Steam Wagons in Preservation

Explore some rare and previously unpublished photographs celebrating steam power on Britain's roads.

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The steam lorry (or wagon, as it was more commonly known) developed in Britain alongside the internal combustion engine truck. Its heyday was between 1900 and the early 1930s. But there could be only one winner, and by the mid-1930s, with the adoption of the more efficient diesel engine and with punitive legislation passed, the end was in sight for steam.

There had been two main manufacturers of steam wagons and eventually both turned to diesel. Other makers had already switched or fallen by the wayside. By 1960, the commercial life of these wagons had almost come to an end, but hundreds have survived into preservation to tell their story.

Malcolm Batten explores the history of these remarkable vehicles through a host of previously unpublished images and informative captions.