JF Ptak Science Books Quick Post
I found this fine illustration in an 1873 volume of the Journal of the Franklin Institute, a “road locomotive”, the first one produced by the firm Aveling & Porter, who, we are told, “had previously done no real work”. This certainly looks like real work to me. The specifications found in the article paint an even larger picture than the picture of the machine does it credit. The boiler, for example, is 8′ long, meaning that the machine overall is about 11′ long; the boiler’s diameter is 30″, which makes the vehicle about 10′ tall. The big wheel is big: 60″ in diameter (supporting a 10′ height) and very heavy, weighing 450 pounds. The overall weight on this beast is 11,648 lbs.
Source: Thurston, R.H. “Traction Engines or Road Locomotives. The Past, the Present and the Future of Steam on the Common Road”. Journal of the Franklin Institute, volume 95, 1873, pp 17-43.