Book Review: Black Jack: The Life Story of Boughton’s Fowler Traction Engine by Rob and Trafford Boughton

Black Jack is an autobiography told through the eyes of a traction engine that has been owned by the same family since John Fowler built it in 1897 in Leeds. Published in August 2026 by Amberley Publishing and written by Robert Boughton, this soft-cover book measures around 16.5 x 23.4 cm, has 96 pages and 100 illustrations. It has a published price of £15.99, but at the time of writing, it can be purchased for £14.39 online from Amberley Publishing and for £12.39 from Amazon. Black Jack is a Fowler traction engine, which was purchased new by the Boughton family in 1897. It has remained in the family’s ownership ever since, and worked through two world wars, making a vital contribution to the war effort. Throughout his working life, Black Jack was a loyal and hard-working servant until he was retired. His future was uncertain until there came the rise in popularity of steam rallies, which ensured his future, so much so that he went on to take part in the Lord Mayor’s Show in London. Trafford Boughton, son of Jack’s first owner, also called Tom, had a photographic memory, and would often relate tales of Jack’s exploits to his son Robert. Trafford was an engineer with an affection for all things steam-powered, in particular Black Jack, and decided to record on paper Black Jack’s early life for posterity. Robert has taken his father’s original manuscript, brought it up to date, and turned it into an autobiography told by Black Jack himself. The photos below show typical duties for Black Jack in his working days, such as hauling cart loads of manure from Chalfont Road station to a nearby farm, as seen on the left below, or threshing straw as seen on the right. Engines such as Black Jack were pressed back into service during World War II, but once the war ended, so did their working life, and many, such as in the images below, were left to await their fate. Salvation came for Jack and his ilk with the rising popularity of traction engine rallies, and potential owners scouring the countryside for engines to restore. Such a fate did not await Jack, as he had remained with the Boughton family since being ‘retired’. After many years of refurbishment and replacement of worn-out parts, the day dawned when Jack would attend rallies to show enthusiasts how he could perform, just as he is doing in the images below. After extensive restoration and repainting, the photos below show how Black Jack must have looked when he emerged from John Fowler’s works in Leeds in 1897. The popularity of steam rallies proves that the sights, sounds, and smells of steam have a special magic. But with many traction engines now well over 100 years old, the stories they could tell must be countless. Fortunately, we can follow Black Jack’s story to immerse ourselves in all the highs and lows of his working life, whether it be threshing hay, ploughing, or even pulling a cartload of manure. What makes this book special is how Robert Boughton has called upon his father’s tales and turned them into the first person as an autobiographical account of Black Jack’s life told by Jack himself. With many photographs of Jack and his sisters in their working days, and after coming out of retirement, this book is also a historical record of life on farms before the days of tractors and other powered machinery. It will be an enthralling read for anyone with a love of nostalgia, of steam, of traction engines, and of the unhurried days before World War I. There is no hesitation in saying it thoroughly deserves a rating of 5/5. The book is available to purchase from Amazon and from Amberley Publishing. We would like to thank Amberley Publishing for providing us with a copy of the book for review.