The G.N. Steam Car
As one does, I recently fell into a conversation about G.N. Cyclecars. These were light cars built between 1910 and 1923, and as the name suggests, they were heavily based on the technology of bicycles and tricycles of the day. Based on a simple chassis and modestly powered, a good G.N. could reach sixty miles per hour, fast indeed for those times and a testament to the lightweight construction and belt-and-chain drive transmission. The initials G. N. came from the founders of the company, Henry Robert Godfrey and Archibald Frazer Nash.
My interest was piqued by two recollections. The first was that L. T. C. ‘Tom’ Rolt had owned one, and I remembered his vivid descriptions of the chain-drive derailing at the most inopportune moments. The second is that Alex Moulton converted a G.N. to steam power in the 1930s whilst he was still at school. It is of course, the latter that we are most interested in, although the two are linked as Tom Rolt later became involved in the Alex Moulton - Alec Issigonis - Ronald ‘Steady’ Barker circle of friends.
It remains unclear quite why Alex Moulton decided to make a steam car so early in his life. His school, Marlborough College, had no metal-working facilities at the time, so, undaunted, Alex would take his small Drummond lathe up to Marlborough each term and set this up in the woodwork shop. With help from some local experts and friends, Alex did get to a stage where the car could be run around the grounds at The Hall. He was proud of his achievements and detailed the work done in the publication of the time, “Steam Car Developments and Steam Aviation”. In today’s world, steam cars and, particularly, steam aviation seem fanciful and rather absurd, but one should remember that the 1930s formed the golden age of the steam locomotive. Although only 15, Alex wrote with maturity and precision as well as a healthy dose of self-confidence. As some of his tutors had already noted, he was destined for great things.
Steam power was to remain a thread throughout Alex Moulton’s life. After leaving school, he completed an apprenticeship at the Sentinel Waggon Works in Shrewsbury before going up to Cambridge. He was later to found his own company - Steampower Ltd - and develop a rather more sophisticated steam car. But that is a story (or two) for another day.
The few photographs that show Alex Moulton’s G. N. steam car not only show us what the young Alex was capable of but also show how the grounds have changed since the 1930s. Most notable, of course, is how the trees have grown - but we also can see some glimpses of what the estate looked like before the drawing office was built in the courtyard.
Alex Moulton with his G.N. steam car in the grounds of The Hall, 1936.
