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Märklin No. 5 Toy Steam Engine

National Museum of American History

Object Details

Description (Brief)
This Märklin No. 5 toy steam engine was built by the Märklin Manufacturing Company of Göppingen, Germany during the early 20th century. This toy steam engine consists of an externally fired horizontal brass boiler on top of a simulated brick firebox and chimney. The horizontal slide valve cylinder engine drives a flywheel with slip-eccentric reversing gear. The boiler and engine are mounted on a tinplate base.
The Märklin Company was established in 1859 in the town of Göppingen, Germany by tin smith Theodor Friedrich Wilhelm Märklin. Märklin began his business with the production of tin doll houses, but the company soon began producing a variety of tinplate and metal items, eventually specializing in toys that included steam engines such as this one.
Location
Currently not on view
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. August Mencken
ca 1950
ID Number
MC.322911
catalog number
322911
accession number
220719
Object Name
toy, steam engine and boiler
Physical Description
brass (overall material)
tinplate (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 14 1/4 in x 10 7/8 in x 10 7/8 in; 36.195 cm x 27.6225 cm x 27.6225 cm
place made
Germany
See more items in
Work and Industry: Mechanical and Civil Engineering
Family & Social Life
Engineering, Building, and Architecture
Engineering Steam Toys and Models
National Museum of American History
Record ID
nmah_847206
Metadata Usage (text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a6-9b08-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa
Operative Toy Steam Engine and Boiler
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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