Description
1915 Stanley Mountainwagon
Stanley Steam Cars were made from 1897 until 1927 by the Stanley Motor Carriage Company in Newton, Massachusetts, USA. Their total production was nearly 11000 vehicles.
The "Mountainwagons" were developed by F O Stanley to carry summer visitors 55 kilometers uphill from the railway station in Loveland, Colorado into Estes Park in the heart of the Colorado Rockies, where the Stanley Hotel still stands. This was a climb with gradients that few internal combustion cars cared to attempt at that time. The Mountain Wagons did it with ease and they were built from 1909 to 1917.
This mountain wagon was rebuilt in 2018-2019 in a period of 5 months by the owner.
It is a model 820, 30 HP Mountain Wagon with a 12 seater wooden body on a steel chassis. Fifty percent of the parts are original Stanley, the other fifty percent are reproduced parts.
The twin cylinder, double acting locomotive type engine has Stephenson's link valve gear operating "D" slide valves. The engine is mounted with a direct gear drive from the crankshaft to the rear axle. There is no gearbox. Top speed is 75 km/ h, cruising at 50 km/ h and yet there are only 13 moving parts in the engine and a total of 24 in the whole vehicle. The engine turns less than twice (40:60) for each revolution of the wheels.
The 30 HP steel boiler operates at 600 psi and contains 990 copper tubes. It is hydraulically tested to 1000 psi. The car weighs around 1800 kg. It has a valid boiler certificat.
