VSF Americans: Suggestions Needed!

[Cadet13]

To tap into the VSF juices flowing here (as my own have been tapped dry  ), to your mind what would an American force have for its steam contraptions? I'm already planning on having a steam tank, but I'd like some suggestions for other "SF" for my 'Mericans.

Also, while I'm at it, are there any ideas out there as to what an American steam tank commander would look like?

Thanks in advance!

Cadet13

[Mister Rab]

Hmmm, I can't avoid the mental image of the souped up train in one of the 'Back to the Future' films when they're in the Old West. Something agricultural and a bit rickety would work too. Or you could go for a sort of wheeled version of the monitor ships. All a bit obvious, though, and not as inventive as I'd like 

[fastolfrus]

For vehicles I'd probably look at something inspired by the big ACW rail guns :

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/US_Civil_War_railway_gun_and_crew.jpg

As for a commander. Perhaps a naval officer? Or someone that looks like Alan Hale starring as Casey Jones.

[Svennn]

The Monitor ironclad already looks like a VSF contraption so with more brass and rivets and perhaps some wheels like an early DUKW?

[Ramshackle_Curtis]

I saw bumblebee the transformer as the steam drill that John Henry died beating. So maybe vsf wild wild west robots?

[Melnibonean]

Maybe a Gattling Gun walker platform or a flying contraption based on a riverboat casino.

[v_lazy_dragon]

Building on the land-Monitor/Duck idea, maybe you could give it 2 sets of side mounted paddle wheels, to make an amphibian?

[Allen]

Check out the various contraptions from the Wild Wild West movie.  There was a spider type walker and a wheeled tank that looked like a boiler.  The wheels were similar to oversized stagecoach wheels which I think fits well with an American VSF mythos.

[zebcook]

Clearly they would have several improved versions of Winan's Steam Gun -- [urlhttp://www.2ndmdinfantryus.org/winans.html[/url].

Apparently there's a reproduction is not far from where I live. I'll have to go check it out if it's still there.

[Mister Rab]

http://www.2ndmdinfantryus.org/winans.html

Fixed your link - very interesting, and I found another good one near the bottom of your linked page http://strangengines.wordpress.com/