Talk:Steam wagon

One of Our Dinosaurs...steam lorry

See also: Talk:One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing § The Steam Lorry - Prototype?

The steam wagon in One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing looks like no other type I have ever seen. It was clearly an undertype, but presumably an early one judging by the lack of windscreen (surely NO Sentinel was built without a windscreen?) However, the most characteristic feature was the off-centre boiler, which would surely have unbalanced the vehicle (if genuinely steam-driven). I suspect that it was literally 'made up' for the purposes of the film, but have not said as much in the article as I have no suitable refs.

EdJogg (talk) 14:10, 4 December 2008 (UTC)

I've not been able to find an image of the lorry used in the film but thought it was an early Standard Sentinel (Standard in this case being the type, later ones were Super and S Type). The picture on the posters is clearly fictional however. If anyone can point me in the direction of a relevant still from the film I'll try and comment further.

Early Sentinels were built without windscreens - 'The Old Man' doesn't have one. Indeed I think they were always an optional extra on Standards. There are issues with off-centre boilers as well and I cannot think of any real world machine built with one. Balance is not the major problem it is more that it does need someone other than the driver looking after it almost full time as lorry boilers are small and do not have the reserve of steam that traction engine boilers can have.

Chenab (talk) 14:09, 10 December 2008 (UTC)

The article used to have a different image, which showed the vehicle well. The current DVD cover is pictured on Amazon, and this is the vehicle used in the film (it should be good enough for identification purposes). I have the DVD though, so it ought to be possible to do a screen capture or two (not sure how, nor where to put them!).

Otherwise a google has proved fruitless, especially as WP mirrors of the page cloud the results.

EdJogg (talk) 18:30, 10 December 2008 (UTC)

Have trawled the web and found a couple of stills and a clip. None show it well but I can see enough to confirm that it is clearly made up for the film and not based on any real vehicle I'm aware of. For any practical vehicle there are issues with the boiler placement but having said that I can think of at least one (foreign) design of excavator from circa 1910 which is even less sensible.

Also bear in mind that it never seems to show a number plate and also has electric lights (very unusual for anything prior to late 1920's) and yet they seem to be illegally placed as well. In addition the tow hitch seems attached to the bodywork rather than the chassis so that wouldn't last long in practice either - the closer I look the more fictional this clearly is.

Chenab (talk) 12:55, 11 December 2008 (UTC)

I watched the chase sequence again last night. It is rare to get a good view of the machine. Some of the shots are probably models (the smoke, or lack of it, is suspicious). I think there is a number plate on the front, but not clear enough to read, or even see if there is anything to read!

I did notice some new things: the roof is supported by barley-twist rods and there is a maker's name plate on the front which appears to say Wotan. According to that article, Wotan (or Wodin) "was the psychopomp or carrier-off of the dead", which, given its role in the film, may have been a clever pun on the part of the designers.

EdJogg (talk) 14:58, 11 December 2008 (UTC)

Coulls, Amthony (2020). Steam Lorries. Amberley. p. 58. ISBN 9781445698502. says its a mockup based on an internal combustion engine lorry.©Geni (talk) 01:31, 30 January 2024 (UTC)