• GOING BACK TO THE PREHISTORIC!
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An Interesting Dip into the Past of the Steam Wagon. The Unrequited Efforts of the Engineers of the 18th and 19th Centuries.
By Henry Spurrier and C. Basil Nixon (Directors of Leyland Motors, Ltd.).
-"TE have been asked by the Editor for some notes on the early history of Leyland Motors, Ltd., and of tie Manchester Motor Transport Co., Ltd., and have decided to pool our resources. We hope that the following notes will be of some interest to the readers of The Commercial Motor.
The first issue of The Commercial Motor, in March, 1905, marks approximately the commencement of the commonly accessible public history of the road motor movement. In our notes We are confining ourselves to the state of the industry at that date and the history which records the development up to that point.
The first record we can find of the germ of the present industry is in a paper which was written by Dr. Robison, who at that time was a student at the Glasgow University. It was in 1759 that he suggested the possibility of using the power of a steam engine for a road vehicle.
For the above fact and others following, up to the year 1832, we are relying on a very interesting book which was published in that year by Alexander Gordon, in which he recounts the history of locomotion by steam carriages on common roads up to that date..
In 1772 an American apprentice named Oliver Evans was labouring to discover some mechanical means other than animal power for the propulsion of road vehicles, but he does not appear to have produced a practical vehicle. In 1786 he endeavoured to obtain from the legislature of the State of Pennsylvania an exclusive right to operate steam wagons on the roads of that State.
Back to the Early Nineteenth Century.
The first practical road vehicle in this country appears to have been that designed by Mr. Richard Trevethick, which was to be seen in operation on the Enstair Road in the year 1802. This engineer, however, continued his investigations on the lines of a vehicle to run on rails. From this time up to 1825 or 1826 apparently a number of other attempts were made and considerable development took place in the design of steam carriages.
The years 1825 and 1826 were ones of rapid development. Mr. Goldsworthy Gurney produced a steam carriage which was so successful that regular services were quickly, introduced on several of the turnpike roads. In 1826 there are to be found particulars-of a
test with one of these steam carriages up Brockley Hill, which, as we all know, is one of the hills en which the present technical staff of The Ommercial Motor are wont to test the present-day new models. These buses carried from 14-16 passengers, travelled at about ten miles an hour and they weighed about 4 tons, just about the same weight as one of the modern Leyland Lion omnibuses which we are producing
to-day the seating capacity of which is 30 and the speed from 30-40 miles per hour.
By 1832 there had developed considerable opposition, principally from agriculturists, who failed to grasp the advantages of the new mode of transport, and very heavy tolls were imposed on the new industry:
A Parliamentary Committee of 1831.
In 1831 Parliament had appointed a Committee (not the one which is at present sitting, and whose final report we are awaiting 1.) to inquire into the use, Construction and registration of public-service passenger vehicles, and they reported within-12 months that they found the tolls on the new vehicles were excessive. For a journey between Liverpool and Preseot Mr. Gurney's motor coach had to pay 12 8s., Whereas a horse-drawn stage 'coach only paid 4s. Their findings are so intereating that we should like to quote them in full :— (1) That carriages can be propelled by steam on common roads at an average speed of ten miles per hour.
(2) That, at thia rate, they have conveyed upwards of 14 passengers.
(3) That their weight, including engine, fuel, water and attendants,. may be under 3 tons. .
(4) That they can ascend and descend hills of considerable inclination with facility and safety.
(5) That they are perfectly safe for passengers.
(6) That they are not (or need not be, if properly constructed) nuisances to the public.
(7) That they will become a speedier and cheaper mode of conveyance than carriages drawn by horses.
(8) That as they will admit of a greater depth of tyre than other carriages, and as the roads are not acted on so injuriously as by the feet of horses in common draught, such carriages will cause less wear of roads than coaches drawn by horses.
(9) That rates of toll have been imposed on steam carriages, which would prohibit their being used on several lines of road were such charges permitted 'to remain unaltered.
• They also pointed out how important it was to develop this new industry in view of the state of trade and the great National Debt resulting from the apoleonic Wars. Nothing, however, Was clone—railrays were rapidly developing and this new industry uccumbed.
The new revival ,began towards the close of the 0th century. In 1894 Mr. -Tames Sumner (who was eally the founder ' of the present firm of Leyland lotors, Ltd.) obtained a gold medal at the Royal Lanashire Agricultural Society's Show for his steam lawn mower. In 1895 the firm of James Sumner, Ltd., obtained a medal for an improved machine at the Manchester Agricultural Show. By this time developments with a steam tricycle had taken place, and it was actually in use on the public roads preceded by a man bearing a red flag. In 1896 the Motor Car Act, which emancipated the motor vehicle from the red flag atten
dant, was passed. , in 1897 the Lancashire Steam Motor Co., which I (Henry Spurrier) and Mr. Sumner had formed, and in which my brother Arthur was a partner, obtained the Royal Agricultural Society's gold medal for a steam van.
Proving the Practicability of Steam Transport.
Developments after this date were rapid, and in 1899 we came successfully through the Liverpool SelfPropelled Traffic Association's Trials, which were organized to prove to. the manufacturers in Lancashire that steam transport was now a practical means of conveying their merchandise between the ports and the mills. The same year Mr. Shrapnell-Smith registered the Road Carrying Co. at Liverpool, and I (C. B. Nixon) registered the Manchester Motor Transport Co., Ltd., of Manchester. The latter company was originally formed for the organized collection of milk from the Cheshire farms for delivery into Manchester. A number of meetings was held, and farmers were very interested in the scheme; but it did not develop, and the Transport Co. became engaged principally in the collection of cotton from the clocks at Manchester and Liverpool and the delivery of that and other commodities
to various factories in Lancashire.
In 1903 the Lancashire Steam Motor Co. was registered as a limited liability company, and between that date and 1905, when The Commercial Motor commenced to record the history of the industry, quite a number of steam wagons were delivered, amongst which may' be mentioned a fleet of tip wagons for the Chelsea Borough Council, which wagons are not only still running to-day, but are still maintained by Leyland Motors, Ltd., on an annual maintenance charge. A wagon supplied to Messrs. Greensmith, brewers, Burton-on-Trent, in 1901., is still running, and on maintenance contract. A substantial fleet was supplied to Messrs. Mann, Grossman and Paulin, brewers, London, and these machines were only disposed of about three years ago. A wagon was supplied at about this time to Messrs. Pyke, corn millers, Preston, and we find that the price was £500; it was requisitioned at the commencement of the war, and its present whereabouts are unknown. Wagons were also supplied to Messrs. Greenfield Mill Co. and Messrs. Chambers, of Whitefield. Both these machinesare still running and their sale price was £500. An accompanying illustration shows one of the later Manchester Motor Transport wagons which was delivered in 1904, and it will be seen that it varies little in appearance from a modern high-efficiency Leyland steam wagon as issued from the company's Chorley works to-day.
During this time Messrs. Coulthards, of Preston, had been developing on similar lines ; they had supplied part of the fleet of both the Road Carrying Co. and the Manchester Motor Transport Co. They had been successful in America, and in January, 1907, they were absorbed by the Lancashire 8team Motor Co. It is interesting to remember that the present chairman of Leyland Motors, Ltd.—Mr. J. H. Toulmin—was then managing director of that company.
From the historical facts at the commencement of this article it will be gathered that it was chiefly a matter of chance and owing to Government interference (in place of encouragement) that caused a railway development rather than a road motor-vehicle development in this country.
Electric Tramway Traction Gets a Start of the Petrol Bus.
It may not be realized also that electric tramway
traction only got a start of the petrol bus by six to ten years. The first volume of Garcke's " Manual on Electrical Undertakings" was published in 1896. There were then in existence 200 electrical undertakings, both supply and tramways. For instance, the Liverpool electric tramways were opened for traffic in 1898. The Leyland Co. sold their first petrol omnibus to the London and Suburban Omnibus Co. in March, 1905. It was described and illustrated in the second issue of Vol. I of The Commercial Motor, page 40. The first Leyland bus was fitted with central-thrust enclosed propeller drive, and it is remarkable, although there have come about much higher thermal efficiencies and detailed mechanical improvement and reliability, how little the general principle of the design of motor vehicles has changed during the 21 years which have elapsed.
The Lancashire Steam Motor Co.'s turnover for 1905 was £31,478; the turnover of Leyland Motors, Ltd., for 1925, as disclosed by the recently published speech of the chairman at the annual general meeting, was £2,488,000.
From the registration of the first limited company in 1903, and in some eases prior, to titat date, a number of the leading officials at present with the firm have been associated with us in its development ; amongst these may be mentioned my brother Arthur, Messrs. W. Lowe. A. Fergusson, It. Clayton, A. E. Plant, P. Barrow, W. Brown, T. Hamer, T. Williamson, W. Schofield and P. McMahon.