A Revolutionising Steam Wagon.

Progress, Volume I, Issue 3, 2 January 1906, Page 57

A Revolutionising Steam Wagon.

As the outcome of a series of expenments made with a view to doing away with the complicated machinery at present necessary in some steam wagons, and also with the excessive vibration which adds so greatly to the wear and tear, a new type of motor 'wagon has been evolved and will shortly be placed upon the market. The engine runs approximately at only 80 strokes per minute, and is decidedly unique in construction. The driving or transmission gear is novel also, and consists of two ratchet wheels attached to sleeves on the driving axle, fitted with four clutches (two to each wheel), operated by the connecting rods of the engine. The clutches are connected by pawls which engage with the teeth of the ratchet wheels, there being double sets of pawls fitted to each clutch, by means of which the forward or backward motion is attained. The ratchet wheels are so constructed that the usual differential gear is done away with. There are no revolving shafts in the engine or driving gear, and there are no dead centres. The boiler has been designed to secure the advantages both of the fire tube and the semiflash without the disadvantages of either. The wheels are shod with wood, and have been specially designed to prevent slipping on setts, and also to provide a cheap wheel which can be repaired anywhere without the necessity of taking it off. The saving m tare weight over the present machines is about 25 per cent., due to the frame or body being lighter. The cost of producing a 6-ton wagon capable of carrying 10 tons with trailer is said to be at least £1 less than any motor lorry at present made. The wagon has been designed especially for heavy work. A syndicate is being formed to exploit the wagon.

adaptation to the locomotive would certainly seem to indicate the possibility of its being so adapted at any rate to the heavier classes of self-propelled vehicles, a result which might have a very beneficial influence on the future of this important branch of the industry.