The Cornish-born genius – Sir Goldsworthy Gurney (14 February 1793 – 28 February 1875) – was commissioned by the British Army to a) develop and b) effectively demonstrate a viable “steam-driven” land vehicle that could act like a steam engine off-tracks and on an ordinary road. This he successfully did in 1829 – at least two-decades before “Traction Engines” became popular. The problem was that a cartel of rich and influential people – with money heavily invested in the railways and canals – acted together to manipulate society (and Parliament) to prevent the development of the worlds first motor vehicle!
The British Army was forced to side-line its ideas of transporting men and equipment over roads on these specially mechanised devices – relying on steam trains and horse and carts! In the days before the internationalisation of US anti-intellectualism via the internet (even the Britannica page for Sir Goldsworthy Gurney refers to “petrol” as “gasoline”) – Great Britain could produce clever people like Goldsworthy Gurney (who certainly lived-up to his name)! He wanted to transform horse-drawn carriages – that carried people as passengers – to be self-powered by a steam engine without the need for horses. Only later were these devices modified to simply pull or push heavyweights (effectively becoming “Tractors” that worked exclusively on farm-land).
Indeed, what Goldsworthy Gurney first envisioned as an “Automobile” to be driven on open roads – became widely known as a “Traction Engine” from around 1850 in the UK. Ironically, whilst carrying a single (operating) driver along country roads – whilst moving between farming fields – these devices were not allowed to evolve into the Motor Car envisioned by Goldsworthy Gurney. Only much later would a petrol-driven motor car be allowed to be developed. Whilst driving back from Exeter to Galmpton on Friday evening (Friday, August 1st, 2024) – whilst traversing the narrow streets of Galmpton – we encountered the above “Traction Engine” which was apparently joining many other examples in a local fayre that was about to be held! How lucky we were!
SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 