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The Traction Engine

This page is dedicated to the Steam Traction Engine used in the rural farming communities of North America. I would hope that through a better understanding of the steam engines intricacies, workings and safety requirements that more people will be bitten by that proverbial "steam bug". Beware though! Once you are afflicted there is no known cure to medical science.

Other interests may come and go temporarily but the bug will return seasonally and increase in frequency of attacts. Sometimes referred to as an "itchy throttle hand" or "a longing to hear the stack talk".

Your frequency of attendance at steam festivals and shows will need to be increased and the distance traveled will become of less importance.

The desire and compulsion for your own throttle will also begin to appear. Scale models may become adequate medicine for some while others afflicted with this oily soot covered bug will need much larger doses weighing 10 to 15 tons. You will be required to consume 50 to 60 gallons of water an hour and need to be feed a continuous diet of wood or coal. Failure to heed the symptoms and comply will only lead to worse attacks in the near future.

Various strains of this bug have been reported in collectors of gas engines, gas tractors and cars but the "Steam bug" is considered the most contagious. Positive diagnosis of the affliction can be confirmed by the people you were with at the last show when they say to you, "geez, all you did was talk and watch those guys with the steam engines" and you realize you didn't see nor can you remember anything else from that day!

You will likely go back again the next day or to the next possible show by yourself so you can go & watch what you want without anyone saying come on! You will start asking more questions of those guys with the soot covered hats & oily leather gloves who congregate near their wood piles or water barrels (seldom more than 20-30 feet from their engines) and find they welcome your questions and are glad to answer any and all !

If you dare to continue further here you may already have one of the first symptoms. Beware!

History of the Steam Traction Engine.............. click here

History of The Sawyer Massey Company..........click here

Traction Engines in the 21st Century ...............click here

History of the Haggert Bros. Manufacturing Co click here

History of the MacDonald Thresher Company ...coming soon

How to run a Steam Traction Engine.................coming soon