THOMPSON'S ROAD STEAMER IN MELBOURNE.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 114, 14 April 1870, Page 6

THOMPSON'S ROAD STEAMER IN MELBOURNE.

The trial of a road locomotive, manufactux'ed by Messrs. T. M. Tennant and Co., of the Bowers-hall Iron and Engine Works, Leith, Scotland (after a design patented by Mx\ E. W. Thompson), and x'ecently imported by Messrs. A. Macfarlan, of Little Flinders-street, yesterday occasioned some little commotion in the stx*eets, through which the engine steadily steamed along. The idea of street locomotives is not by any means a new one, attempts having been frequently made of late yeax-s to adapt the iron hox-se to the cx*owded axxd busy thoroughfares of cities. In Leith, for instaxice, several of these tx*actioxi engines are regulax*ly employed in drawing heavy loads of iron and timber, and some steam omnibuses have been introduced into fashionable Paris. Sti-eet locomotives are, however, novelties on this side of the "world, and the trial of the one above x-efexred to, was x'egax'ded with considex'able interest. One of the special featux*es of this new and impx-oved traction-engine is that all the parts ax*e high xxp off the ground, the lowest being fully two feet cleax'. It has three wheels, each 18in. wide. The leading one, by which the engine is steered, as it were, is five feet in diameter, and the two driving wheels each sft. 9in. in diametex\ The latter are fitted with friction-breaks, by means of which, in turning a cox-ncr, the wheels accommodate themselves to their respective curves. The front wheel works on an angle iron turn-table, resting on two carnage springs, and the axle of the dx-iving wheels rests on two rubber blocks six inches thick, which obviates the sharp jarring so destructive to all x*oad engines, while the friction breaks on the wheels prevent any undue strain on the machinexy. In order to give the wheels a good gxip on the ground pieces of iron are fitted diagonally across the tires, but in some of the newest machines the necessity for these has been obviated by using stout india-rubber tires, which answer better still. The boiler which resembles those used in ox'dinaxy locomotives, has a large fire box and fixrnace-door specially adapted for burning wood, though coal can be used with equal facility; The engines, on each side, are -entirely outside the framing, and every part of them are easy of access. The boiler is made very short, to allow of steep gx-adients being surmounted with safety, the covering plates being carried the length of the smokepipe, to give it the appearance of an ordinary locomotive boiler* The engine shaft extends outsitle the framing, for carrying a driving pulley, so that the engine can be tvx m ned at once from traction to stationery purposes. The slow rate of speed obtainable is about four and a half miles an houx-, though the engines ax-e so fitted that a Speed from 10 to 12 miles can be obtained if required. The speed can be altered at any moment by the man on" the foot-plate. Two men are x*equired to each engine, one to steer and the otber to attend to the fires and otherwise look after the machinexy. No difficulty was expexienced in steaming from. Sandridge yesterday, though the road .having been