The Waltham Steam was an American steam car .
20-745: Engineers George M. Tinker and John W. Piper were employees of the Waltham Manufacturing Company , at that time makers of Orient brand bicycles in Waltham, Massachusetts . In 1898, they were allowed by the company's owner, Charles Herman Metz, to build a light steam buggy at a corner of the plant. This vehicle was finished at the end of the year and named the Waltham Steam. It had a very light 50 lb (23 kg), 3 hp (2.2 kW) two cylinder, double acting steam engine . The copper-built condenser weighted in at 110 lb (50 kg), and
40-508: A 100 mi (160 km) range, though minimal springing and the complete lack of any bodywork made it less than practical for a long journey. In the next years, it was offered in several models (including a diminutive delivery car), got an improved suspension, steering wheel, two chains instead of one belt to transmit the power to the rear wheels, and an optional 8 hp (6.0 kW) two cylinder engine. It remained in production until 1907. Plant superintendent John Robbins left in 1904. He
60-435: A blacksmith and wheelwright, produced the runabouts in his carriage manufactory on East 31st Street, Manhattan, established in 1851. According to The Carriage Journal , The special feature of the runabout was that the body was hung low by using cranked axles , and the side-bars were attached to legs at the top of the crank. The original runabout was made without a top, and, besides hanging low which made for steadiness, it
80-413: A single row of seats, providing seating for two passengers. Some also had a rumble seat at the rear to provide optional seating for one or two more passengers; those without rumble seats may have had a trunk platform, a box, or a fuel tank instead. They differed from buggies and high wheelers mainly by having smaller wheels. Early runabouts had their engines under the body toward the middle of
100-451: A small runabout with a 10 hp (7.5 kW) V-twin engine and friction drive. Shortly before production started in 1908, WMC got into financial trouble and to avoid bankruptcy, their bank negotiated with Charles Metz. In July 1908, the C.H. Metz Company bought WMC, making Metz owner of one of the largest automobile manufacturer in the U.S. Reorganizations followed in 1909 and 1910, when the C.H. Metz Co. and WMC together were reorganized as
120-460: A very light model with friction drive , sold as the Orient Buckboard . It seated 2 passengers and sold for just $ 425 (equivalent to $ 14,967 in 2023), making it the lowest-priced automobile available. The vertically mounted air-cooled single-cylinder engine, situated at the rear of the car, produced 4 hp (3.0 kW). The car had tiller steering, weighed 500 pounds (230 kg) and had
140-591: The Metz Company . Little's small car became the Metz Two, sold by marketing in 14 batches and assembled by the customer. It worked, and the company was not only out of debt in less than a year but also sold its huge stock of parts. Runabout (car) A runabout is a car body style popular in the 1910s, based on the horse-drawn runabout carriage . It was popular in North America from 1900 to about 1915. It
160-514: The U.S. distributorship for De Dion-Bouton engines and imported this maker's tricycles and quadricycles. Using De Dion-Bouton patents, WMC started building their own Orient Autogo and Orient Autogo Quad in 1899. An early investor in WMC, Charles A. Coffin (1844-1926), first president of General Electric , ordered an electric prototype in 1898, which didn't go into production. Metz experimented with engines mounted on bicycles. The evolving Orient Aster
180-543: The Waltham Manufacturing Company through consensual agreement with, and support from, Charles Metz, to start their own business. Their Waltham Automobile Company was located at 130-136 Newton Street in Waltham and started building small steam-powered stanhopes that sold for $ 750 with a Victoria top. Further, there might have been some steamers with Vis-à-vis coachwork. Production ended in 1902 or 1903. Of
200-488: The brand names Orient , Waltham, and Waltham-Orient . The company was founded in 1893, moving to self-propelled vehicles after 1898. Waltham Manufacturing Company was founded by Waltham businessmen around engineer Charles Herman Metz (1863-1937). Metz encouraged two employees to build a steam car of their own in the company's premises, which led to the Waltham Steam . Metz imported French Aster engines , and secured
220-511: The chassis . This sometimes made maintenance difficult, as on the Oldsmobile Curved Dash where the body had to be removed in order to access the engine. The Gale runabout dealt with this problem by hinging the body at the rear of the car such that it could be tilted to access the engine. Some later runabouts had the engine in what became the conventional position at the front of the car. Runabouts were popular in North America from
SECTION 10
#1733106967629240-483: The complete vehicle at only 600 lb (270 kg). It had wire wheels, and steering was provided by a vertically mounted lever. Tinker and Piper exhibited their steam buggy at the Boston Automobile Show in 1898. Two more steam cars followed under the label Tinker & Piper . Meantime, Metz had sold out his company to Charles A. Coffin and H.P. Clough but stayed in the position of a general manager. Coffin
260-608: The late 19th century to about 1915. They were designed for light use over short distances. By the mid-1910s, they became almost indistinguishable from roadsters . Notable examples of runabouts include the Oldsmobile Curved Dash mentioned earlier, which was the first mass-produced car, and the Cadillac runabout , which won the Dewar Trophy for 1908 by demonstrating its use of interchangeable parts . The 1964 GM Runabout
280-513: The unknown number of Waltham steam vehicles built, one Stanhope is still in existence. An unrelated company in Springfield, Massachusetts also produced a steam powered automobile under the Waltham name in 1905. Orient (automobile) Waltham Manufacturing Company (WMC) was a manufacturer of bicycles , motorcycles , motorized tricycles and quadricycles , buckboards , and automobiles in Waltham, Massachusetts . It sold products under
300-479: Was a light, basic style with no windshield, top, or doors and a single row of seats. Runabouts eventually became indistinguishable from roadsters and the term fell out of use in the United States. The approach has evolved into the modern " city car ". Runabouts originated as a type of horse and carriage body. In 1881, Rufus Meade Stivers produced runabout bodies using a patent held by Joseph Tilton. Stivers,
320-473: Was a motor buggy called the Orient Victoriette, followed by two runabouts in 1902 and 1903. About 400 of the earlier model were sold; the newer Orient Runabout No. 9 was not a success with about 50 examples built. In 1902, Metz left the company, founding Metz Motorcycle Company and C.H. Metz Company in town soon after. Engineer Leonard B. Gaylor succeeded him at WMC. The same year, Gaylor introduced
340-786: Was an executive of the General Electric Company (GE). Seeking markets for GE products, he ordered a light electric car to be made by Tinker and Piper. They built it also at the Waltham Manufacturing plant. It had a wheelbase of 60 in (150 cm) and an electric motor by General Electric. It was presented as the Orient Electric at the New York Cycle & Automobile Show in 1899. Neither Tinker and Piper nor Metz were impressed, and there were no more electric vehicles to follow. In 1899 or early 1900, Tinker and Piper left
360-421: Was one of the first U.S.-built motorcycles. Metz was assisted by famed French bicycle racer Albert Champion (1878—1927) who arrived in the U.S. around 1899, becoming one of the first professional motorbike racers. Metz is even claimed to have found the expression "motor cycle" for his new vehicle, first used in an 1899 advertisement. Further, engines of Metz' design were developed and produced. WMC's first car
380-448: Was replaced by Leo Melanowski who was also chief engineer. More conventional cars came in 1905 with front-mounted, water cooled inline 4-cylinder engines of 16 or 20 hp (12 or 15 kW) and chain drive. They were made until 1908. These power-plants were of proprietary design and consisted of four single cylinders mounted on a common crankcase . Melanowski left in 1906, his position taken by William H. Little . Little developed
400-411: Was roomy and comfortable. Stivers patented the "runabout" name and threatened to sue other manufacturers for infringement. However, buggies titled "runabout" were produced by other manufacturers and soon applied to many different shapes without regard to the original meaning. The runabout was a light, inexpensive, open car with basic bodywork and no windshield, top, or doors. Most runabouts had just
#628371