Scotland - home of the steam engine.

Soon after stationary steam engines were used to drain the water out of the coal mines some switched on people thought of a way to powered vehicles with this new found technical wonder.

And even before the first railway left the station steam powered road engines appeared.

This means of transport lasted up to the 1950s in Great Britain (steam powered lorries were built here until the 1930s) while in Germany the transition to petrol and diesel engines took place much earlier.

The main use of the steam engine was to power pumps, saws, stone crushers,hexels, threshing machines or similar equipment

-most notably the generators for the production of electricity!

The hard working people of that time then enjoyed their limited free time riding the colourful carousells, swings and Ferris wheels at the village fairs.

Here as well the steam engine was the predominant means of power - directly as for the carousells and Ferris wheels or indirectly by the Showman´s Engines which provided the electricity to run and light the fair grounds.

Present at every fair was at least one large organ, providing the musical background and helping to forget the daily hardship.

* And even today there are some steam enthusiasts who think off new ways to use this old means of generating power - like the guy who built the very first steam-powered bicyle in the world.