Richard Trevithick’s Puffing Devil - The First Steam Road Vehicle #3418004 (License: Personal Use)

This engraving depicts Richard Trevithick’s 1801 “Puffing Devil,” a high-pressure steam-powered road carriage with large spoked driving wheels, a vertical boiler, and a driver’s seat at the rear. It successfully carried passengers on Camborne Hill in Cornwall, marking a major leap beyond earlier low-pressure steam engines. Though short-lived due to boiler issues, it proved steam could power land vehicles independently of rails.

Used in historical transport articles, museum exhibits, and educational content about early industrial innovation; matches user intent for learning about pre-railway steam technology and engineering milestones.