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

My nearest find was my first steam engine, a Jensen 76, 10 miles from home. My dad always had a 65 in the basement that we only ran a couple of times over the years. Fast forward to 2005, I was spending the summer helping my Great-grandma clean out her house and get everything organized for an auction in the fall (we lost Great-grandpa in Dec. '04). In the kitchen at Great-grandpa's table by his window was a bright orange Jensen Mfg. box. I was very excited that I had found a box to go with my dad's steam engine, knowing that this box's engine was likely long gone. I was not into toy steam at the time and knew no difference between a 65 and a 76 and based on the size of the box, I thought it was for the 65. A few weeks went by and I was cleaning out the attic... shoe box after shoe box of brand new/dry-rotted shoes... Finally, I found one that didn't have shoes    Inside was a Jensen 76  They moved off the farm some time around 1995 so it was in the attic for at least 10 years. Nobody remembers who gave him the engine or how he ended up with it, or has any memory of the engine at all. I don't have any before pictures because that evening I sat at my Grandpa and Grandma's kitchen table tearing the engine apart and polishing off all the soot and Esbit residue. I would have to say this little shoe box made a huge change in my life. I found ebay and my life pretty much revolves around this hobby now! And I'm not complaining about that! 

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