Psssssssst-Steam Engines!

Saturday, January, 16, 2016
                   Sunny, Cold & Windy

Psssssssst - Steam Engines

    The Industrial Revolution that took place towards the second half of the 19th century owed much to the steam engine that was invented by the British. Engines were able to now propel machines that could do the work of what before were hundreds of people. As such, the toys were soon following the "real" machines. 

    Toy steam engines could run on alcohol or other fuels, and the toys were modelled after real-life machines. These toys were of course important to be monitored by parents as they produced high-pressure steam to run the machine, as well as having a live fire to heat up the water inside the engine or  water chamber.

    One thing that's not described in the description is the weight. These "toys" could weigh as much as 50-60 pounds (20-28 kilos), and were made of metal components that did not rust.  The toys were more popular in Europe than in North America, but some toys did manage to make their way crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

     Also, the toys were quite attention-gettters because of all their moving parts and the nosies (psssssst) from the steam being released periodically through the pressure values.

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The engine below is interesting because it contained a double-boiler. You don't see too many double-boilers from this genre of toy.

Many machines of this type could in fact produce energy.  Cords or chains could be attached to a rotating wheel called a flywheel, and entire mini-factories accompanied with toy men working their machines could be attached. Hammers and saws were just 2 of the movements that toy men would be doing attached to the steam engines.

The steam engine machine below is a latecomer, having been manufactured in the 1940's. 

Even today, there are companies that still make steam engines for both adults and children.

 The item below is actually a "model", rather than a toy. However, it could in fact be "played with".

Although the model below is a true antique (106 years), I am 100% sure that even today, with some cleaning, the machine could be made to work!

They certainly knew how to make things last back then!

Thanks for dropping by,

and was always,

have a great part of the day or night,

wherever you may be,

Stacey Bindman

toysearcher@gmail.com