Mann’s Patent Steam Cart and Wagon Company manufactured steam powered road vehicles in Leeds

Leeds

Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

.

Early history

The company was founded by James Hutchinson Mann, a native of Leeds. Mann had been apprenticed to J&H McLaren & Co.

J&H McLaren & Co.

J&H McLaren was a British engineering company in Hunslet, Leeds, England, that manufactured traction engines, stationary engines and later, diesel engines....

 and also worked for Marshall, Sons & Co.

Marshall, Sons & Co.

-External links:* – at the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, Australia...

 of Gainsborough. In January 1894 he commenced a partnership with Sidney Charlesworth under the title Mann and Charlesworth, and their works was in Canning Street, off Dewsbury Road, Leeds. This company manufactured traction engine

Traction engine

A traction engine is a self-propelled steam engine used to move heavy loads on roads, plough ground or to provide power at a chosen location. The name derives from the Latin tractus, meaning 'drawn', since the prime function of any traction engine is to draw a load behind it...

s, stationary engines and steam rollers. One of their notable inventions was the single-eccentric reversing gear. This compact device allowed the sequence of valve opening of a steam engine to be changed, both in terms of "cut-off

Cut-off

A cut-off, also known as a kutte or "battle jacket" in heavy metal subcultures, is a type of vest or jacket which originated in the biker subculture and has now found popularity in the punk and various heavy metal subcultures...

 and "direction" without the need for link motion and all the associated levers. In 1898 Mann and Charlesworth produced on behalf of Philip Parmiter, an agricultural steam cart

Steam wagon

A steam wagon is a steam-powered road vehicle for carrying freight. It was the earliest form of lorry and came in two basic forms: overtype and undertype – the distinction being the position of the engine relative to the boiler...

using the front end of a conventional traction engine, and a roller at the rear. This was one of the first, practical, self-powered, load-carrying road vehicles. Mann realised the potential for this machine and went on to develop this into his "Patent Steam Cart" – to which the company title referred.

Pepper Road

Charlesworth left the partnership in 1898 and by September 1899 the organisation called Mann's Patent Steam Cart and Wagon Company was registered. The success of the patent cart was such that Mann decided to construct a new works on Pepper Road, Hunslet, Leeds and the move was complete by December 1901. The large, modern, well-equipped works was an ambitious move and was initially very successful. The period up to and including the First World War was the heyday of the company. The company's main products were their 3-ton and 5-ton wagon, however, these were produced in a whole range of variations, including; Articulated 6-wheeler, Gully cleaning wagon, Brewers wagon, Bus bodied wagon, Municipal dustcart, Street watering wagon, Tar spraying wagon, Tipping wagon, and many more. In addition, the company produced a range of tractors for both road and agricultural use. Another popular product for municipal use was their lightweight patching roller, used for road repair. In 1924 the company introduced their superb Mann Express wagon, with shaft drive, high-speed engine and fully enclosed cab. Unfortunately, this wagon was not a commercial success and by 1926 Mann's Patent Steam Cart and Wagon Company was in trouble. Despite attempts to provide additional finance, it was not possible to save the company, and in 1929 the works closed completely.

Subsequent history

In February 1929 the Mann company was purchased by Atkinson Walker Wagons Limited, of Preston, who were also manufacturers of steam wagons. They renamed the company Mann’s Steam & Motor Wagon Company. However, Atkinson were in a poor financial position and as a result they sold the Mann business in 1930 to Scammell and Nephew of Spitalfields, London E1. Scammell produced a few Mann wagons, largely from the spares they acquired.