Ernst Plank Toy Steam Engine
date: label: date made
content: ca 1900
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: This toy steam engine was manufactured by the Ernst Plank Company of Nuremburg, Germany during the early 20th century. There is a small metal plate on the toy’s wooden base that reads “Hercules,” possibly the model name of this engine. The toy has a pressed metal firebox below the boiler. The boiler powers a vertical slide valve engine shafted to a flywheel, with a flyball governor.
label: Description (Brief)
content: Ernst Plank founded his company in Nuremburg, Germany in 1866. The company was well known for manufacturing a variety of metal toys like steam locomotives, stationary steam engines, early photography equipment, and magic lanterns until its dissolution in 1935.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: Germany: Bavaria, Nuremberg
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
publisher: label: Related Publication
content: Maass, Eleanor A.. Greville Bathe's "Theatre of Machines": The Evolution of a Scholar and His Collection
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Bequest of the Estate of Greville I. Bathe
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MC.329007
label: catalog number
content: 329007
label: accession number
content: 278175
objectType: label: Object Name
content: toy, steam engine and boiler
label: Object Name
content: steam engine and boiler, toy
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: white metal (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: wood (base material)
label: Measurements
content: flywheel: 2 7/8 in; x 7.3025 cm
label: Measurements
content: boiler: 7 in x 3 1/2 in x 3 1/2 in; 17.78 cm x 8.89 cm x 8.89 cm
label: Measurements
content: base: 10 3/4 in x 4 3/4 in; x 27.305 cm x 12.065 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall: 8 1/2 in x 10 5/8 in x 5 in; 21.59 cm x 26.9875 cm x 12.7 cm