New Zealand - Traction Engine & farm workers
- Real photo format
A traction engine
- A steam-powered tractor used to move heavy loads on roads, plough ground or to provide power at a chosen location
- The name derives from the Latin tractus, meaning 'drawn', since the prime function of any traction engine is to draw a load behind it
- They are sometimes called road locomotives to distinguish them from railway locomotives – that is, steam engines that run on rails.
- Traction engines tend to be large, robust and powerful, but also heavy, slow, and difficult to manoeuvre
- Nevertheless, they revolutionized agriculture and road haulage at a time when the only alternative prime mover was the draught horse.
(Reference: Wikipedia)