

Steam Traction on the Road

From Trevithick to Sentinel: 150 Years of Design and Development

Anthony Burton

$56.99

Paperback

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English

Pen & Sword Transport
01 March 2023

History of engineering & technology; Steam engines; Road & motor vehicles: general interest

This is the story of how for more than a hundred years steam power played a vital role in the development of road transport. It all began with tentative attempts to build steam carriages by pioneers such as Cugnot in France and Trevithick in Britain, and in the early part of the nineteenth century there were significant attempts to develop steam carriages and omnibuses. That these attempts ultimately failed was largely due to opposition by road authorities and draconian legislation. Steam power did, however, find a real purpose in agriculture, where the traction engine was used for a variety of tasks from towing and working threshing machines, to ploughing. Once the value of the traction engine had been established, it soon found a use in many parts of the world for heavy haulage work and appeared in an exotic guise as the showman's engine. The latter was not only used to haul rides to fairgrounds but also powered a dynamo that could light up the fair at night. By the end of the nineteenth century, steam on the road took on a new life with the development of steam cars and trucks. For a time they vied the new internal combustion engine for supremacy on the road. The American Doble Company even developed a 100mph steam sports car. Ultimately steam lost the war, but steam vehicles survive and delight us still thanks to enthusiastic owners and restorers.

AUTHOR: Anthony Burton is a professional writer who has specialised in industrial and transport history. Among his many books on the subject are a biography of the pioneer of steam transport, Richard Trevithick, and an account of a journey in search of all types of steam, Steaming Through Britain. He has also worked on many TV documentaries, including a ninety-minute film on the Great Dorset Steam Fair, which he wrote and presented for Channel 4. In his spare time he helps maintain and run a stationary steam engine in a former woollen mill.

100 colour illustrations

By: Anthony Burton
Imprint: Pen & Sword Transport
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 246mm, Width: 172mm,
ISBN: 9781399077224
ISBN 10: 1399077228
Pages: 200
Publication Date: 01 March 2023
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Unspecified

Anthony Burton is a professional writer who has specialised in industrial and transport history. Among his many books on the subject are a biography of the pioneer of steam transport, Richard Trevithick, and an account of a journey in search of all types of steam, Steaming Through Britain. He has also worked on many TV documentaries, including a ninety-minute film on the Great Dorset Steam Fair, which he wrote and presented for Channel 4. In his spare time he helps maintain and run a stationary steam engine in a former woollen mill.

Reviews for Steam Traction on the Road: From Trevithick to Sentinel: 150 Years of Design and Development

"""I found the early years of development fascinating as Burton not only recounts facts and figures, but explains the mechanical differences in the evolution of traction engines as well as their operation. The description of what it took to fire up a Stanley Steamer was quite detailed and to my mind, a tad daunting -- but then again, we're used to just turning a key.""-- ""Historical Miniatures Gaming Society"""