Traction engines are a familiar and stirring sight at steam rallies up and down the country, but what were they for, why do they look as they look, and where were they built? These book answers all these questions and more.

Developed in the late 1850s, the traction engine revolutionized the agriculture industry. James H. Maggard, an authority on steam power, wrote The Traction Engine for the ¿rough and tumble engineers¿ tasked with operating these machines in the field. That was not an altogether easy task, even for a seasoned professional. Breakdowns, boiler explosions, and injury could result, if one was inattentive. This reprint of the 1900 edition of the book features expanded chapters on the subject of threshing machines and the new internal combustion engine models.

This book contains classic material dating back to the 1900s and before. The content has been carefully selected for its interest and relevance to a modern audience.

The 19th century was the great age of steam. This book traces the history and development of the agricultural use of steam power from the 19th century to the end of the Second World War and considers how it was actually used.

The doyen of traction engine modelling explains and illustrates what is involved in the construction of working steam models (including workshop processes and tools needed) and outlines the history and variety of such engines.