Aveling and Porter
From GracesGuide
of The Works, Rochester
Aveling and Porter of Rochester was a traction engine, steam roller and showman's engine manufacturer.
Contents |
[edit] General
Thomas Aveling was born at Elm, Cambridgeshire, in 1824 and was apprenticed to a farmer where he had the opportunity to familiarise himself with the new steam-powered farm machinery of the time. Aveling's interest in engineering led him to set up a business with his father-in-law producing and repairing agricultural machinery. [1]
- 1856 Produced the first steam plough.
- 1858 Acquired premises in High Street, Rochester.
- 1861 Started building steam engines to his own design.
- 1862 Needing capital to expand, Richard Porter joined the company and the name changed to Aveling and Porter.
- 1865 They developed a steam engine and produced more of the machines than all the other British manufacturers combined.
- 1864 Produced their first engine to run on rails and continued in this market until 1926.
- 1865 In partnership with Porter, the steam roller they produced in 1865 was tested in Hyde Park, London, Military Road, Chatham and at Star Hill in Rochester, Kent. The machine proved a huge success. Aveling and Porter steam rollers were exported to Europe and as far afield as India and the USA.
- 1867 Produced the first steam roller weighing 30 tons for the Liverpool Corporation.
- 1872 Employed 400 workers.
- 1876 Exhibitor at the Royal Agricultural Show at Birmingham with agricultural self-propelling engines of 4, 6, 8 and 10 hp. Also a 12 hp ploughing engine and a 10-ton roller. [2] [3]
- 1882 Thomas Aveling died and was succeeded by his son Thomas Lake Aveling.
- 1889 Paris Exhibition. Electric Lighting Traction Engine. Illustrated. [4]
- 1894 Spring mounted engine. Article in 'The Engineer'. [5]
- 1894 Smithfield Club Show. Showed a road locomotive. [6]
- 1895 Employed 1,000 workers. The company was registered on 16 July, to take over the business of engineers, ironfounders of the firm of the same name. [7]
- 1900 Compound road locomotive and wagons for South Africa. [8]
- 1900 June. Royal Agricultural Show at York. Changes to their 8 hp compound engine. [9]
- 1911 Smithfield Club Show. Exhibited a road locomotive, steam motor tractor and a ploughing engine. [10]
- 1913-1917 For a list of the models and prices of Steam Motor Wagons, Tractors and Ploughs etc. see the 1917 Red Book
- 1913-1917 For a list of the models and prices of Petrol Motors see the 1917 Red Book
- 1914 Listed specialities: steam road rollers, tractors, steam wagons, road locomotives, traction engines, steam ploughing tackles, motor rollers, lorries, "Morrison" scarifier for the roads. [11]
- 1919 Aveling and Porter joined the Agricultural and General Engineers (AGE) combine. Production of Aveling and Porter steam wagons was transferred to Richard Garrett and Sons.
- 1920 Showed steam road rollers, tractors and ploughing engines at the Darlington Agricultural Show. [12]
- 1932 AGE went into receivership, bringing down Aveling and Porter with it.
- 1934, Aveling and Porter combined with Barford and Perkins to form Aveling-Barford which continued to make steam and motor rollers. After World War II the company continued to make motor and steam rollers as well as expanding into other construction equipment. Aveling Barford is now part of the Thomson group of companies, which also includes Moxy articulated dump trucks.
- The company produced around 12,200 steam powered vehicles and there are around 600 preserved.
[edit] Steam Rollers
[edit] Traction Engines
[edit] Showman's Engines
[edit] See Also
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[edit] Sources of Information
- ↑ [1] Wikipedia
- ↑ The Engineer of 21st July 1876 p40
- ↑ The Engineer of 1st September 1876 p148 & p150
- ↑ The Engineer of 24th May 1889 p436 & p442
- ↑ The Engineer of 22nd June 1894 p549
- ↑ The Engineer of 14th December 1894 p524
- ↑ The Stock Exchange Year Book 1908
- ↑ The Engineer of 26th January 1900 p99
- ↑ The Engineer of 22nd June 1900 p650
- ↑ The Engineer of 8th December 1911 p594
- ↑ 1914 Whitakers Red Book
- ↑ The Engineer of 9th July 1920
- Traction Engine Album by Malcolm Ranieri. Pub 2005
- British Steam Locomotive Builders by James W. Lowe. Published in 1975. ISBN 0-905100-816
