Tractobile (Penna. Steam Vehicle Corp.) 1900 - 1902 Tractobile Pennsylvania Steam Vehicle Co., Inc. Carlisle, PA The Tractobile was an avant train attachment for horse-drawn vehicles, but was unique in that it was steam powered. The boiler was made up of five separate unites, each with 40 small tubes, and one or more units could be removed for cleaning. The two vertical cylinders acted on each front wheel direct, although it is difficult to see this in surviving photographs. As the Tractobile was an enterprise of E. J. Pennington, it may be wondered whether any ever ran at all, or if they were merely a stock promotion scheme.[1] [1] Georgano, G. N., Encyclopedia of American Automobile, (New York, E. P. Dutton & Co., 1968), p. 196. © 2007 Donald & Carolyn Hoke Collection All Rights Reserved. |