Road Transport Recollections The Best of British

While James Watt is often credited with the invention of the steam engine, he actually only improved on the original Newcomen engine. By the 1780s Watt had further developed the use of high-pressure steam as the driving force, and eventually converted the reciprocating motion of the piston to produce rational power by means of the epicyclic 'sun and planet' gear system and latterly by means of a crankshaft. Due to their size and construction, all of these engines would be installed in a fixed position for driving machinery in the ever-expanding manufacturing industry. It was not until the 1840s that the first truly portable engines were constructed using a locomotive-style boiler with the cylinders and crankshaft mounted on top of it. Although many have been credited, it was probably Thomas Aveling who created the first traction engine using a chain between the crankshaft and the rear axle. This book looks at very best of British road transport.