1930s Miniature Steam Engine Project

[TerryB]

A friend of mine asked me to see if I could get this toy Weeden 123 Steam engine running for him.  It belonged to his late father.  With some cleanup and minor adjustments I got it to run.  In the video you can see the steam piston start to leak steam.  The fiber gasket failed but has since been replaced.  It’s not automotive but I hope you enjoy seeing this 1930s toy run again.

 

Edited December 31, 2021 by TerryB (see edit history)

[John Bloom]

This is great. I have been wanting to play with these and hit and miss engines.  

[TerryB]

These Weeden steam engines show up on eBay occasionally as I found out while looking for parts for this one. The simplicity is amazing, the only repair I had was to the leaking steam piston gasket and to fabricate a drive belt between the flywheel and governor. The fuel is a bottle of gas line Heet alcohol.  I still can’t believe this was marketed as a kid’s toy.

[John Bloom]

12 hours ago, TerryB said:

These Weeden steam engines show up on eBay occasionally as I found out while looking for parts for this one. The simplicity is amazing, the only repair I had was to the leaking steam piston gasket and to fabricate a drive belt between the flywheel and governor. The fuel is a bottle of gas line Heet alcohol.  I still can’t believe this was marketed as a kid’s toy.

Terry , they are neat.  There’s a place in Indiana, one of my favorite antique stores that I’ve bought several things from. They had this one listed and by the time I saw it and called, it was gone. It I need to pick one of these up.