Editing Traction engine (section)

==Types and usage==
Traction engines saw commercial use in a variety of roles between the mid-nineteenth and mid-twentieth centuries. Each role required a machine with a different set of characteristics, and the traction engine evolved into a number of different types to suit these different roles.

===Agricultural (general purpose) engine===
[[File:Tractionengine.jpg|thumb|right|An agricultural engine, towing a [[living van]] and a water cart: [[Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies Ltd]] 6&nbsp;nhp ''Jubilee'' of 1908]]
General purpose engines were the most common form in the countryside. They were used for hauling and as a stationary power source. Even when farmers did not own such a machine they would rely upon it from time to time. Many farms would use [[draught horse]]s throughout the year, but during the harvest, threshing contractors would travel from farm to farm hauling the [[threshing machine]] which would be set up in the field and powered from the engine &ndash; a good example of the moveable stationary engine.

====US (agricultural) traction engine====
<!-- Commented out because image was deleted: [[File:150 hp Case.JPG|thumb|right|One of the largest steam traction engines manufactured in the US: the {{convert|150|hp|adj=on}} Case steam traction engine had driving wheels 8 feet in diameter, and was over 25 feet long.]] -->
Favourable soil conditions meant that US traction engines usually pulled their ploughs behind them, thereby eliminating the complexities of providing a cable drum and extra gearing, hence simplifying maintenance. American traction engines were manufactured in a variety of sizes, with the 6&nbsp;nhp<!--NOTE: original text stated 6hp (which attracts auto-convert bots). I suspect 6&nbsp;nhp is more likely - EdJogg-->  [[Russell & Company (Steam Tractor)|Russell]] being the smallest commercially made, and the large engines made by [[Russell & Company (Steam Tractor)|Russell]], Case, and [[Reeves & Co|Reeves]] being the largest.{{Citation needed|date=February 2009}}

===Ploughing engine===
[[File:Steam ploughing demonstration at the Great Dorset Steam Fair 2014 - geograph.org.uk - 4155713.jpg|thumb|left|A [[John Fowler & Co.]] Ploughing Engine – the winding drum is mounted below the boiler]]
A distinct form of traction engine, characterised by the provision of a large diameter winding drum driven by separate gearing from the steam engine.<ref name=Burton49>{{cite book |last=Burton |first=Anthony |date=2000 |title=Traction Engines Two Centuries of Steam Power| publisher=Silverdale Books |page=49|isbn=1856055337}}</ref>   Onto the drum a long length of [[wire rope]] was wound, which was used to haul an implement, such as a [[plough]], across a field, while the engine remained on the [[Headland (agriculture)|headland]].<ref name=Burton49 /> This minimized the area of land subject to [[soil compaction]].

The winding drum was either mounted horizontally (below the boiler), vertically (to one side), or even concentrically, so that it encircled the boiler. The majority were underslung (horizontal), however, and necessitated the use of an extra-long boiler to allow enough space for the drum to fit between the front and back wheels. These designs were the largest and longest traction engines to be built.

Mostly the ploughing engines worked in pairs, one on each side of the field, with the wire rope from each machine fastened to the implement to be hauled.<ref name=Ranieri91 /> The two drivers communicated by signals using the engine whistles.<ref name=Ranieri91 /> The engines in the pairs differed slightly with one designed to feed the cable out on the left side and the other on the right.<ref name=Johnson11>{{cite book |last=Johnson |first=Brian |title=Classic Plant Machinery |publisher=Boxtree Limited |publication-place=London |date=1998 |isbn=0-7522-2437-9 |page=11}}</ref> Occasionally an alternative system was used where the plough was pulled between a single engine and an anchor.<ref name=Ranieri91>{{cite book |last=Ranieri |first=Malcolm |date=2005 |title=Traction Engine Album |publisher=Crowood Press |page=91|isbn=1861267940}}</ref>

A variety of implements were constructed for use with ploughing engines. The most common were the [[Plough#Balance plough|balance plough]] and the [[cultivator]] – ploughing and cultivating being the most physically demanding jobs to do on an arable farm. Other implements could include a mole drainer, used to create an underground drainage channel or pipe, or a dredger bucket for dredging rivers or moats. The engines were frequently provided with a 'spud tray' on the front axle, to store the 'spuds' which would be fitted to the wheels when travelling across claggy ground.

Ploughing engines were rare in the US; ploughs were usually hauled directly by an agricultural engine or [[steam tractor]].

====History====
The first steam ploughing engine built and trialled was in 1837 when [[John Heathcoat]] MP demonstrated a steam powered vehicle he designed for ploughing very soft ground.<ref>"Heathcote's Steam Plough", ''Chelmsford Chronicle'', 29 December 1837, p. 4</ref><ref name=Haining49>{{cite book |last1=Haining |first1=John|last2=Tyler |first2=John |date=1985 |title=Ploughing by Steam: A History of Steam Cultivation Over the Years |publisher=Ashgrove press |pages=49–58 |isbn=0906798493}}</ref> This used a very early form of [[continuous track]]s, and its twin-cylinder steam engine could be either used for the ploughing winch or for propulsion. Another ploughing engine, devised by [[Peter Drummond-Burrell, 22nd Baron Willoughby de Eresby]], possibly designed by [[Daniel Gooch]] and constructed at [[Swindon Works]], the [[Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland]], awarded £100 out of a possible £500 of its prize for creating a steam ploughing engine,<ref name=Burton38>{{cite book |last=Burton |first=Anthony |date=2000 |title=Traction Engines Two Centuries of Steam Power| publisher=Silverdale Books |page=38 |isbn=1856055337}}</ref> {{citation needed span|date=November 2022|was exhibited at the [[Great Exhibition of 1851]] in London}}. Lord Willoughby had indicated that his design could be copied freely, and Fowler had visited [[Grimsthorpe Castle]], the estate where the ploughing engines were deployed.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Pearson |first1=R. E. |last2=Ruddock |first2=J. G. |title=Lord Willoughby's Railway |publisher=Willoughby Memorial Trust |date= 1986-09-30 |isbn=978-0951165607|at=Chapter 2}}</ref> Between 1855 and 1857 a farmer by the name of William Smith and [[John Fowler (agricultural engineer)|John Fowler]] developed wire driven ploughing engines that were powered by portable engines.<ref name=Haining72>{{cite book |last1=Haining |first1=John|last2=Tyler |first2=John |date=1985 |title=Ploughing by Steam: A History of Steam Cultivation Over the Years |publisher=Ashgrove Press |pages=72–76 |isbn=0906798493}}</ref> By 1863 [[W. Savory and Sons]] had introduced a mobile ploughing engine and were using engines at both ends of the field.<ref name=Haining92 /> Their wire drum was vertical and was mounted around the boiler of the engine.<ref name=Haining92>{{cite book |last1=Haining |first1=John|last2=Tyler |first2=John |date=1985 |title=Ploughing by Steam: A History of Steam Cultivation Over the Years |publisher=Ashgrove press |pages=92–95 |isbn=0906798493}}</ref>

Production took place outside the UK with [[Kemna Bau]] of Germany producing ploughing engines.<ref name=Burton46>{{cite book |last=Burton |first=Anthony |date=2000 |title=Traction Engines Two Centuries of Steam Power| publisher=Silverdale Books |page=46 |isbn=1856055337}}</ref>

Peak use in Britain was during World War 1 with a bit over 600 pairs as the country attempted to increase food production.<ref name=Johnson13>{{cite book |last=Johnson |first=Brian |title=Classic Plant Machinery |publisher=Boxtree Limited |publication-place=London |date=1998 |isbn=0-7522-2437-9 |page=13}}</ref>  Use of ploughing engines declined in the 1920s as internal combustion engine powered tractors took over.<ref name=Ranieri92 /> [[John Fowler & Co.]] stopped producing of ploughing engines in 1935 .<ref name=Burton46 /> Low prices in the aftermath of World War 2 resulted meant a few farmers purchased them and continued to use them into the 1950s.<ref name=Ranieri92>{{cite book |last=Ranieri |first=Malcolm |date=2005 |title=Traction Engine Album |publisher=Crowood Press |page=92 |isbn=1861267940}}</ref> As late as 1998 few engines in preservation were taking the occasional commercial job dredging lakes.<ref name=Johnson13 />
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===Steam tractor (US)===
{{Main|Steam tractor}}
In [[North America]], the term ''steam tractor'' usually refers to a type of [[agriculture|agricultural]] [[tractor]] powered by a [[steam engine]], used extensively in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

===Steam tractor (UK)===
[[File:Rack Saw NMSCS 2023.webm|thumb|A Fowler traction engine driving a racksaw]]
In [[Great Britain]], the term ''steam tractor'' is more usually applied to the smallest models of traction engine &ndash; typically those weighing below 5 tons for the engine to be single manned (up until 1923 anything above had to be manned by at least two people; a driver and steersman); used for hauling small loads on public roads.<ref name=Ranieri29>{{cite book |last=Ranieri |first=Malcolm |date=2005 |title=Traction Engine Album  |publisher=Crowood Press |page=29 |isbn=1861267940}}</ref> In 1923 the weight limit was raised to 7.5 tons.<ref name=Burton75>{{cite book |last=Burton |first=Anthony |date=2000 |title=Traction Engines Two Centuries of Steam Power| publisher=Silverdale Books |page=75 |isbn=1856055337}}</ref>  Although known as ''light steam tractors'', these engines are generally just smaller versions of the road locomotive.

They were popular in the timber trade in the UK, although variations were also designed for general light road haulage and showman's use.<!--<ref name=Ranieri106 /> will cover showman's use-->

The most popular of these designs was probably the [[Richard Garrett & Sons|Garrett]] 4CD, meaning ''4'' nominal horse power [[Compound locomotive|compound]].<ref>''Garrett Steam Tractors & Rollers'', R. A. Whitehead, 1999</ref>
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===Road locomotive===
[[File:Showman's Engine at the Great Dorset Steam Fair.JPG|thumb|left|A ''Showman's Engine'' at the [[Great Dorset Steam Fair]]]]
[[File:SteamTractionF5-3034.jpg|thumb|Steam traction heavy haulage]]
[[File:Fowlers Monarch of the Road 01.JPG|thumb|right|Fowler's ''Monarch of the Road'' showman's engine]]

Designed for haulage of heavy loads on public highways, it was common for two or even three to be coupled together to allow heavier loads to be handled.

The characteristic features of these engines are very large rear driving wheels fitted with solid [[rubber]] [[Tire|tyres]], three-speed gearing (most traction engine types have only two gears), rear suspension, and belly tanks to provide a greater range between the stops needed to replenish water. All these features are to improve the ride and performance of the engine, which were used for journeys of hundreds of miles. Most road locomotives are fitted with a winch drum on the back axle. This can be used by removing the driving pins from the rear wheels, allowing the drive train to power the winch drum instead of the wheels.

[[James Boydell]] worked with the British steam traction engine manufacturer [[Charles Burrell & Sons]] to produce road haulage engines from 1856 that used his [[dreadnaught wheel]]s which were particularly suited to bad roads or off-road use.<ref name="gracesguide">{{cite web|title=Charles Burrell and Sons: Road Locomotive|url=http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Charles_Burrell_and_Sons:_Road_Locomotive|work=Steam Locomotion on Common Roads |first=William |last=Fletcher |year=1891}}</ref>

One place where road locomotives found a significant amount of use was in hauling timber from where it was felled to timber yards.<ref name=Burton55 />  Once the timber had been moved to a road the road movements were carried out hauling the trunks on [[pole wagon]]s.<ref name=Burton55>{{cite book |last=Burton |first=Anthony |date=2000 |title=Traction Engines Two Centuries of Steam Power| publisher=Silverdale Books |pages=55–59 |isbn=1856055337}}</ref> In France road locomotives were used to move mail in the 1880s.<ref name=Burton68>{{cite book |last=Burton |first=Anthony |date=2000 |title=Traction Engines Two Centuries of Steam Power| publisher=Silverdale Books |pages=68–70 |isbn=1856055337}}</ref>

A number of road locomotives are fitted with a [[crane (machine)|crane]] boom on the front. The boom pivot is mounted on the front axle assembly and a small [[winch]] is mounted on an extension to the smokebox in front of the chimney, the cable passing over a [[sheave]] at the top of the boom arm. The winch is powered by bevel gears on a shaft driven directly from the engine, with some form of clutch providing raise/lower control. These road locomotives can be used to load a trailer as well as to haul it to a new location. They are often referred to as 'crane engines'.

A particularly distinctive form of road locomotive was the [[showman's road locomotive|showman's engine]].<ref name=Ranieri105>{{cite book |last=Ranieri |first=Malcolm |date=2005 |title=Traction Engine Album |publisher=Crowood Press |page=105|isbn=1861267940}}</ref> These were operated by travelling showmen both to tow fairground equipment and to power it when set up, either directly or by running a generator.<ref name=Ranieri105 /> These could be highly decorated and formed part of the spectacle of the fair.<ref name=Ranieri105 /> Some were fitted with a small crane that could be used when assembling the ride.<ref name=Ranieri106>{{cite book |last=Ranieri |first=Malcolm |date=2005 |title=Traction Engine Album |publisher=Crowood Press |page=106|isbn=1861267940}}</ref> About 400 were built with 107 surviving into preservation.<ref name=Ranieri106 />

The poor state of the roads and the larger distances involved meant road locomotives (including showman's engines) were less used in the US.<ref name=Burton70>{{cite book |last=Burton |first=Anthony |date=2000 |title=Traction Engines Two Centuries of Steam Power| publisher=Silverdale Books |page=70 |isbn=1856055337}}</ref><ref name=Burton104>{{cite book |last=Burton |first=Anthony |date=2000 |title=Traction Engines Two Centuries of Steam Power| publisher=Silverdale Books |pages=104–105 |isbn=1856055337}}</ref>

====History====
In Britain the rise of the use of road locomotives was held back by high tolls charged by turnpike roads.<ref name=Burton54 /> The tolls were eventually limited by the [[Locomotive Act 1861]].<ref name=Burton54>{{cite book |last=Burton |first=Anthony |date=2000 |title=Traction Engines: Two Centuries of Steam Power| publisher=Silverdale Books |page=54 |isbn=1856055337}}</ref> Four years later, the [[Locomotives Act 1865]] was passed limiting engines to 4&nbsp;mph and requiring that they preceded by a person carrying a red flag.<ref name=Burton54 /> The first traction engine focused on road haulage was offered for sale by [[Charles Burrell & Sons]] in 1856 and tyres were introduced around the same time.<ref name=Burton62>{{cite book |last=Burton |first=Anthony |date=2000 |title=Traction Engines: Two Centuries of Steam Power| publisher=Silverdale Books |pages=62–63 |isbn=1856055337}}</ref> In 1896 the speed limit in the UK was raised to 6MPH and the red flag carrier requirement was dropped.<ref name=Burton73>{{cite book |last=Burton |first=Anthony |date=2000 |title=Traction Engines Two Centuries of Steam Power| publisher=Silverdale Books |page=73 |isbn=1856055337}}</ref>

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===Steamroller===
{{main|Steamroller}}
[[File:Kemna Bau Pinneberg Fahrzeug.jpg|thumb|An early [[Kemna Bau|Kemna]] steamroller]]
Related to the steam traction engine, the steam roller was used for road building and flattening ground. They were typically designed with a single heavy roller (in practice, usually a pair of adjacent rollers) replacing the front wheels and axle, and smooth rear wheels without [[Grouser|strake]]s.

Some traction engines were designed to be '''convertible''': the same basic machine could be fitted with either standard [[Tire tread|treaded]] road wheels, or else smooth rolls – the changeover between the two being achieved in less than half a day.