[AT] Stationary Engineer

[Jim Becker]

Traction engines certainly existed at the time of the article, whether they 
were called that or not.  There probably weren't very many in use, so not 
many explosions to report.  They may have been lumped in with the 13 
"portable engines, hoisters, thrashers, piledrivers and cotton gins".  Or 
there may have been fewer than 10, which seems to be the cutoff for being 
"principal classes".  There were 35 explosions not in the "principal 
classes".

Since traction engines had been around for over 20 years, they probably had 
a name that was likely to have stuck by then.

Jim Becker

-----Original Message----- 
From: James Peck
Sent: Saturday, January 25, 2020 9:23 AM
To: Antique Tractor Email Discussion Group
Subject: Re: [AT] Stationary Engineer

This old article on boiler explosions seems to not call them out as traction 
engines. Maybe the term was not being used yet.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/steam-boilers-are-exploding-everywhere/

According to the old tractor publications, Henry Ford tended a stationary 
steam engine used in threshing when a teenager. Many US states and 
authorities having jurisdiction license people who operate boilers as 
Stationary Engineers.  You can move a stationary engine of the wheeled type 
used in threshing with horses or a tractor.

Henry Ford worked at Detroit Edison, moving into more of a steam powered 
generator technical/supervisory role, and that could be how he got the 
Engineer designation. Interesting to see that at DTE he was on call and 
could spend a lot of his other time on auto development.

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/henry-ford-leaves-edison-to-start-automobile-company

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