Big Fun #539 - 1925 Barber Steamroller

[Otto Puzzell]

[attachimg=1]

For one point: Who built this, and what is it?

Only a correct, complete and specific answer will earn a point; tag-on's to other guesses will not. So, be specific and complete!
 

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[Otto Puzzell]

Up

[Otto Puzzell]

Penultimate escalation

[Tom_I]

That looks very much like one of these, an early steam-powered road roller by the Erie Machine Shop of Erie, Pennsylvania.

The advert is from 1895, but I have seen another from 1910 which shows that the same basic design was still in production 15 years later. The 1910 ad claims that the only fault with these machines is that they never wear out!

[attachimg=1]

[Otto Puzzell]

Very similar indeed. I have this listed as being from another maker (from a usually reliable source). I wonder if one of the two licensed their design from the other?

[sixtee5cuda]

Barber Steamroller belonging to the Crawford Paving Company.  Pictured around 1925 in Washington D.C.

[Otto Puzzell]

That's what I have it as. However, looking at this view, I'm having trouble making out the "built by" wording, though it looks like it was built in 1894. Anyone with better eyes want to take a stab at it?

[attachimg=1]

[Tom_I]

I thought I had most of it, but couldn't get the word above 1894. But then I managed to find a high-resolution TIFF of this picture at the US Library of Congress.

The plate reads: "Built by the Barber Asphalt Paving Co. Buffalo N.Y. Shops. 1894"


[attachimg=1]

[sixtee5cuda]

While looking up strange engines a few weeks ago, I saw the exposed crank on this one and thought it would be a good puzzle.

Thank you for your efforts, Tom_I.  It is nice to have definite proof of who built a puzzle vehicle.