Now that the great majority of
traction engines have been destroyed, those that remain excite
admiration and nostalgia. In the early years of the century they
were taken for granted and many were still in regular use as late as
1940, but after the war they rapidly disappeared and by the 1960s
the few survivors were fetching high prices. Alan Bloom, the owner
of the famous Bressingham collection and the author of Steam Engines
at Bressingham, has written an account of their rise and fall which
will fascinate anyone who has ever attended a rally or felt the
attraction of these impressive machines.
In addition to the true traction
engine, which was used for road haulage and was the forerunner of
the motor lorry, the term now covers steam waggons, rollers,
ploughing engines, Showmen's engines (used at fairs) and general
purpose agricultural engines. Mr Bloom describes all these,
including some weird and wonderful machines such as the 'Steam
Elephant' and the 'Walking Digger' which were too impracticable to
survive for long.
The book is illustrated with a
collection of striking and unusual photographs.