The moment you light a fire an engine will take on a personality, it will emit strange sounds and smells and will require coaxing to life. Whatever sparks someone’s interest, I like to think it’s because in many ways these vehicles appear and act like they are alive. She’s an Aveling & Porter built in 1893 with a rich and varied history, so I took the plunge and became the proud owner. In my own case, I was apprenticing to a friend who owns a 1923 steamroller and I learned that Vanguard was coming up for sale. Maybe their family has passed down an engine over the years, or a childhood fascination has taken root and led them to restoring one from a wreck. There are many reasons people are drawn to steam engines. Whether or not the Victorians would have expected to see some of the actual engines they produced still operating is another matter! I imagine they would have looked on in some amazement if they knew that with all the modern, clean and comfortable technology of today, there are still people who slave away over their machines getting covered in oil and soot. Originally produced to work on farms and fairgrounds, to build roads and move heavy objects, they were truly the original multi-purpose vehicle. Steam power drove the Industrial Revolution, and in the case of traction engines this is meant quite literally. The fact that so many examples survive and remain in working order is a testament to their skill and dedication. Victorians had a profound optimism for the future and pride in their accomplishments you only have to look at the surviving examples of their engineering to see this. What is it about steam traction engines that persuades so many to put so much time, effort and money into keeping them alive?
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