06-05-2024, 05:21 PM
There was a little more to that story.
With the flick of a blow torch and a quick fan of the flames, a 126-year-old vintage car sputters to life.
The rare steam car is surprisingly quick to get going – the main reason why it's considered so special.
The 1898 Thomson Surrey, which lives in a coastal garage near Bundaberg, 400 kilometres north of Brisbane, is the only one of its kind still known to exist.
But it was the inclusion of a flash boiler, using a relatively quickfire water tube, that made Mr Sorensen's Thomson Surrey so special.
"Elihu Thomson was a very innovative person and he put a different boiler in it," Mr Sorensen said.
Steam is used in such a way that it won't be seen coming out the back once the car is driving.
"It's a flash boiler, so within minutes it will steam up."
While most steam cars were modelled off steam train engines, the Thomson Surrey's engine is closer to a petrol engine.
"It took us a long time to figure out their thinking because it is different than other steam cars," Mr Lombard said.
"There are some patents that we found, but the patents don't tell us why they did it."
The introduction of the flash boiler for steam cars came too late, with the industry having already moved on.
"By that stage it's all about efficiencies, because the diesel electric or petrol is seen to be quicker and more efficient, so most of the big players turn their back on the previous technology and move on,"
With the flick of a blow torch and a quick fan of the flames, a 126-year-old vintage car sputters to life.
The rare steam car is surprisingly quick to get going – the main reason why it's considered so special.
The 1898 Thomson Surrey, which lives in a coastal garage near Bundaberg, 400 kilometres north of Brisbane, is the only one of its kind still known to exist.
But it was the inclusion of a flash boiler, using a relatively quickfire water tube, that made Mr Sorensen's Thomson Surrey so special.
"Elihu Thomson was a very innovative person and he put a different boiler in it," Mr Sorensen said.
Steam is used in such a way that it won't be seen coming out the back once the car is driving.
"It's a flash boiler, so within minutes it will steam up."
While most steam cars were modelled off steam train engines, the Thomson Surrey's engine is closer to a petrol engine.
"It took us a long time to figure out their thinking because it is different than other steam cars," Mr Lombard said.
"There are some patents that we found, but the patents don't tell us why they did it."
The introduction of the flash boiler for steam cars came too late, with the industry having already moved on.
"By that stage it's all about efficiencies, because the diesel electric or petrol is seen to be quicker and more efficient, so most of the big players turn their back on the previous technology and move on,"
Happiness simply is.
There need be no pursuit.
There need be no pursuit.