What Was the History of Model Steam Trains?
• An ancient Greek geometer and engineer, Heron, fashioned the first steam engine as a toy during the first century AD that he dubbed the ‘aeolipile’, translating into ‘wind ball’. • Steam came from a sealed pot that was filled with water, and then placed over a fire. Two tubes, coming up from the pot emerged, and the steam would flow into a spherical ball of metal. These metal spheres rotated, as the steam traveled though the series of tubes. • The time frame from 1890-1930 was the ‘golden era’ of steam trains, with the finest manufactured in the Nuremberg area of Germany, Bing, Falk, Marklin, whereas Mamod, Weeden, Jensen in the US, being the other brands. • By 1970’s, only Jensen, Mamod, and Wilesco were the major makers of steam models. Who are the Last Three Survivors of These Trains? Jensen Steam Engines- • Established in 1932, Jensen Steam Engines are still using the original tooling, dyes and hand craftsmanship to produce quality products in limited quantities in the U.S.A. • B
