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

Hey

Hope u find your engine.  Tips if you use ebay and dont know if the engine works or not and you can get a good guess.

Buy it now is seemingly the best case scenario when you become an expert at identifying.

Making an offer can be good deal too.  My best engines are from searching "steam engine" on ebay every waking hour of my life.  Its better than instagram.  Organize from newly listed and u can snipe good deals.  Salvage houses take offers or sellers with 100+ items will accertain much lower offers or buy it now prices.  Vheck and see what else the seller sells to determine motivatiin.

Now the most important things to see and look for.

The More Features you have the more issues you get.

A steam engine is like an antique car.  It works or doesnt and if it doesnt know how to fix it and god bless your ability to make or find parts.

Heres what Ive noticed.  Important to least.  First 5 points or items are required for most basic engine to the bells and whistles issues. (literally)

Boiler .  Is it solid.  no rust. no corrosion. no holes or dents.  If there are holes are they fitted or missing fittings.  Those missing caps or accesories from the boiler can be costly to replace.

Heat Source ...  Does it have its burner or burner tray or if electric is the pad burnt out or cord frayed needing replacement?  some old burners especially vaporizors go for a small fortune. 

Cylinder  ...  Most oscilating cylinders seem to work.  Double cylinders offer more problems.  I dont think I have aquired any oscilating motors that disnt get working under presure after being oiled.  The doubles can be more issues.  Slidevalves seem harder for me to get the timing right.

Flywheel.  Is it still a wheel?  Spokes broke?  its important

Chimney... should be further down this list but I think wayy to many of us like them.  Make sure its there its impossible or expensive to replace.

Hardware. .. do all the screws match?  is there a random bolt that destroyed the original threading?  Are handles to valves missing? Simple thingd like even a weeden flywheel can be expensive.

Looks...  Is it a rust bucket?? Do you like it??  If u care about value make sure the boiler bluing or nickle plating or enameled base or pinstripping is still present

Sight glass....  Easily replaceable on most engines with basic skills and some tools.  But if its there and brown or foggy can tell a bad tale of what happened in that boiler.  Literally make sure there is not water in it still too.  Got one of those once....

Manometer ... .. Pressure gauges seem to work or dont.  I find if they dont rest at base or zero they prolly dont work.  If they do it seems 50/50 on some of the ones over 75 years old.

Whistle... This are a nice feature but 1 more issue or boiler leak point.  the weeden ones always seem cracked.  These seem to always cause the most damage to shipped steam engines sometimes its wise to ask seller to gentky twist off if possible before shipping or advise extra padding.  they dent and punch in boilers like Mohammed Ali when poorly shipped.

Water Pump .. ..  These can be finicky but fixable.  Be prepared for anoying work with these guys.

The more features the more you should be aware of what they do and or how to fix then.  I say you should get a good old American made weeden or jensen as your first engine or a wilesco or mamod from avross the pond because the pasrts avail and cheaper prices. 

Best of luck I wish I voukd part with one of my kids but cant.

Jason

For ease of use you might go with electrically powered engines.
I've listed the American made ones with which I have experience.

 Jensens are great engines and are still being made.  You can
easily find the common ones on ebay starting at under $100 for
a nice runner like a #35.  As a bonus, you can buy brand new parts
to solve most all problems and Andy is there to help.  Jensen
also offers 'fueled' engines, but the electric ones are the coolest.
 
  Empires are robust and you will find most are pre-WW2.  Condition
matters, but you will find they go between $50-$150.  If the
heaters are burned out there are alternatives and most other problems
are solvable with a bit off toil and luck.  Sometimes, you may have
to hunt for parts.

  Weeden also makes electrically powered models but they are not
as durable an engine as the Jensens or Empires are.  That said,
they are good runners.

  There are a few others but the brands I mentioned will give you the
most pleasure and fun for the time and money spent.

Good Luck,
Wayne

Thanks for the insight.

Clean Jensen workshop $100 BIN

https://www.ebay.com/itm/176264377451?itmmeta=01HQVFZMZ6AZMFW8A600DMQSRD&hash=item290a2cf46b:g:mYUAAOSwCp1l4PpC&itmprp=enc%3AAQAIAAAAwMG14KqW1JIzHpn96V%2Fb50WuGadvo%2BwPB2%2BZ9cRpWhHajNHdqB0daCFX8IQVU5Rk0fjfBOArkjCYBpKhhUt1Lw8%2BhRB2Eyc26Heg4JZqL0ZS7lUxu6lYz2gWD%2FbzWp17tRiVNf6jtR8MeM91EOlH4lZR7UO73iOPb7oxD6DD2CZyiN4PQUz2QRajFC3KNvOJH2fk7E8%2Ft4TPOgf1duu59CR%2FFgI8a%2F7sMLDMfy02iSExje45zJZAR2TSZEYRqNg5vg%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR_LP_u--Yw