Office of Steam Forum for Model & Toy Steam Gas & Hot Air Engines

@Nick has a large Buckman collection.

I will email you what I have in my files.

See a recent photo of my Buckman Workshop.  Nick also has this workshop.

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I have these and have a few more (have added another 3 legged horizontal and another basic horizontal like on the left of my family picture)

https://www.officeofsteamforum.com/engineers-hall-at-our-2nd-annual-(2021)-global-power-up/nicks-table/

Others added are in post #1

https://www.officeofsteamforum.com/collections-pictures/365-day-challenge/

And this one with matching post card

https://www.officeofsteamforum.com/ebay/old-add-for-free-steam-engine-looks-like-a-weedenbuckman-kind-of/?message=52209

I have these and have a few more (have added another 3 legged horizontal and another basic horizontal like on the left of my family picture)

https://www.officeofsteamforum.com/engineers-hall-at-our-2nd-annual-(2021)-global-power-up/nicks-table/

Thanks, Nick.  I'd seen your collection.  Most impressive!  The horizontals on the left look identically laid out to the 1870's picture.  The beam is also correctly placed!  If my research proves correct, those engines, the center 3-legger to the left of the Young America, and the beam engine on the right are the engines in the display cabinet and are not Buckmans.  I also believe that the orange twin is not a Buckman, or a reproduction of one, but represents yet another manufacturer.  However, the design does date to the early 1870's.

If you compare parts on the center engine and the Improved Young America, would you judge them to be from the same manufacturer?

I'm assuming the long box is for the boat.  Does it have a Union Toy Mfg label on the end? 

My research is mostly before 1880, 1885 at the latest, so some of the other engines in your collection haven't shown up in my research.  The Buckman fire engine on the right did, but the 1872 patent for that engine and early etchings look a bit different from what you have.

I think you might understand why I'm desperate to find out why people have identified these engines as Buckmans.  I really don't want to get this wrong.

...
And this one with matching post card

https://www.officeofsteamforum.com/ebay/old-add-for-free-steam-engine-looks-like-a-weedenbuckman-kind-of/?message=52209

I remembered seeing the post-card engine somewhere.  I don't know who made it, though I have my suspicions.  The "Hero" "Ajax" and "Empire" engines are featured in the 1880 Ives, Blakeslee & Co. catalog.  There are accessories on page 106, and The steam engines are on pages 105-107.  The Ajax is on page 106.  Price is $10/doz.

Thanks Charlie for jogging my memory.  BTW, the price for the Hero has doubled from the ad you sent.

Thanks, Nick

I was just reading from a book that arrived in the mail a few minutes ago.  It's called Cavalcade of Toys, published in 1942.  In it there's an etching from an 1875 Union Mfg catalog that shows a workshop very similar to yours.  On significant difference is that it's powered by your Buckman horizontal (which oddly reminds me of the Sphynx).

On page 200 they write "A boy with a steam engine needed something to operate with it, and so the miniature machine shop became popular.  The Union Manufacturing Company of 13 Vine St., Brooklyn, N. Y. catered to this specialty."

They go on to write, sadly without references, that "The Union Company appears to have taken over in 1880 the 'Young American' engine."

Would you mind if I used pictures from your Flikr album in my article?

You can use anything I have posted. Do my Flickr pics have watermarks over them? I don’t even remember how many years ago it has been since I used Flickr… I have the originals on my ipad.

Thanks!  The pictures are fine.  Here's the link I used https://flic.kr/s/aHskRPdCx8

You had posted a picture of your Buckmans in 2019 in the Mamod forum.  That's where I found the link.