Collecting Fairbottom Bobs

6 artifacts in this set

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In 1929, the oldest known surviving steam engine (known locally as Fairbottom Bobs) lay ruined near Ashton-under-Lyne, England. Henry Ford sent Herbert Morton to collect the engine, deliver it to Michigan, and oversee its restoration and rebuilding.

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Dismantling the Newcomen Steam Engine "Fairbottom Bobs" Photograph Album, 1929-1930

Photograph album

Henry Ford acquired the oldest known surviving steam engine in 1929. The engine, known locally as Fairbottom Bobs, lay in ruin near Ashton-under-Lyne, England. Ford charged Herbert Morton to dismantle, crate, and transport what remained of the original engine to Dearborn, Michigan. This album chronicles Morton's experience, which included an archeological dig, building a bridge, and laying a short railroad.

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Newcomen Steam Engine, Ashton-under-Lyne, Manchester, England, circa 1880

Photographic print

This is the oldest known surviving steam engine in the world. Named for its inventor Thomas Newcomen, the engine converted chemical energy in the fuel into useful mechanical work. Its early history is not known, but it was used to pump water out of the Cannel mine in the Lancashire coalfields of England in about 1765. The engine was presented to Henry Ford in 1929.

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Herbert Morton with the Newcomen Engine, Ashton-under-Lyne, Manchester, England, 1929

Photographic print

In 1929, Henry Ford acquired the oldest known surviving steam engine. It lay in ruin near Ashton-under-Lyne, England. Ford charged Herbert Morton, an employee working in England, to gather what remained of the original engine and transport it to Dearborn, Michigan. This photograph shows Morton on the engine's site with a later boiler that was not retained by Henry Ford.

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