Cugnot's
Locomotive, 1771.
One of
the earliest attempts in the way of Steam Locomotion
was the engine of Nicholas Joseph Cugnot of France;
designed to run on common roads. His first carriage
was put in motion by the impulsion of two single
acting cylinders, the pistons of which acted alternately
on the single front wheels. It traveled about 3
or 4 miles an hour and carried 4 persons; but, from
the smallness of the boiler, it would not continue
to work more than 12 to 15 minutes without stopping
to get up steam. Cugnot's Loco. presented a simple
and ingenous form of a high pressure engine, and
though of rude construction, was a creditable piece
of work considering the time. He made a second engine
with which several successful trials were made in
the streets of Paris, which excited much interest.
An accident, however, put an end to the experiments.
Turning the corner of the street, one day, near
the Madeline, when the machine was running about
3 miles an hour, it upset with a crash, and being
considered dangerous, was locked up in the Arsenal.
Cugnot's Loco. is still to be seen in the Museum
of the Conservatoire des Arts et Metiers, at Paris.
1 driving wheel, 50" dia., 7" wide at
tire. 2 - 13" single acting cylinders. Speed,
2_ miles per hour, carrying 4 persons. actual horse
power, 5. weight in working order, 12 tons.