Steam Engines and Agricultural Tractors

Tractors and steam machinery represent two approaches to mechanising farm work. The tractor collection dates from 1917 to 1990, while the steam collection spans 1893 to 2012. Its layout moves from foreign tractors made before 1945, through post-war models and Polish Ursus tractors, to portable steam engines and self-propelled traction engines.

The arrangement presents different paths to mechanization: the tractor’s development as a source of pulling power and the use of steam in stationary machinery and vehicles. Named examples include the 1917 Titan 10-20, 1918 Fordson F, a 1963 export version of a Porsche tractor, the 1895 Garrett Smith portable engine and the 1910 George White. The exhibition is designed to grow as further machines are added.