During the Industrial Revolution, more and more people left the farms for the cities where they often found work in burgeoning factories. During this era, as the cities expanded, the buildings grew taller. New heights in urban architecture were made possible by steam-driven vehicles that brought materials to the construction site and by steam-powered cranes that lifted the materials high into the air and into the arms of laborers above. Among the companies that manufactured steam apparatus was the John Fowler & Co. Ltd, of Leeds, West Yorkshire. Fowler's steam-powered engines helped to fuel continued growth. Between the years 1924 and 1935, the company was particularly active in developing new technologies and the engineers at Fowler ultimately developed an "undertype" steam engine and a "V-twin" compound engine, as well as diesel-engines.

The 1929 Fowler Crane is a detailed replica of a steam-powered crane that could be found at construction sites throughout the United Kingdom. This authentic replica is produced by - and available only from - Matchbox Collectibles.

(1999)

Scale: 1:43