German Toy Steam Engine
date: label: date made
content: early 20th century
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: This toy steam engine was made by an unknown German company during the early 20th century. The toy consists of a horizontal boiler with chimney on a simulated brickwork firebox. The horizontal slide valve engine powers a flywheel with a centrifugal flyball governor. The boiler and engine are mounted on a cast iron plate.
label: Description (Brief)
content: Live steam toys enjoyed a period of popularity from the 1880s until the 1930s. The miniature steam engines were marketed as both toys and instructive devices that mimicked full-scale steam-powered machines and allowed every boy and girl to be their own engineer. In toy steam engines, a heating source is introduced into the firebox below the boiler (early toys used lit wicks fueled by denatured alcohol, later toys used electricity) which heated the water to produce the steam pressure that ran the engine. A variety of accessories could be powered by the engine; attachments included windmills, pumps, grinders, and electric lights.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: Germany
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Mechanical and Civil Engineering
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content: Family & Social Life
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content: Engineering, Building, and Architecture
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content: Engineering Steam Toys and Models
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Mr. August Mencken
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MC.322908
label: catalog number
content: 322908
label: accession number
content: 220719
objectType: label: Object Name
content: toy, steam engine and boiler
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: tinplate (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: iron (castings material)
label: Physical Description
content: nickel plated (fittings material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 9 1/2 in x 15 in x 13 in; 24.13 cm x 38.1 cm x 33.02 cm
label: Measurements
content: smokestack: 11 1/2 in x 1 1/8 in; 29.21 cm x 2.8575 cm