1882 steam engine model

[1480man]

Hi Guys,
I wanted to share a pic of my old steam engine that's been in my family since 1882 when my great great great uncle built it in Glascow Scottland as a college engineering project. He later was an engineer on a steam ship running the Nile river and later in life settled on the farm in North Dakota. As a kid I remember my great uncle running it on compressed air, I ran it last year on compressed air, it still runs. Its not too big, about 2.5 ft long. I don't know what ever happend to the boiler if there was one. I do have a few questions about it, Are these at all common?? Any idea as to its value?? The brass plate on the front says Andy Watt 1882 Glascow
Oh yah, its not for sale
John

[OTTO-Sawyer]

NICE !

I wouldn't say that they were COMMON, but they were somewhat common in that era as engineering shop class projects to show what you learned. I believe they were still doing this up into maybe the 1920's and early 1930's with some very fine looking engines having been built.

Considering the population of the world has doubled, or tripled, or more, since this and others like it were built, they are obviously a lot less common today as they were when they were built.

A lot of the students that built them likely ended up going to work in the factories either as engineer's or laborer's building traction engines and locomotives and steam powered cars and trucks, which were also gaining popularity at the time and were obviously a lot more common then than they are now.

I'm sure there are others, like yours still stashed away in the attics of old houses, some known, some unknown by the occupants of the house. Probably many out there that the grandkids or great grandkids have seen over the years but don't know what it is so they stay buried in the corner awaiting the next estate sale or farm auction.