1950 Field Marshall Series III Tractor

Display Condition: Restored at Reynolds-Alberta Museum
Engine: Horizontal, 1-cylinder, water-cooled
Fuel Type: Diesel
Displacement: 5.1 L (310.4 ci)
Bore and Stroke: 168 x 229 mm (6.625 x 9 in)
Power: 29.8 kW (40 hp)
Transmission: 3-forward, 1-reverse
Weight: 3048 kg (6,719.7 lb)
Original Cost: C $4,418 (estimate)

After the Second World War, Field Marshall tractors were imported from England in large numbers, partly as a means of re-establishing economic stability in the UK. Field Marshalls were masterpieces of simplicity and were eagerly welcomed by farmers who had been forced to use horses throughout the 1930s and '40s when drought and war led to shortages of agricultural equipment. This fully restored 1950 Series III was originally used near Ponoka AB.

Marshall, Sons & Co. was founded in 1848 when William Marshall purchased Britannia Iron Works in Gainsborough, UK. They began designing tractors with internal combustion engines in 1900 and introduced their first single-cylinder tractor in 1930. The first Field Marshall, an improved diesel-powered tractor, was produced in 1945 after the Second World War.

This 1950 Field Marshall Series III can be started by hand crank or by shotgun-type shell. A shotgun-type blank cartridge is loaded into a breech on the engine's intake system. A smouldering piece of special paper containing saltpetre, which acts as a glow plug, is inserted into the cylinder head with a special screw-in holder. The cartridge is fired by tapping the base of the protruding firing pin with a hammer, which puts a charge into the bore, sending the piston through its stroke. Tractors like this one were known as "Pom-Poms" because of the unique sound that the large-bore, slow-running engine produced.

Chronology:
1848 - William Marshall purchases Britannia Iron Works in Gainsborough, UK, and establishes Marshall, Sons and Co.
1900 - Marshall, Sons and Co. begins designing tractors with internal combustion engines.
1945 - The first Field Marshall tractor is developed.
1950 - This Field Marshall is imported to Canada.
c. late 1970s - Mr. Crandall purchases this Field Marshall from its original owner.
1992 - Stan Reynolds acquires this Field Marshall at an auction sale.
1992 - This Field Marshall is added to the Reynolds-Alberta Museum Collection.
Aug. 2021 - The restoration of this Field Marshall is completed by Reynolds-Alberta Museum staff and volunteers.