"Gebruder Bing Nurenburg" engine find

[petrol smoker]

Some guy that works with me told me about this toy steam engine he has at home that he could never get to run. Someone gave it to him long time ago, and since "he is fed up with it" I could gladly have it. (I nearly fainted, but kept my pose).

I took the engine home and cleaned it - boy was it dirty! I applied some compressed air, and... away she goes! Quite a bit of work to be done on it, but nothing seriously undoable. The engine seems to be complete except for the smokestack, burner and some steam fittings.

I searched a bit on the net about the GBN engines, and found quite a lot of pictures and information. I did however not find anything that matches my engine, nor am I able to date it.
Can anyone help? Are these toy engines worth anything? (BTW it's not for sale as it is worth a lot to me)

What pressures do these boilers typically operate at, and is it safe to use a boiler that is probably 80 years old? AND should I try and restore it to it's former glory, or should I leave the original paint on it?

[Kevin O. Pulver]

Please DONT paint it. It looks like a nice, well made engine with good original paint. Many people would value it far less if you mess with it.
Of course, you can do what you want with it, but I've heard people regret "restoring" things they should have left alone. Some folks put boiled linseed oil or something on engines to protect the old paint and give a nice look to it. Thanks for the photos and story. Kevin

[Mike Monnier]

I wouldn't paint it or coat it with any type of clear polyurethane or boiled linseed oil. What my Dad typically uses on these projects is good old WD-40. You can spray the big parts, let them set and then wipe the residue with a soft cotton cloth. For the detail parts he uses a cotton swab to get into the nooks and crannies. I've seen equally dirty engines come out amazingly nice by this procedure. You just need to take your time and not go at it too aggressively.

[CaseyJoeS.]

Excellent find!! Check with the guy who has this website, he is a wealth of knowledge on this little old engines : )
Just tell him Casey sent you
http://johno.myiglou.com/steammain.html

[petrol smoker]

Real informative website! Thanks! I dropped John an e-mail to hear what he says, but from the info I gathered on his site, the engine must be pre-1934. That is when the GBN company folded. Thanks for all the replys everyone!

[John M. Keithley]

Originally Posted by petrol smoker

Real informative website! Thanks! I dropped John an e-mail to hear what he says, but from the info I gathered on his site, the engine must be pre-1934. That is when the GBN company folded. Thanks for all the replys everyone!

As everyone else has said.. DON'T PAINT IT.. just GENTLY clean it. An object can be 'RESTORED ' a hundred times... but it can only be 'ORIGINAL' once!!!