The Long steam tricycle appears to be one of the earliest preserved examples of a steam tricycle, built by George A. Long around 1880 and patented in 1883.[1][2][3] One example was built, which after some years of use was dismantled and the parts dispersed. In 1946, one John H. Bateman, with assistance from the 96-year-old Long, reassembled the machine, which is now on display at the Smithsonian Institution.[3] The example at the Smithsonian has been noted as the "oldest completely operable self-propelled road vehicle in the museum".[4]
Specifications in the infobox to the right are from the Smithsonian Institution America on the Move collection.[3][7]
Steering the two front wheels was accomplished via two independent tillers which would have made simultaneous steering and control of the brake levers difficult for a single individual.[3]
