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LATEST FEATURE____________________________________
Puff, Puff, Puffing Along
by Bob Brooke
 Live
steam-driven toys have always fascinated young boys and men. It’s
probably because of the power they produce and that they’re often so
close to the original devices that use steam power to operate.
The first steam devices were similar to modern pinwheels. They
substituted a current of steam for a puff of air. From this toymakers
produced what they referred to as a gyrotoy in which water was heated in
a simple, metal boiler. When sufficiently hot, a jet of steam poured out
of a small pipe directed at a simple paddle wheel which revolved on its
axle. This device, which existed in the mid-19th century, developed very
little power but could activate a dancer on a spring wire.
 The
use of steam as a power source dates from the early 1840s. By the
mid-19th century, steam-powered toys began to appear. Craftsmen hand
built toy steam engines for the first 50 years or so and definitely for
those who could afford their high price tag. Cheaper models began to
appear in the 1870s. By that time, makers constructed stationary engines
with the boiler in either a vertical or horizontal position, although
the functions of each were essentially the same. The vertical model fit
into a smaller space while the horizontal model allowed greater size and
power. Though toy engines were often faithful duplicates of the real
thing, they rarely had the detail of true scale models.
Such famous toy makers as Bing, Doll and Marklin produced steam-powered
toys in Germany. The British manufactured some beautiful examples under
the label of Bassett-Lowke. In America, Eugene Beggs of Paterson, New
Jersey turned out these mechanical wonders from the 1870s to about 1900
in competition with the famous Ives company of Bridgeport, Connecticut.
The best known of all the American firms was the
Weeden Manufacturing Company which manufactured steam-powered toys from
1883 to 1930 in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Other manufacturers included
Mamod, Wilesco, Cheddar, Krick, Tucher & Walther, Hermann Bohm, and
Blechspielzeug.
The boiler of a steam toy had to be carefully filled with mineral-free
water, often from a rainwater barrel. Most of the burners or lamps used
alcohol as fuel although manufacturers advertised a few that burned
kerosene.
Both substances were highly flammable but not explosive in the open air.
Once the user lit the burner and shoved it into place beneath the
boiler, it was just a matter of waiting while steam formed in the boiler
and pressure gradually increased. When steamed up, the throttle opened,
wheels began to spin, and pulleys operated the accessories. And, of
course, every steam engine came with a whistle.
Steam-powered trains were a bit more complicated. Many became known as
"dribblers" because water often leaked from the boiler. Though the user
set a throttle in advance, there was tittle or no speed control once the
locomotive got under way. Once steam had built up, the user set the
train on the tracks and let it go until the fuel and water ran out.
Often the engine would fly off the rails on a tight curve, spilling the
water and burning alcohol. Makers advertised these trains as “safe”
toys, since they rarely blew up unless an ingenious boy locked down the
safety valve. However, the engines got very hot, enough to produce a
nasty burn. Since boys often set up these trains on their mom’s carpet,
a derailment and spill often resulted in a good scolding.
 Steam-powered
boats, on the other hand, were graceful toys, often beautifully
constructed of brass. Manufacturers built them around a horizontal
boiler with a burner beneath. Steam traveled through a pipe to a
cylinder and piston which operated the propeller shaft. An adjustable
ruder provided some control but there was always a risk of losing the
boat once it got under way. Boys could purchase flimsy tinplate steam
motorboats in dime and novelty stores. This toy had a burner and boiler
but no cylinder. The steam traveled directly to the stern of the boat
and exhausted underwater, propelling the boat until all the steam was
used up. Boys called them "put-puts while they referred to more
elaborate models as propellers.
 Toy
engines of the stationary type were very popular and often advertised as
premiums with a magazine subscription. (Youth's Companion, later
combined with American Boy) in an advertisement in 1875 offered not one
but two miniature steam engines for one new subscriber. These were very
simple in design but stated to be "perfect machines" which could be
taken apart for examination and put together by almost any lad of nine
years. They cannot burst. “A larger model had a double cylinder,
producing four times the power and ran for four times longer. A third
model available in the same advertisement featured a horizontal heavy
brass boiler and makes more than 100 revolutions per minute.
By 1886, boys could purchase a toy steam engine with a vertical boiler
from Montgornery Ward for 40 cents plus a nickel for postage. Larger
horizontal engines with a walking beam and a flywheel sold for $2. From
the same catalog, boys could order a toy steamboat in the 9-inch size
packed in a "neat wooden box" for $1.25 or a 13-inch model which ran
about 20 minutes for $2.60. In 1888, Ladies' Home Journal provided a
Weeden upright steam engine made from 41 pieces at no cost with a
subscription. Or the lucky young person could buy an 11-inch steamboat
directly from the magazine for $1.50 postpaid.
In 1889 it was possible to buy an upright steam engine from Ward’s
catalog for 20 cents but more elaborate engines cost as much as $11. A
popular steam toy that year was the Model Steam Fire Engine, with a
vertical boiler, single oscillating cylinder, and a pump which spewed
water quite a distance.
This toy was very similar in appearance to the formidable horse-drawn
prototypes which dashed through city streets on their way to a fire,
spouting smoke, sparks and steam. The same year boys could also purchase
a complete steam train, which ran on a circular track for about 20
minutes with each filling of water. It sold for $8 and came complete
with a brass locomotive, two cars, and track.
While Montgomery Ward and Sears Roebuck targeted the mass market,
Marshall Field and Company of Chicago and FAO Schwartz in New York
competed for upscale customers. Field in 1892 stocked a beautiful array
of steam toys. There were steam propellers almost 20-inches long and
complete with awning. Several varieties of stationary engine were
available, one equipped with a built-in windmill, another with a steam
forge and even an elaborate integrated "Steam Brewery." There was a
steam-powered fountain and a dredge with a conveyor. Marshall Field sold
two versions of a trackless switch locomotive as a floor toy or several
grades of steam trains with track, ranging from $1.50 to $10 a unit.
The British firm of Bassett-Lowke also produced model steam locomotives.
One gauge available was 1˝ -inch, which was close to the present "0"
gauge while others came in a gauge twice as wide. The models ranged from
stubby switchers to scale versions of famous locomotives. In 1902 this
firm also offered an elaborate model steam fire engine, as well as a
tractor roller, several cranes, and two models of motor cars, all steam
powered.
The early 20th century brought little change in the design and
appearance of steam-powered toys. One major innovation was the
introduction of electricity as a heat source. As household electricity
became more prevalent, the stationary steam engine gradually switched
from alcohol burners to electric heating elements. A Weeden model in
1930 came with a 110-volt heating element. The company still made
alcohol-burning versions and one hybrid was available with either a
two-burner alcohol stove or an electric heater.
Today, some models, like the 1909 Marklin steam-powered boat, sell at
auction for thousands of dollars, putting many steam-powered toys out of
reach of many collectors.
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