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The creation of a technology called "steam blasting" was the use of a tube that could capture the high pressure of steam and provide more power than previous steam engines. In 1827, a race was conducted between two Locomotives: one had the steam blaster and the other did not. The rail car with the steam blaster attained a speed from 30 to 60 miles per hour while normal rail cars of that time could only attain 8 to 12 miles per hour. The first use of the steam blast was actually in a steam car created by Sir Goldsworthy Gurney north of England. He contrived the idea of passing steam through a pipe to increase its pressure and velocity, and thus power. He experimented with it in his steam carriage and was fortunate enough to test it out on an 84 mile trip which took him 9 hours and 20 minutes (an average of 14 miles per hour). On the open road, and with no turns or pot holes, his steam carriage could reach a high speed of 20 miles. From thence forth, the steam pipe was used in all steam engines to attain the maximum amount of horsepower possible. His steam carriage never has the power to pull any type of commodities, but he does use it as a passenger car. This was one of the complications for steam cars: providing enough horsepower to haul freight. (The Steam Blast)
The appearance of a new steam engine in 2008 gives insight into the futures outlook on the past technology. The purpose of this rebuilding of an ancient technology is to break a land-speed record set by a steam powered car. In 1906, a steam car called the "Stanly Steamer" reached a speed of 205 kilometers per hour (or 127.4 MPH). The new steam car has a bit of an advantage on the old steam car: it uses a turbine instead of a piston which has been proven to derive overall more power. The creation of diesel and petrol powered cars are attributed to have put the steam carriage out of business alongside the electric powered cars. As far as commodity transportation, the steam carriage never got to that stage of development. The compactness and easily manufactured diesel and petrol cars had the ability to supersede the steam carriage. Even the diesel and petrol cars were not able to carry large amounts of freight for another decade or so. The concept of putting steam power, or any power for that matter, into a car for the movement of goods was just impractical, especailly when compared side by side with the cost-effectiveness of the locomotive or steam powered Watercraft. (Steam On)
Roper Steam Car (1863). 2011. Nicholas L. Garvey BlogspotWeb. 13 Dec 2012.
The steam carriage was an interesting development, and the actual invention of the "steam blast" or "pipe" proved to be most significant in the future of steam. Throughout the 19th century, and into the beginning of the 20th, the steam carriage was used only for the transportation of people, not for commodities. The compactness of the steam engine in the steam carriage did not give it the horsepower to pull any significant amount of freight. Soon, it was overtaken by more efficient motor carriages, such as the petrol and the diesel cars. Sadly, steam engines also proved to be challenging in two other types of technologies: Tractors and Stationary Engines.
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