This is a list of companies that manufactured Steam & traction engines of any kind, including steam tractors, portable engines, Steam Lorries and steam rollers.
Great Britain[]
There were a large number of manufacturers in Great Britain. Most started life as agricultural engineers, and many exported engines all over the world. Some of the more prolific manufacturers are listed below:
- (x) = Number of known UK engines surviving. - based on data from The Traction Engine Register 2008 (10th edition) and updated from the 11th edition. Some engines have been exported, but 'new' ones are being repatriated to the UK. In total there are about 3000, but some are just parts and others reasonably complete but are awaiting restoration.
| Manufacturers Name | Date (1st built) | Date (last built) | No. Built | No. Surviving | Company location | Succesor / notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adamson | 1858 | 1859 | ? | ? | Dunkinfield, Cheshire | - |
| William Allchin Ltd | 1879 | 1930 | ~ 4000 | 21 | Northamptonshire | (MERL database entry) |
| John Allen of Oxford | ? | 1913 | ? | 1 | Oxford | later known as Allen of Oxford |
| Allen & Simmonds | 1909 | - | ? | ? | Reading | - |
| Appleby | 1880 | - | ? | ? | London | - |
| Archer & Hall | c. 1880 | 1900 | ? | 0 | Location ? | - |
| Armitage & Ruston | 1879 | 1881 | ? | ? | Chatters Cambridge | - |
| Armstrong & Whitworth | C. 1926 | ? | ? | 7 | Manchester & Newcastle | |
| Atkinson | ? | ? | ? | 1 | Preston, Lancashire. | Seddon Atkinson |
| Aveling | c.1859 | ? | ? | 0 | Rochester, Kent | Aveling & Porter |
| Aveling-Barford | c.1936 | c.1950 | ? | 18 | Grantham, Lincolnshire. | |
| Aveling & Porter | 1860 | 1937 | 14200 | (575) | Rochester, Kent | Aveling-Barford |
| Babcock & Wilcox | ? | ? | 6 | ? | Absorbed Clayton & Shuttleworth steam operations | |
| Barrows + various partners - Millwrights engineers and engine builders from Cherwell works, Banbury Oxfordshire | Started by Joseph Kirby 1787, engines offered from 1855 | ? | unknown | see below | Barrows are reputed to have built engines for John Fowler of Leeds before he had a factory as did Ransomes and Kitson and Hewitson. | |
| Kirby & Barrows | 1862 | 1863 | unknown | non known | Banbury, Oxon | |
| Barrows & Carmichael (1) - 1864-1868 | ||||||
| Barrows & Stewart (1) - 1868-1886/7 | ||||||
| Barrows & Co 6) - 1891-1919 | ||||||
| Blackstone | ? | ? | ? | 1 | Stamford Lincolnshire | (better known for Agricultural machinery and Oil engines. |
| Brown and May | ? | ? | ? | 18 | - Devizes in Wiltshire | No records survive |
| Charles Burrell & Sons | ? | ? | ? | 329 | Thetford, Norfolk | – (MERL database entry) |
Clayton & Shuttleworth (16), Lincoln, Lincolnshire – (MERL database entry)
- Clayton Wagons (1), Lincoln - Steam wagons
- John Collins (1), Bacton Suffolk
- Croskill (1), Beverley Yorkshire.
- Davey Paxman (18) - Better known for engines & locos
- Deans (1) Baldock Herts. - only built the one engine
- Dubs & Co. (0) - T/o by the North British Locomotive Co. Ltd in Glasgow
- Eddington Steevenson (1), Chelmsford, Essex - one of a fleet built by Wallis & Steevens to design of Eddington rad building contractors.
- George Elston (2) Welby lincolnshire
- Farmers Foundry (2) from ?
- Fisher (1) from ?
- Edwin Foden, Sons & Co Ltd (117), Sandbach, Cheshire
- Foreman & Co. (1), Romsey in Hampshire. (Modern replica -from 1980)
- William Foster & Co Ltd (71), Lincoln Lincolnshire
- Fowell (7), St Ives, Huntington Cambridgeshire
- John Fowler & Co. (518), Leeds, Yorkshire
- Richard Garrett & Sons Ltd (121), Leiston, Suffolk (Built a self propelled portable in 1858)
- Charles John Robert Fyson, (0), Soham, Cambridgeshire
- P & H.P. Gibbons (1) Portable, built in ?
- Gibbons & Robinson (1) traction engine, built in ?
- Grew of ? built a 'Ice locomotive' for Russia in 1860 (exhibited at the great exhibition in 1862)
- Hemsteds (1) Lincolnshire
- E.S. Hindley (2), Bourton, Dorset
- Holmes (1) portable, Norwich, Norfolk
- Richard Hornsby (15), Grantham, Lincolnshire Merged with Rustons to form Ruston & Hornsby
- James and Fredrick Howard (2), Bedford
- Edward Humphries & Co. Ltd (6), Pershore Worcestershire
- Kitson & Hewitson (0), Leeds - (A 1/2 scale working model exists)
- W. Lampitt & Co. (2), Banbury, Oxfordshire
- Lawson (1), Scotland
- Leyland Steam Carriage Co. (3), Leyland Lancashire
- Mann’s Patent Steam Cart and Wagon Company (12), Leeds, Yorkshire
- Marshall, Sons & Co. (444), Gainsborough, Lincolnshire
- J&H McLaren & Co. (47), Leeds, Yorkshire
- Messrs. Naylor & Co. (7) estimated - Hereford
- Davey Paxman & Co. (18), Colchester, Essex
- Ransomes and various partners
- Ransomes Sims & Head 1869-81, Ipswich
- Ransomes, Head & Jefferies 1881-1884, Ipswich
- Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies Ltd (184) 1885-? Ipswich
- Richard Garrett & Sons (121), Leiston
- Robey & Co Ltd – (MERL database entry)
- Robey & Co. (70), Lincoln
- Robinson & Auden Ltd (5),
- William Rose (2), Manchester - Fire brigade engines.
- Ruston, Proctor and Company Ltd (69), Lincolnshire - Foreruner to Ruston & Hornsby
- Ruston & Hornsby Ltd (42), Lincolnshire
- Savage (87) + 4 'New'- Fairground centre engines
- William Savory & Co. (5) Gloucestershire - Ploughing engines
- Sentinel Wagon works Ltd (117), Shrewsbury, England. Steam Wagon and Diesel lorries & locomotive Builders.
- Shand-Mason Ltd. (52), London - Fire engine builders
- Spider Wagon - modern conversion
- A W Smith (1) of Glasgow from 1920s
- Taskers of Andover (37), Hampshire
- Thomson-Tennant (0), Leith, Scotland - Vertical boilered 3 wheelers
- Thornycroft (2), London / Basingstoke better known for diesel trucks.
- Tidman 22) most no s/n, of Norwich - Fairground / organ engines.
- Richard Trevithick - more noted for Rail loco & Mine engines
- Tuxford & Sons Ltd (8), Boston Lincolnshire.
- Tuxford-Boydell (0), ? - Built a 3 wheeled machine with pad feet in 1858
- Wallis & Steevens (178), Basingstoke, Hampshire – (MERL database entry)
- Wantage Engineering Co. (2), Wantage, Berkshire (mainly repaired other makes)
- William Weeks & Co. (8) est. of Maistone Kent
- Yorkshire Patent Steam Wagon Co. (7), of Leeds Yorkshire
- Youngs (1), Diss Norfolk
North American Manufacturers[]
For full list of North American Manufacturers see:
- Main article: List of traction engine manufacturers in North America (from the Wikipedia list)
- No of survivors in the UK listed (x in UK).
- Abell, Toronto, Canada
- Advance Thresher Co., Michigan, USA (3 in UK)
- Advance-Rumely, LaPorte, Indiana, USA
- American, New Jersey, USA
- American Monarch, New York State, USA
- Ammerican-Abell, Toronto, Canada
- Ames, New York State, USA
- Atlas Co., Indianapolis, USA
- Avery, Peoria Illonois, USA
- Baker, Swanton Ohio, USA
- Buffalo Springfield (2 in UK),
- Desberon (steam trucks)
- Gaar-Scott, Richmond Indiana, USA
- George White (1 in UK)+ (1 in ROI) , Ontario, Canada
- J.I.Case
- Russell & Co. (1 in UK)
- Rumeley became Advance-Rumely
- Sawyer Massey
- Stevens, New York State, USA
- Union, Newark, Ohio, USA
- Upton, Battle Creek Michigam, USA
- Waterloo
German Manufacturers[]
(x) = Number of Known survivors world wide.
- (2) Haubold
- (19) Henninger - Agents for Garrett
- (28) Henschel
- (1) I.B.A.G. (International Baumamachine A.G.)
- (1) Jacob & Becker
- (1) J. Kemna
- (1) Kuhn
- (1) H. Lamprecht
- (1) Heinrich Lanz
- (20 + 1) J. A. Maffei
- (?) Lanz - Better known for Hot bulb engine tractors.
- (1) MF Elssinger
- (?) Ottomeyer
- (64) MF B. Ruthemeyer
- (6) MG Heilibron
- (7) Ohl Theodore - Burrell Agents/licensed design
- (1) Rifenrath Jung
- (4) L. Schwartkopff
- (1) J. Seitz
- (1) Umrath
- (58) Zettelmeyer
Known Survivors[]
- German built engines list - not up to date / 100% accurate[1]
Others[]
- Albaret, France
- Breloux, Nevers, France
- Bromovsky, Schulz & Sohr
- Brouhot & Co., Cher, France
- Calder Home built engine
- Chataignier, St.Etienne, France
- Figment Home built
- Flother, Germany
- Frick
- George White, London Ontario, Canada
- Henschel, Germany
- Heuke, Germany
- Hindley, England
- Hofherr-Schrantz-Clayton HSCS - Hungarian
- Imperial Maschinenfabrik, Meissen, Germany
- Iroquois
- Italo-Svizzera, Bologna Italy
- J. A. Maffei, Hirschen, Germany
- Kastrup Maskinfabrik, Kastrup, Denmark
- Kelly Springfield, USA
- Kemna, Germany (Poland)
- Lanz, Germany
- MAN, Germany
- Merlin et Cie, Vierzon France
- Munktell, Eskilstuna, Sweden
- Port Huron
- SLM Winterthur
- Societe Francaise, Vierzon France
- Vølund, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Waterloo Manufacturing Co., Waterloo Ontario, Canada
- Weyher & Richemond, Seine France
- Winschoten Ind, ?
- Zettelmeyer, Germany
See also[]
References / sources[]
Originally based on the Wikipedia article for initial listing.
- Old Glory Magazine
- Steam Scenes for more obscure makes
- The Traction Engine Register 2008 for numbers surviving in UK and obscure makes
- Traction Engines - A Source book of; by Dennis Miller, Published by Bounty Books, ISBN 978-0-7537-1779-0
- ↑ Traction talk forum - Traction Talk post by user:Oldengine
[]
A navigation box version of this list listing the 'major' makes is available, and can be added to the bottom of the manufacturers page and pages on individual engines.
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