Craigievar Express

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The Craigievar Express

The Craigievar Express is a steam-powered tricycle built by Andrew 'Postie' Lawson between 1895 and 1897 in Craigievar, Scotland.[1] The vehicle's frame is made from wood, as are its wheels.[1][2] The engine is a single-cylinder model and was purchased second hand from a sawmill.[1] The Express's boiler was obtained through Exchange and Mart.[1] The flywheel brake acted on the engine, and following the principles of the horse-carriage braking system (brake shoes attached to a lever) another was applied to the rims of the back wheels.[1]

The Express steamed for the first time on 26 June 1897.[1] After that Lawson would drive it at local festivals.[3] He had ceased using the Express by 1934 and died in 1938.[3][4]

The Craigievar Express was then sold to a man from Aberdeen before later being repurchased by Andrew Lawson's son James.[4] James carried out some restoration on the Express before transferring it to William Forbes-Sempill, 19th Lord Sempill.[4] The Express was then steamed at various events.[4] With Lord Sempill's death in 1965, his widow sold the vehicle to Maurice Smith, a Surrey-based car historian.[2][5][6] Smith carried out further restoration work and obtained a MOT certificate for the vehicle.[5][6] In 1971 Maurice Smith completed the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run with the Craigievar Express.[7][8]

In 1985 the Craigievar Express was purchased from Maurice Smith by the Grampian Transport Museum.[2] The money for the purchase came partly from donations from the general public but also grants from the , the National Heritage Memorial Fund, the Royal Scottish museum and the .[2][9]

The Craigievar Express is housed at the Grampian Transport Museum, where it is occasionally steamed.[8]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f The Craigievar Express The Story of Andrew 'Postie' Lawson A Remarkable Pioneer. Grampian transport museum. 2010. pp. 13–18.
  2. ^ a b c d "Museum buys steam tricycle". The Glasgow Herald. 29 March 1985. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
  3. ^ a b The Craigievar Express The Story of Andrew 'Postie' Lawson A Remarkable Pioneer. Grampian transport museum. 2010. p. 22.
  4. ^ a b c d The Craigievar Express The Story of Andrew 'Postie' Lawson A Remarkable Pioneer. Grampian transport museum. 2010. pp. 27–28.
  5. ^ a b The Craigievar Express The Story of Andrew 'Postie' Lawson A Remarkable Pioneer. Grampian transport museum. 2010. p. 31.
  6. ^ a b "Veteran-Edwardian-Vintage". Motor Sport. July 1970. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  7. ^ "VA stormy Brighton Run". Motor Sport. January 2001. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  8. ^ a b The Craigievar Express The Story of Andrew 'Postie' Lawson A Remarkable Pioneer. Grampian transport museum. 2010. p. 34.
  9. ^ "12 things the National Fund for Acquisitions helped Scotland collect". BBC News. 11 December 2013. Retrieved 11 October 2016.

External links[]

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