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The Henry Seth Taylor steam buggy is the first known car built in
The Buggy was modeled after a US-built steam car Taylor had seen in 1864. It was designed by Taylor to have a coal-fired boiler for the carriage. Fully pressurized, the steam was used to move a piston attached to the rear axle, producing forward motion. The vehicle does not have a reverse gear or brakes. It was able to travel at a sustained . The vehicle features thin strips of metal bent around the edge of the wheels in place of rubber tires. It is powered by a two-cylinder boiler mounted behind the driver. Steam is generated in the vertical coal-fired boiler, which is connected by rubber hoses to a six-gallon water tank located between the front wheels. The vehicle lacks a coal box, but has a storage nook for lump coal or wood under the driver’s perch.
The vehicle weighs . The boiler (as designed) can withstand of pressure. It was the only example built, not having been meant for mass production; rather, it was exhibited as a curiosity at fairs around the area.
The Henry Seth Taylor steam buggy is the first known car built in Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. It was built by Henry Seth Taylor, a watchmaker and jeweller in Stanstead, Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
in 1867. It was unveiled at the Stanstead Fall Fair that year. The vehicle was crashed into a creek shortly thereafter.
Description
The Buggy was modeled after a US-built steam car Taylor had seen in 1864. It was designed by Taylor to have a coal-fired boiler for the carriage. Fully pressurized, the steam was used to move a piston attached to the rear axle, producing forward motion. The vehicle does not have a reverse gear or brakes. It was able to travel at a sustained . The vehicle features thin strips of metal bent around the edge of the wheels in place of rubber tires. It is powered by a two-cylinder boiler mounted behind the driver. Steam is generated in the vertical coal-fired boiler, which is connected by rubber hoses to a six-gallon water tank located between the front wheels. The vehicle lacks a coal box, but has a storage nook for lump coal or wood under the driver’s perch.
The vehicle weighs . The boiler (as designed) can withstand of pressure. It was the only example built, not having been meant for mass production; rather, it was exhibited as a curiosity at fairs around the area.
History and preservation
The vehicle lay disassembled in a barn where the wood from the carriage body and wheels had rotted away; it was discovered in the 1950s and was purchased and later restored by American collector Richard Stewart. In 1983, it was purchased from Stewart by theCanada Science and Technology Museum
The Canada Science and Technology Museum (abbreviated as CSTM; french: Musée des sciences et de la technologie du Canada) is a national museum of science and technology in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The museum has a mandate to preserve and promote ...
in Ottawa, where it has remained since. The original brass-work around the cylinders and the oil caps were found to be in "fantastic condition", but the boiler has been replaced two times.
Media
The vehicle is featured on a 43-cent stamp issued byCanada Post
Canada Post Corporation (french: Société canadienne des postes), trading as Canada Post (french: Postes Canada), is a Crown corporation that functions as the primary postal operator in Canada. Originally known as Royal Mail Canada (the opera ...
in 1993, as part of the Historic Land Vehicles series. It also is mentioned in the opening to Canada's Worst Driver in the 7th episode of Season 8.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Henry Seth Taylor steam buggy Road vehicles 1867 introductions