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Catalog Data

Physical Description:
brass (vertical boiler material)
cast white metal (engine material)
Measurements:
overall: 7 3/4 in x 4 1/8 in; 19.685 cm x 10.4775 cm
overall: 8 in x 4 1/8 in; 20.32 cm x 10.4775 cm
Object Name:
toy, steam engine and boiler
Date made:
late 19th century
Description (Brief):
This toy steam engine was manufactured by the Weeden Manufacturing Company of New Bedford, Massachusetts from around 1884 until the 1940s. The first six Weeden toy steam engine models were all very similar in style, and this model of engine is likely either Weeden No. 1, 2, or 3. The vertical toy steam engine consists of a firebox, boiler, and slide valve engine attached to a wheel. The firebox has been repainted yellow and the boiler has been repainted black.
The Weeden Manufacturing Company was founded in New Bedford, Massachusetts by William M. Weeden in the early 1880s, originally producing a variety of tinplate household items. In 1884 it introduced the Weeden No. 1 Steam engine as “a new and great premium for boys” who were subscribers to the <i>Youth’s Companion</i> magazine. Weeden made over a hundred different models of toy steam engines until the company ceased operations in 1952.
Location:
Currently not on view
Related Publication:
Maass, Eleanor A.. Greville Bathe's "Theatre of Machines": The Evolution of a Scholar and His Collection
Credit Line:
Bequest of the Estate of Greville I. Bathe
ID Number:
MC.328943
Catalog number:
328943
Accession number:
278175
See more items in:
Work and Industry: Mechanical and Civil Engineering
Family & Social Life
Engineering, Building, and Architecture
Engineering Steam Toys and Models
Data Source:
National Museum of American History
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a6-8f6a-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmah_847047