Weeden No. 17 Toy Steam Engine
date: label: date made
content: late 19th century
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: This toy steam engine was manufactured by the Weeden Manufacturing Company of New Bedford, Massachusetts from 1894 until 1933. The engine is Weeden model number 17, and consists of a vertical firebox and brass boiler on a tinplate base and a vertical engine with flywheel and flyball governor. Weeden’s Engine no. 17 was the first reversible engine, which would run in the opposite direction when the switch next to the engine was flipped. This engine is missing its sight glass.
label: Description (Brief)
content: The Weeden Manufacturing Company was founded in New Bedford, Massachusetts by William M. Weeden in the early 1880s, originally producing a variety of tinplate household items. In 1884 it introduced the Weeden No. 1 Steam engine as “a new and great premium for boys” who were subscribers to the <i>Youth’s Companion</i> magazine. Weeden made over a hundred different models of toy steam engines until the company ceased operations in 1952.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Massachusetts, New Bedford
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.328944
label: catalog number
content: 328944
label: accession number
content: 278175
objectType: label: Object Name
content: toy, steam engine and boiler
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: tin (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 8 1/2 in; 21.59 cm
label: Measurements
content: base: 5 in x 6 1/4 in; 12.7 cm x 15.875 cm
label: Measurements
content: flywheel: 2 1/2 in; x 6.35 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall: 8 3/4 in x 6 1/4 in x 5 1/8 in; 22.225 cm x 15.875 cm x 13.0175 cm