Office of Steam Forum for Model & Toy Steam Gas & Hot Air Engines
The Regular Stuff: Chat, Buy, Sell, Off Topic, etc. => General Discussion - Model & Toy Steam Engines – Stirling Cycle – Flame Lickers – Small Antique Originals => Topic started by: parallelmotion on August 02, 2021, 01:46:24 pm
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Thanks Danny, Grace and Brad. It was a dream come true for me but it required a full year of my time to realize that dream. Seeing the end product running on steam was always the motivation.
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That's an engine and setup at the end of the rainbow WOW, congratulations Brent you realized what a lot of us dream off.
Thanks for sharing.
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I stop by at least once a week to appreciate this wonderful Marklin Mecca! Just so exquisite. Thank you so much for sharing this restoration.
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That is such a beautiful restoration, Brent.
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Thank you again everyone; I knew this group would appreciate it. Now on to the next project.
Brent
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I had the honor of seeing this workshop several times during the restoration.
The attention to detail of this restoration is inspiring.
Congratulations Brent!
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A lovely video, a veritable symphony of belts and pulleys! Love the little chain hoist on the back wall, and the lathe.
Superb workmanship!
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Looks perfect don't change a thing!!
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Hi Brent, Superb doesn't begin to describe your work and this most amazing historic Marklin!
Gil
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Thank you, an amazing restoration of an amazing steam plant!
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Simply fantastic.
I envy your skill.
Congratulations!
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Wow, not much more can be said, always nice to see these treasures back to work.
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Thanks everyone for your kind words. I tried to be faithful to the original while not disguising any newly made components. As some background, this piece came to me assembled in an old wooden building but with the correct proportions and all the tools and components assembled in their correct positions. As this building was made in the 1940s or even earlier, I concluded that the original tinplate building had probably been badly damaged and was discarded.
But I also concluded that it was used to reposition and reassemble everything in the new wooden building. I can imagine the original as a rusty hulk with broken glass, perhaps bent walls, flaking paint, etc. In those days people thought differently of old toys and the owner (probably the 2nd or 3rd owner by then) decided to make it look nice in a new building. He or she also added an old phonograph motor hidden in the roof to drive the tools although the original Marklin motor worked perfectly. Back then no one thought much about taking pains to preserve original parts and patina as we do now.
Scott and I were in almost daily contact regarding the progress of this project which he followed from the day I brought it home; he was often asking for updates which I was happy to provide. He was also an encouragement when things didn't go right which was fairly often. My biggest regret is that he did not live to see it finished.
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There's not much to say - it's a fantastic job and brought this diamond back to the light of day
Thanks for the impressive video
and we do need a new category: engine of the century
Congrats, Arnold ;D
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Agree completely, being as incomplete as this was initially, i would have chosen the exact same approach, and left the reproduction parts "as new".
Clearly showing the facts like this makes the plant is even more valuable in my optics, as well as provide a clear view of what a huge task there has been taken on, to bring this historical gem back to life.
You did an amazing job, first hunting down the necessary materials, and then transforming them to look perfectly "Märklin´ish", with an impressive eye for detail i might ad.
Hard to find words powerful enough to decribe this amazing plant, extremely well executed project Brent!!!
Finally, thank you for the dedication at the end of your movie, bringing both happy as well as sad memories to mind.
Eventhough i am certain i was in the perifery of Scott´s friendships, he in the few years i was fortunate enough to know him, managed to make an everlasting imprint here as well.
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Bruce
That little traveling crane actually has a working chain hoist. I've got it hooked up lifting a tiny boiler I had in the parts box. Yes, the control panel is fully functional. The little blank 'buttons' are supposed to be junction boxes but the wires just pass through them and to the switches. The miniature rotary switches are fully functional. The lights and motor run on 110-120V and their wiring passes through the switchboard. One switch is for the panel (cherub) light, another for the lamp over the engine, next is for the two lamps in the tool room, and last one is for the motor. The switches work but are old and worn so I leave them all in the 'on' position and use a master switch on the power cord. The bulbs, by the way, are period antique bulbs from Germany that are 220V so they glow dimly on 110-20. I also wired in a tiny secondary switch for the motor that's hidden under the base. That way I can turn all the lights on without running the motor every time. Hope this makes sense.
Brent
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I have just watched this magnificent shop several more times on my bigger home monitor (20") as opposed to my cell phone during my lunch break , I keep seeing more delicious items that are catching my eye , I absolutely love the overhead crane , and the control panel on the wall really intrigues me...does it function Brent ? I haven't figured it out yet 😊👍
So many ,many , Many things to fidget with , fuss with and interact with ...a steamers paradise to be immersed in the running of.
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Thank you Ranier. Yes, I only cleaned the machine tools as they were in good condition. The overhead line shaft, overhead crane, switchboard, and chimney are also in original condition. Of course the walls and base are newly made and painted tinplate. I suppose I could age them but I'm not very good at those processes and might end up with a worse result in looking artificial. As it is now it will always be obvious which parts are new and which parts are old; to me that is a good thing.
Brent
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Congrats to you Brent, great resto and nice video!
I like that you didn't touch the machine model's patina.
In comparison to them, the walls and floor look somewhat "new"...
I know that it is a question of personal taste, I would have possibly aged those surfaces carefully.
However, the quality and finish of your resto is outstanding and the result is more than worth your long years effort!
Well done!
Rainer
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A wonderful workshop restoration - hardly any others in that class. Truly well done!
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Thanks Bruce. Seems anticlimactic to me too! I could write a book on the subject. Those aren't just old style bulbs--they're antique German bulbs from the same period--cost me a fortune but worth it. Marklin used a type of bulb and socket not found here in the US. They're 220V but working on 110V so should last my lifetime if not longer; also got a couple spares. I hope to bring it to NAMES or Cabin Fever if I can make a proper crate; it takes two people to move it.
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Spectacular Brent ,seems a bit anti climatic to just make one video of such a great restoration project. The old style filament bulbs are just the touch. I really like all the detail in such a steam machine shop.
Well done Sir.
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After a year-long difficult restoration, here, finally, is a video of Marklin's 1904-09 no. 4283 steam and electric machine shop. As many of you know, this was found with most of its tinplate building missing except for the doors and chimney. Fortunately all of the internal parts were there including the little slate switchboard, lineshaft, motor, steam engine, overhead crane and chain hoist and all the tools.
https://youtu.be/DuABsUxMhr8
You can see some "before" photos and an interesting discussion (make sure you read all of it) on that "other" forum here:
https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/modelsteam/guess-that-model-number-t102890.html