Just wondering how the operating expenses for a steam tractor were back in the day. Years ago a friend commented about his father running a sawmill with a steam engine and burning the slabs and maybe sawdust. Not much fuel expense there. I have heard of thrashing crews in the wheat belt burning the straw, but I suspect they also brought along a load of coal. An old sawmill man near me had an old steam engine but I don't ever remember it running. I think it was in need of repairs which may answer my question about expenses because a steam engine looks like it would need a lot of expensive repairs from time to time.
My father said he remember hearing a steam engine running a sawmill, probably before World War I. He said when it was sawing through a big log the engine would start puffing slower and slower and when it cameto the end the puffs would speed back up.
I do barely remember steam trains. When starting off the old engine would give out a long puff, maybe spin the drivers so that the engineer would have to drop a little sand from the sand tubes on the tracks, and then the train would pick up speed. A steam locomotive at speed would have a very rapid puff-puff along with clouds of smoke.
KEH