Waltham Steam

The Waltham Steam was an American steam car.

George Tinker and John Piper

The engineers George M. Tinker and John W. Piper were employees of the Waltham Manufacturing Company, at that time makers of the Orient bicycles in Waltham, Massachusetts. In 1898, they were allowed by the company's owner, Charles Herman Metz, to build a light steam buggy at a corner of the plant. This vehicle was finished at the end of the year and named the Waltham Steam. It had a very light (50 lbs), 3 bhp (2.24 kW) two cylinder, double acting steam engine. The copper-built condenser weighted in at 110 lbs, and the complete vehicle at only 600 lbs. It had wire wheels, and steering was provided by a vertically mounted lever. Tinker and Piper exhibited their steam buggy at the Boston Automobile Show in 1898.

Two more steam cars followed under the label Tinker & Piper. Meantime, Metz had sold out his company to Charles A. Coffin and H.P. Clough but stayed in the position of a general manager. Coffin was an executive of the General Electric Company. Seeking for markets for the GE products, he ordered a light electric car to be made by Tinker and Piper. They built it also at the Waltham Manufacturing plant. It had a wheelbase of 60 in. and, of course, an electric motor by General Electric. Although it was presented as the Orient Electric at the New York Cycle & Automobile Show in 1899, neither Tinker and Piper nor Metz were impressed, there were no more electric vehicles to follow.