Some history on the steam engine:
Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies Portable Steam Engine No 9504 ser: 31084 made in 1914
The company was founded, as Ransomes, in 1789 by Robert Ransome, an Ironfounder in Norwich before moving to Ipswich. He received patents for improvements to ploughs.
In 1869 four engineers, J.A. Ransome, R.J. Ransome, R.C. Rapier and A.A. Bennett, left the company (At that time called Ransomes, Sims & Head) by agreement, to establish a new company, Ransomes & Rapier, on a site on the River Orwell, to continue the business of railway equipment and other heavy works.
The company has over the years produced a vast range of products and models for both the home market in the UK and for export markets with the models built to suit local operation conditions and technology with some products being very basic and having hand powered options for 'third world' countries in Africa for example.
Steam Machinery
Portable Steam engines for driving threshers and grinding machinery.
Traction engines
Stationary Engines
For a short period Ransomes built a small range of oil Engines, often used by farmers in the early 20th century to power machinery like Pumps and Corn mills as the portable steam engines died out and before the diesel engines and electric motors took over.
Harvesting Machinery