1902 Locomobile

The 1902 Locomobile is a steam car. Steam cars ran on steam, not on gas or electricity, like cars today. In the early 1900s, inventors didn't know what cars should run on. Some thought they should run on electricity. Some thought gas cars were the answer. Others thought steam cars were best. Imagine a giant competition among car builders all over the country who were trying their best to come up with the very best car: A car that would be safe, that would go fast, that would be easy to operate, and most imporantly, that people would buy! That's how it was. Hundreds and hundreds of car builders were trying to build the best car. Our country was absolutely thrilled with the posibility of the automobile, the new method of transportation that would forever change the way people lived, traveled, worked and played. 

Steam cars have a boiler, which is like a big pot with vertical tubes full of water. Under the boiler is a burner, which is similar to a burner on a stovetop. The burner heats the water, and the water turns into steam. As more and more steam is produced, the steam pressure increases. The high-pressure steam is used to move the pistons in the engine, which creates the energy needed to move the car!