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{{short description|British inventor of steam-powered road vehicles (1799-1852)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=
{{Use British English|date=June 2013}}
{{Infobox engineer
|image = Portrait of Walter Hancock (4672553).jpg
|image_size =
|caption =
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|birth_date = 16 June 1799
|birth_place = [[Marlborough, Wiltshire|Marlborough]], England
|death_date = {{
|death_place =
|education =
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[[File:1831-View-Whitechapel-Road-steam-carriage-caricature.jpg|thumb|1831 satire on steam coaches]]
'''Walter Hancock''' (16 June 1799 – 14 May 1852) was an English [[inventor]] of the [[Victorian era|Victorian]] period. He is chiefly remembered for his [[
==Hancock's steam buses==
[[File:PSM V57 D418 Steam ominubus made by hancock.png|thumb|right|This steam omnibus made by W. Hancock ran on a regular route, carrying passengers from Pentonville to Finsbury Square, London.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Baxter |first=William
Between 1824 and 1836 in [[Stratford, London|Stratford]], near London, Hancock constructed a number of steam-powered road vehicles. In 1827 he patented a steam boiler constructed with separate chambers of thin metal which could split rather than explode, a safety measure for operators and passengers.<ref>H. W. Dickinson ''A short history of the steam engine''</ref> His were not the first road locomotives: experiments by Richard Trevithick occurred a generation earlier with his [[Richard Trevithick#Puffing Devil|Puffing Devil]] and [[London Steam Carriage]]; but they were the most successful. It will also be noted that railways were being introduced in England at about the same time as Hancock's enterprises.
In 1831, Hancock gave evidence to a [[Select committee (United Kingdom)|Parliamentary select committee]] on steam carriages.<ref name="RSCSC">{{Cite Q|Q107302733|pages=64-77}}</ref>
==="Infant"===
In 1829 he built a small
==="Enterprise"===
[[File:Entreprise.JPG|thumb|right|The ''Enterprise'']]
On 22 April 1833 Hancock’s steam omnibus ''The Enterprise'' (built for the London and Paddington Steam Carriage Company) began a regular service between London Wall and Paddington via Islington. It was the first regular steam carriage service, and was the first mechanically propelled vehicle specially designed for [[bus|omnibus]] work to be operated. During this vehicle's construction in 1832, a negligent engineer died of fright when a boiler component tore, expelling high-pressure steam in his direction. Neither he nor anyone else present was physically injured in any way, and the machinery itself suffered no significant damage.<ref name="experiments">Hancock, Walter. ''[https://archive.org/stream/narrativetwelve00hancgoog#page/n10/mode/2up Narrative of Twelve Years' Experiments (1824– 1836) Demonstrative of the Practicability and Advantage of Employing Steam-Carriages], John Weale and J. Mann, London 1838. Accessed at archive.org</ref>{{rp|30-34}}▼
▲On 22 April 1833
The "Enterprise" had several features which were innovative by contemporary standards. The engine was suspended on leaf springs along with the body of the vehicle, and the axle located with swinging arms as is still done today in the [[Ford Explorer]], with power being transmitted to the axle using chain drive. The rear axle was also used to drive a centrifugal blower fan which was used to force air into the firebox.▼
▲The
The "Enterprise" required three operators in normal running. The driver sat at the front and was responsible for steering (via a steering wheel rather than a [[tiller]]) and controlling the speed via a [[regulator (steam engine)|regulator]]. A second operator occupied a small compartment to the rear of the vehicle between the boiler and the engine; this man was responsible for looking after the boiler's water level and selecting reverse gear when required. The final man stood on a platform at the rear and was responsible for maintaining the fire and braking, which was carried out by means of a large lever which acted directly on one of the rear wheels. Nothing is known about how these three people communicated.<ref>http://www.locomobile.charitydays.co.uk/Trust/page11.html</ref>▼
▲The
The service was brought to an end due to a dispute between Hancock and the operators, and Hancock himself built and operated further steam buses between 1833 and 1840, with names like "Era", "Autopsy" and "German Drag".<ref name="experiments"/>{{rp|82}} ▼
▲The service was brought to an end due to a dispute between Hancock and the operators, and Hancock himself built and operated further steam buses between 1833 and 1840, with names like
==="Automaton"===
In 1836
===Demise of steam===
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==Statistics==
Hancock compiled some statistics of his operations. Over a total distance of {{convert|4200|mi|abbr=on}}, he had carried 12,761 passengers. He had made 143 round trips from the
==See also==
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==Further reading==
* James, Francis. ''Walter Hancock and his Common Road Steam Carriages''. Laurence Oxley, Alresford 1975
* James, Francis and Loadman, John. ''The Hancocks of Marlborough''. Oxford University Press, Oxford 2010
==External links==
* [http://www.
* [http://www.firedragon.com/~kap/SteamTopics/londontobrighton.html Contemporary account of a trip to Brighton aboard the ''Infant''
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hancock, Walter}}
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