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Thomas Aveling

Thomas Aveling (see here),
bapt 1 Nov 1824,
"father of the traction engine", "the inventor of the steam roller",
mar 1850 to Sarah Lake and had issue,
set up in business 1851 in Rochester, Kent, developing steam-powered farm machinery,
he developed the first steam powered plough in 1856,
moved to Strood, Kent, 1860,
in 1862 he founded with his partner Richard Thomas Porter the agricultural engine and steam roller manufacturer Aveling and Porter,
they developed the first practical steam-powered road roller 1865,
they became Britain's biggest steam roller company, exported across the world,
Chevalier of the Legion d'Honneur, Knight of the Order of Francis Joseph of Austria,
died 7 Mar 1882 in Rochester, Kent, age 57 yrs,
bur parish churchyard, Hoo St Werburgh, Kent (see grave),
there is a stained glass window to his memory in the parish church.

Grave of Thomas Aveling, and his mother and his wife.
Hoo St Werburgh, Kent.
From findagrave.com.

Fred Dibnah drives an Aveling and Porter steam roller.

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Aveling and Porter machines in Thomas the Tank Engine

There are two Aveling and Porter machines in the Thomas the Tank Engine series:

George the steam roller (also here).
George is based on an Aveling and Porter steamroller.
Image from here.
Buy the book here.

Fergus the railway traction engine (also here).
Fergus is based on an Aveling and Porter 2-2-0WT "Blue Circle".
Image from here.
Buy the book here.

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• Aveling and Porter
  • videos (and youtube)
  • flickr images (and creative commons)
  • Wikimedia Commons

• There is a Thomas Aveling School in Rochester, Kent.
  • Celebrity Kelly Brook was a pupil.

• There is an Aveling Close in Hoo St Werburgh, Kent (see map).