The engine has a reversible slide valve and flywheel, with a horizontal brass boiler. Live steam toys enjoyed a period of popularity from the 1880s until the 1930s. The miniature steam engines were ...

Willmitt contacted Lee and told him about the steam engine project, which Lee, a film teacher at A.B. Miller High School, has watched grow from piles of parts to a working miniature locomotive.

This article was originally published with the title “Improved Slide Valve for Steam Engines” in Scientific American Magazine Vol. 13 No. 38 (May 1858), p. 304 doi:10.1038 ...

Greek engineer Hero of Alexandria designs the first steam engine; it has a pedestal, an altar, and a rotating ball—but no practical use. French inventor Denis Papin builds a cooker that traps ...

Live steam toys enjoyed a period of popularity from the 1880s until the 1930s. The miniature steam engines were marketed as both toys and instructive devices that mimicked full-scale steam-powered ...