Austin Western Road Roller - Fort Steele, BC
Posted by: 
T0SHEA
N 49° 36.955 W 115° 37.907
11U E 598833 N 5496826
An Austin Western Road Roller on display at Fort Steele, BC. This is just one of many interesting pieces of machinery at the historic village.
Waymark Code: WMFF2R
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date Posted: 10/09/2012
Views: 1
Some might think this to be a steam roller but a quick examination reveals that it is powered, not by steam, but by gasoline. Its power source is a four cylinder, valve in block gasoline/kerosene engine.
In 1901, F. C. Austin Manufacturing Company and Western Wheeled Scraper Company, which until then had been fierce competitors, formed a selling corporation called Austin-Western Road Machinery Company, with offices in Chicago, Illinois, to market their products. Western Wheeled Scraper purchased the F. C. Austin Manufacturing Company in 1902, renaming it Austin Manufacturing Company, and the three companies operated until 1934.
All of which means that this roller would have been manufactured between 1902 and 1934, most likely somewhere in the middle of that span. Model is unknown.
Though the company offices were in Chicago, the manufacturing plant was in Harvey, Illinois.