3" Savage Steam Wagon

An engine we had up for sale previously but now requires some work to get running efficiently. After successfully steaming the engine multiple times the engine started knocking and running very lumpy, on inspection we found the piston rod had come loose and undone itself slightly - an easy fix. However, on having the engine on the bench discovered that the engine was basically running as a single cylinder on the Low pressure side as steam was venting straight through the HP valve gear, in hindsight we think it has been doing this for some time. Unusually this engine has a piston valve arrangement on the HP side and Slide valve on the HP. For someone that enjoys a little project and sorting problems this could be a nice way to spend some hours in the workshop, for us it doesn't make sense to keep throwing any more time at it hence it being up for sale as is.

It is worth noting that when we steamed the engine previously despite it only actually running on one cylinder it was surprisingly capable and steamed well so when sorted properly sure it will be a strong performer.

Back in the day Savage's of Kings Lynn were best known for building fairground rides and centre engines, their gallopers forming the centre piece of many Victorian travelling fairs both in the UK and abroad. At the request of their customers the company also turned their hand to building traction engines and road steam engines, however with relatively small numbers produced only one original survives.

In more modern times most people know the name Savages due to the Little Samson Steam Tractor which is often seen in various scales on the rally field. The plans and castings for this Savage "Universal Carrier" seen here were produced by the same very talented engineer and are now available through Live Steam Models.

To the Wagon itself, going by its Victorian appearance you would expect it to be a somewhat simple design, in fact what you find underneath is a technically advanced and capable compound steam engine with an enclosed crank cased close coupled to a two speed gearbox. This is believed to be one of only 4 examples to be built to date so the chances are you wont see another one of the rallyfield!

The vertical boiler runs at 150psi and is commercially built we CE marking, it is water fed through a crank driven pump and hand pump which is neatly hidden in one of the front coal boxes. Being a vertical boiler it is great for use on the rally field as the firebox crown is always covered regardless if you are going down or uphill. The boiler is reported to be in sound condition with minimal recorded wastage. Although built in 2016, looking over the reports it was only sporadically steam tested 3 times over the years so we expect it has seen little use. It had a steam test with an independent examiner in October this year.

Unlike most 3" engines you can sit on this which makes transport and use so much easier rather than faffing about with riding trailers. With the chimney removed it will fit in the back of most family cars (150cm long x 45cm wide )

As always we are happy to help with part exchanges of all steam and vintage vehicles. Delivery to UK mainland is included in the price and if required export can be arranged.