Grout (automobile)
Encyclopedia
Grout Brothers was a manufacturer of steam-powered
automobiles in Orange, Massachusetts
. The three brothers, Carl, Fred and C.B. were set up in business by their father William H. Grout who had made sewing machines under the New Home name in partnership with Thomas H. White. The early cars were sold under the New Home name.
The Grout name debut on autos in 1899.
The 1904 Grout Touring Car was a touring car
model. It could seat 5 passengers and sold for US$2000. The 2-cylinder steam engine
was mounted horizontally at the center of the car, with the boiler at the front under the typical touring car
hood. This engine produced 12 hp (8.9 kW). The car weighed 2200 lb (998 kg).
In 1904 Grout introduced a range of conventional 4 cylinder gasoline engined car but by then the company had financial problems and few were made. The last cars were made in 1912.
The steamers were exported to the United Kingdom and sold under the Weston name.
The Grout assembly plant in Orange, MA was still standing in 2009 and was also home to Minute Tapioca Company and since 1977, has been the corporate offices of Pete's Tire Barns, Inc. The initial structure is still intact with additions on the sides of the back of the building. Over the years, Pete's Tire Barns has uncovered artifacts from the manufacturing facility including wheels, tires, etc.
The Orange Historical Society Museum currently houses two Grout Automobiles.
Steam car
A steam car is a light car powered by a steam engine.Steam locomotives, steam engines capable of propelling themselves along either road or rails, developed around one hundred years earlier than internal combustion engine cars although their weight restricted them to agricultural and heavy haulage...
automobiles in Orange, Massachusetts
Orange, Massachusetts
Orange is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 7,839 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.Part of the town is included in the census-designated place of Orange....
. The three brothers, Carl, Fred and C.B. were set up in business by their father William H. Grout who had made sewing machines under the New Home name in partnership with Thomas H. White. The early cars were sold under the New Home name.
The Grout name debut on autos in 1899.
History
In 1900, Grout offered a four-seat steam trap powered by a two cylinder engine mounted under the seat. An enclosed body model followed in 1901.The 1904 Grout Touring Car was a touring car
Touring car
A touring car, or tourer, is an open car seating five or more. Touring cars may have two or four doors. Often, the belt line is lowered in the front doors to give the car a more sportive character. They were often fitted with a folding roof and side curtains. Engines on early models were either in...
model. It could seat 5 passengers and sold for US$2000. The 2-cylinder steam engine
Steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
was mounted horizontally at the center of the car, with the boiler at the front under the typical touring car
Touring car
A touring car, or tourer, is an open car seating five or more. Touring cars may have two or four doors. Often, the belt line is lowered in the front doors to give the car a more sportive character. They were often fitted with a folding roof and side curtains. Engines on early models were either in...
hood. This engine produced 12 hp (8.9 kW). The car weighed 2200 lb (998 kg).
In 1904 Grout introduced a range of conventional 4 cylinder gasoline engined car but by then the company had financial problems and few were made. The last cars were made in 1912.
The steamers were exported to the United Kingdom and sold under the Weston name.
The Grout assembly plant in Orange, MA was still standing in 2009 and was also home to Minute Tapioca Company and since 1977, has been the corporate offices of Pete's Tire Barns, Inc. The initial structure is still intact with additions on the sides of the back of the building. Over the years, Pete's Tire Barns has uncovered artifacts from the manufacturing facility including wheels, tires, etc.
The Orange Historical Society Museum currently houses two Grout Automobiles.
Sources
- Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly (January, 1904)
- Clymer, Floyd. Treasury of Early American Automobiles, 1877-1925 (New York: Bonanza Books, 1950), p. 14.