Steem vehicles

While researching my post on aircraft I noticed some bright spark had the idea to convert a petrol engined aircraft to steam powered.

Now the traction engine above is what we think of steam power. All 6-8hp. That is nowhere near enough to get a plane off the ground with a 4 ton engine in it.

The only really successful flights with a steam powered plane was in 1933. It used a Travel Air 2000. Very similar to this Travel Air 4000.

It used a 150hp V twin reciprocating engine weighing about 230kg.

It did fly but because very few people have heard of it, it proves how unsuccessful it was.

A post by @originate, about a Steemfest rally drive out, got me to think of using steam power and its use in transport.

In 1900 more than half the cars produced were steam powered. The internal combustion engine was in its infancy, whereas the steam engine had been developed for more than 100 years.

The steam engine was easy to control and gave constant power. The internal combustion engine not only broke your arm while trying to start it, but it also gave a pulsing power output.

The Stanley Steamer engine which used direct connection to the rear axle

The best and most popular steam car was the Stanley Steamer. Stanley made 11,000 cars up to 1924 when the company finally gave up trying to compete against the internal combustion engine.

Everyone thinks a steam engine runs on coal, but cars and aircraft actually use petrol. They burn the fuel to heat the water to power the car. The Stanley Steamer, of which about 400 still exist, uses about 1 gallon of fuel per 10 miles and also about 1 gallon of water for the same distance.

Pre 1914 cars did not use a condenser (kind of radiator) to cool the steam and re-use the water and so got though 1 gallon of water every mile.

Jay Leno's car.
**1922 Stanley Steamer **

They are actually quite a good looking car for the times.

In 1906 a Stanley Rocket set the land speed record at 127mph. This was not broken until a British team in 2009 set a new land speed record of 148 mph for a steam powered car.

I can't see them making a comeback anytime soon.

The first two images are mine.
The others are from google if not otherwise stated.