Toy Steam Traction Engine

Since 1895 Hobbies Ltd. of Norfolk have been supplying model makers with materials, kits and plans. Plan P813 was used to build this realistic and robust wooden toy steam traction engine that was donated as one of the raffle prizes at a regimental reunion dinner dance.

Traction engines tend to be large, robust and powerful, but heavy, slow, and difficult to manoeuvre. Nevertheless, they revolutionized agriculture and road haulage at a time when the only alternative prime mover was the draught horse. They became popular in industrialised countries from around 1850, when the first self-propelled portable steam engines for agricultural use were developed. Production continued well into the early part of the 20th century, when competition from internal combustion engine-powered tractors saw them fall out of favour, although some continued in commercial use in the United Kingdom well into the 1950s and later.

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