
3 1 c m
40cm
actual image size: 32cm x 23cm
Description
Model. William Murdock (1754-1839) was one of the first British engineers to attempt to produce a self-propelled steam-powered road vehicle. He worked with James Watt, but when in 1786 Murdock built a model based on the steam traction engine developed in France in 1769 by Nicholas Cugnol, Watt, who was sceptical of the practical value of such a vehicle, was openly critical. Murdock went on to employ an apprentice named Richard Trevithick, the Cornish mining engineer who in 1801 invented the first true steam locomotive.
Image Details
Image Ref.
10221419
© Science Museum / Science & Society Picture Library