Steam Traction Engine, Vesely Kopec, Pardubicky kraj, Bohemia (CZ), 2013

As most educated people understand, a key technological development of the 19th Century was the near universal adoption of steam power. Even at the end of the century, when electricity came into use for many industrial and home applications, most of it was steam generated. On farms, steam "traction engines," or portable, usually driveable steam engines like this one were used for all types of heavy work, and were essentially the first tractors in the modern sense. They could pull plows and harvesters, obviously, but they could also operate stationary equipment via drive belts if they were parked. Because of this versatility, they were also used for road building and construction, and the original steamrollers were based on them, with the roller taking the place of the front wheels. Relatively few of these engines have been preserved in the U.S., partly because most American farmers went straight from horses to modern gasoline (petrol) powered tractors in the 1920's, skipping the steam era. In Europe, however, they were adopted widely, and so many were built, with many subsequently being preserved. I think that in spite of being stored outdoors (there wasn't any roof over this courtyard), this one could have been in much worse condition. Indeed, I've seen much worse specimens over the years. The downside is that it appears to be missing a number of parts, including much of the drive mechanism on top, as well as the smokestack, although you can the see the base of it here. This one may or may not have been able to move under it's own power, as I was unable to find a drive mechanism for it. Indeed, some traction engines were strictly stationary, for powering stationary equipment, and had to be towed by horses or another engine.