Office of Steam Logo_1

« previous next »
Pages: 1 [2]

Author Topic: I found a 1938 Jensen model #50 steam engine.  (Read 1832 times)

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 297
  • Location: High Point, North Carolina
Re: I found a 1938 Jensen model #50 steam engine.
« Reply #15 on: February 16, 2020, 10:45:03 pm »
I understand everything you mentioned however the family bought it new in 1938. It's 100% original condition as they purchased it. What you see is what Tom Jenson Sr made.
Thank you for sharing all the information you have.
Logged
Jack Boyles III
High Point, NC

  • Administrator
  • Engineer
  • *****
  • Posts: 9191
  • Location: Minnesota, USA 🇺🇸
Re: I found a 1938 Jensen model #50 steam engine.
« Reply #16 on: February 17, 2020, 01:06:50 am »
Jack, this is a very special engine, and being made in the ‘40’s is not going to make it any less special or valuable. Anyone from the family that would remember that engine’s history from new would be well into their ‘80’s and to be honest, they are not going to remember any of these minor fixes/changes made to the engine over the years...
Logged
Nick

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 502
  • Location: USA
Re: I found a 1938 Jensen model #50 steam engine.
« Reply #17 on: February 17, 2020, 05:49:00 am »
What is more credible, someone’s memory from 70 or 80 years ago, or our collective years of research and hundreds and hundreds of examples of Tom Jensen’s work to draw conclusions from? Just saying. 🙂
Logged
Mike

Check out my YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/Cletrac

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 563
  • Location: Minnesota
Re: I found a 1938 Jensen model #50 steam engine.
« Reply #18 on: February 17, 2020, 08:09:30 am »
Plus the fact that the original story doesn't make sense. Who would buy an engine for a baby? No one. They bought the engine for a teenager to commemorate his birth... I.e. his birthday.

When I did ancestry research, I found similar remembered "facts" that got distorted over time.
Logged

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 297
  • Location: High Point, North Carolina
Re: I found a 1938 Jensen model #50 steam engine.
« Reply #19 on: February 17, 2020, 08:42:17 am »
There are many opinions on this engine and that is great. Love the discussion. I've done a lot of research into this one. More than one family member dated the purchase year of it. I have no doubt it is 1938. So how does that fit into the Jensen #50 that are known??? I don't know.
I don't think anyone one can say this is not something Jensen made just because there is not yet a second found. Take the forgotten #35's. For a while people debated if Jensen really made them until others were found. Things like the sight glass are different but that does not affirm or deny authenticity. Interestingly the bolts in the sight glass fittings are also hollowed out and consistent with what Jensen did back then. The holes are the same size etc. Why is it different? Who knows. Similar to the 10" Boiler Gil found. Many people thought it was not Jensen. Never seen one like it. One thing I know, the more I look the more I find, there are many engines out there that are different. Lot's of variations over the years. Some stayed and some went away. This one also has a larger Jensen decal similar one the wood base similar to the one on the #20 Deluxe Big Power Plant. The smoke stack mount is of the same material, shape, design but it's diameter is larger than the other Jensen #50's. The thickness of the smoke stake is the same but it was flared and the bottom rolled. It was made to fit. Other Jensen #50's stacks will not fit this one. Interestingly enough the #20 Big deluxe power plant is also larger than all the other #20 base mounts and they will not fit it.
I too had many of the same thoughts when I first saw this engine. We all know Tom Sr never wasted anything and was very much in to testing and trying new things back then. Most of the early #50's we see today were in pieces, very bad condition or have been rebuilt and restored.
I'm just happy to find such an old engine complete and in great shape. It truly is one to spark discussion and that is awesome. I'm always looking for old, unique and rare Jensen's and this one is just one more that's been discovered. Kind of like that early #25 with the Chromalox heater I found. We only thought the one with the melted boiler existed and then that one popped up. So now there are two. Anyway, love the feedback. Can't wait to see what is discovered next.
Have a great day!
Logged
Jack Boyles III
High Point, NC

  • Administrator
  • Engineer
  • *****
  • Posts: 5070
  • Location: Connecticut - USA
Re: I found a 1938 Jensen model #50 steam engine.
« Reply #20 on: February 17, 2020, 08:57:38 am »
Jack, Regarding the site glass, the elbows are not Jensen's.
They are a pair of elbows like or similar to these on ebay right now
with the larger threads cut off and a hole for a hollow screw drilled in them.
Arguably a good substitute and not original.

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]
Logged

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 297
  • Location: High Point, North Carolina
Re: I found a 1938 Jensen model #50 steam engine.
« Reply #21 on: February 17, 2020, 09:27:36 am »
Hey Gil,
Yes I've seen those. They are stamped and marked and are modern day versions of a 90 degree elbow.
They are similar but not whats on the Jensen #50.
The pieces on the #50 are very old. I know Tom Jensen build several Stuart Steam engines. I've actually got to see them and hold them up close.
It may have been something he was messing with.
Logged
Jack Boyles III
High Point, NC

  • Administrator
  • Engineer
  • *****
  • Posts: 5070
  • Location: Connecticut - USA
Re: I found a 1938 Jensen model #50 steam engine.
« Reply #22 on: February 17, 2020, 10:31:26 am »
Quote from: jbfly@triad.rr.com on February 17, 2020, 09:27:36 am
Hey Gil,
Yes I've seen those. They are stamped and marked and are modern day versions of a 90 degree elbow.
They are similar but not whats on the Jensen #50.
The pieces on the #50 are very old. I know Tom Jensen build several Stuart Steam engines. I've actually got to see them and hold them up close.
It may have been something he was messing with.


Hi Jack, As I said they (the elbows) were like or similar to those still sold. Yes earlier versions were manufactured before the DOT stamp was required for motor vehicle and other transportation use. I have also seen and photographed Tom Sr's Stuart D-10 and he made the site glass blocks for it  himself. The The elbows on that engine were manufactured outside of Jensen and I stick to the belief that they were added at some point in the future. In addition, if this family did get a #50 ca 1938-39, they have it mixed up with the one you got from latter half of the 1940's.


The research work that Bill, Mike, John Foskett, many others, and myself, have done over the years has culminated in a pretty comprehensive knowledge base. John Foskett was interviewing Tom Jensen Sr. and Dedlon Peterson and took extensive notes, while they were both alive. even a mostly unheard audio recording exists somewhere. Bill, Mike, another Mike, myself, and others have been collecting and preserving this history for over 20 years. Howard and Tom are involved and also aware of much of this. Your seller has some memory gaps and I am certain they absolutely believe they are correct. If true that they bought one later, this is it. From a family that says they had two, one pre-war and one post-war, even a receipt from 1938-39 would be meaningless without seeing both of these engines together. We can't rewrite Jensen history over an engine with a few hardware store parts added over the years. Still, it is a fantastic engine and thank you very much for sharing it with us. You and I will agree to disagree on these facts!


Gil
Logged
Pages: 1 [2]
« previous next »