MAKING HORSE DRAWN VEHICLES IN AMERICA.
Regular readers will be aware that I have a great fascination for horse drawn logistics. Naturally this extends to the actual wagons and this book, from my library, gives a fascinating account of the wagon trade in America in the 19th century.
The book describes how the making of horse drawn vehicles moved from being the product of highly skilled workmen in small local shops to mass production in factories using ready made parts supplied by specialist manufacturers. Although never made on production lines like automobiles, wagon construction certainly paved the way for the production line manufacturing concept.
Strangely however, only one major wagon maker actually made the transition to automobile construction. This was the famous Studebaker company, the biggest wagon manufacturer ever. With this one exception, all the other wagon builders faded into oblivion during the early years of the 20th century leaving only small local workshops to carry out repairs and build the occasional new wagon, just like the business had been 100 years before.
The book also discusses the actual wagon, and carriage, building process, the decline of traditional craft skills and how American manufacturing generally changed over the century. This is fascinating in its own right if you have any interest in the rise of the production line and mass production, both of which of course originated in America.
Overall a great book on an interesting, well to me anyway, subject.
Another interesting horse and waggon book.
ReplyDeleteStrange how few waggon makers became automobile makers, when the previous “new tech” of early railways like Stevenson’s Rocket / Stockton and Darlington Railway era had at first mail coach / stage coach / waggon type “carriages”. In fact, same word!
Hi Mark...Yes it is strange. The book suggests it was because the wagon trade was wood based with associated skills but the automobile industry was steel based so a wholly different set of skills needed. Most of the wagon makers just failed to make the investment needed to retool. A few continued on for a while making timber framed custom automobile bodies but not for long. Regards.
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