John Abell was born in England on September 17, 1822. In 1881 John Abell exhibited the first cross compound threshing engine ever built in Canada. In 1886, Abell added steel rear wheels and a driving mechaninsm to his standard Triumph portable steam engine to create his first steam traction engine. John Abell died on August 7, 1903.
In 1902 the Advance Thresher and the Minneapolis Threshing Machine Co. jointly purchased the John Abell Engine & Machine Works plant in Toronto and renamed it the American-Abell Engine and Thresher Company Limited.
In 1912 the Cock O' North line produced by American Abell was discontinued as part of the great Rumely merger. The company built about 2,500 farm engines in total.
Information Sources:
- Norbeck, Jack, Encyclopedia of American Steam Traction Engines, Crestline Publishing Inc, Glen Ellyn, Illinois, pages 60-62.
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Steam Power on the American Farm by Reynold M. Wik, 1953 pages 251 & 254
- The Steam Tractor Encyclopedia by John F. Spalding & Robert T. Rhode, 2011 pages 66-68