Yorkshire Patent Steam Wagon Co.

The Yorkshire Patent Steam Wagon Co. was a steam wagon manufacturer in Leeds, England. They produced their first wagon in 1901. Their designs had a novel double-ended transverse boiler. In 1911 the company's name was changed to Yorkshire Commercial Motor Co., but reverted to Yorkshire Patent Steam Wagon Co. in 1922. Steam wagon production ceased in 1937, and the company was finally dissolved in 1993.^[1]^[2]

Other local steam vehicle manufacturers were John Fowler & Co., J&H McLaren & Co., and the Mann's Patent Steam Cart and Wagon Company, along with several steam railway engine builders.

Double-ended boiler

The novel double-ended transverse-mounted boiler was used to avoid problems of tilting when climbing hills. Internally it resembled a locomotive or Fairlie boiler with a central firebox and multiple fire-tubes to each end. In the Yorkshire though, a second bank of fire-tubes above returned to a central smokebox and a single chimney.

Preserved machines

There are 15 preserved machines recorded.^[3]

8 of these wagons are located in the United Kingdom; 3 of these were restored by Tom Varley.

There are 5 surviving wagons in Australia, including the oldest known surviving Yorkshire in the world, No. 34 at Booleroo Steam & Traction Preservation Society Inc; Yorkshire Steam Waggon. Imported by T Russel of Geelong Vic and used by Smith & Timms in Adelaide SA before going to Whyalla SA for use in the construction of the town's first dam. It finished its working life in 1918.

Also operational in Australia is 1443, in regular use at Milawa, near Melbourne, Victoria. It is fitted with a lightweight open-air body.

One wagon, 1534, survives in Colombia, and another, 1535 survives in New Zealand.

References

^ "Yorkshire Patent Steam Wagon Co. - A Brief History". steamwagon.com. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
^ The Undertype Steam Road Waggon, Maurice A Kelly, 1975
^ "Surviving Yorkshire Steam Wagons". steamwagon.com. Retrieved 29 January 2024.