CC reader Toffee just sent me this shot he took of a steam tractor pulling a trailer and a car behind that! A dingy, perhaps. This is in Stow-on-the-Wold, and Toffee says it was running along at a pretty good clip, although it does look like it might have been holding up some traffic behind it. The UK had a large fleet of steam trucks on its street well into the fifties, and one of these days, we’ll have to celebrate them. Nice catch! And here’s the side view as it comes chugging by:
I shot a Maclaren steamer watering up at the curb Paul its in a dead camera unfortunately but its local so I will see it again and so will you guys on the cohort.
One of the benefits of living in midwestern farm country in the U.S. is the prevalence of steam traction and power shows from time to time in the summer. There will be one near me next month at the Indiana State Fair, and there is another that I have been to in southern Indiana. The old retired farmers bring out the old steam tractors and many antique stationary engines and fire them up.
I love watching the old steam engines powering portable sawmills and such with those long leather belts that flop along in a figure 8. It has been awhile since I have been to one of these, and I need to do something about that.
I loves me some antique tractor shows. There’s a big one in Cumming, GA every November, and the sound when 20+ steamers simultaneously blow their whistles is breathtaking!
I was on a business trip in the South Island when I was driving between Oamaru and Timaru in the afternoon. About halfway to Timaru I came across on old traction engine, clanking away down the road! I was a little surprised, but also very excited, these things are so cool. Anyway, I continued my journey, got to my destination, and checked in to my hotel. A few hours later and I heard a god-awful clanking sound, and lo and behold, it’s the same traction engine making it’s way through Timaru! It clanked on past the hotel, and faded into the distance. I couldn’t believe it – that guy must’ve been driving that thing for hours. Who know where he was going…..
I haven’t seen any self-propelled steamers lately, but I did see this steam donkey up and running at a local logging/old tractor etc. show, along with a good many one-lung stationary engines, dragsaws and the like.
…and speaking of dragsaws, my father had a couple of them in the late 1940’s. The main thing I remember about them was how cranky they were, and how happy Pop was when he got his first chain saw.
The one shown has sawed almost all the way through the log it’s working on.
Here’s the other side of the dragsaw.
Man that tractor is huge! The men on it look like the tiny people featured in illustrated 1930s-1950s car brochures.