For sale is a 1960s JENSEN BRASS LINE DRY FUEL STEAM ENGINE STYLE NO 65 from the Jensen Manufacturing Company, Jeanette, Pennsylvania. This vintage collectible toy is in great condition. This vintage miniature steam engine model was manufactured in 1965. The brand, Jensen, is well-known for producing high-quality models, and this one is no exception. This steam engine has a Double Acting Brass Engine including Reverse. The Engine weighs 5 pounds. The engine measures 9 inches square and is 9 inches tall. The steam engine is a full-featured, mid-sized, Double acting slide valve stationary cylinder, “dry fueled engine with a 2-1/8 x 6 boiler. This engine can be used to power erector sets or other miniatures. Engine includes pop valve, whistle and throttle. The Jensen company sells fuel and accessories for this model online. This unique collectible item is perfect for vintage and antique toy enthusiasts.
In 1911, at the age of 10, Tom Jensen fashioned his first engine using steel cans, after becoming enamored with the horse drawn steam threshers that visited the family farm in his native Denmark. Twelve years later, while completing schooling for his Mechanical Engineering Degree, Tom built a 175-pound monster steam engine, complete with a hand made generator, which today, we know as “Old Number 1”. This engine was so well designed and executed that it won a Silver Medal at the 1923 Denmark State Fair. After emigrating to America, in 1932, Tom started the Jensen Steam Engine Company in Jeannette Pennsylvania. Tom made up six samples of a miniature, 12-pound brass steam engine turning a little generator to light a flashlight bulb. He took these toy samples to Kauffman’s Department Store in downtown Pittsburgh to be reviewed by their toy buyer. As luck would have it, another buyer from the famous F.A.O. Schwarz Toy Store happened by, saw the samples and the rest is history. When the initial order of 50 engines arrived in New York City, other retailers quickly took notice…Macy’s and then the well known Spiegel Catalog Company became dealers, selling literally thousands of the engines. In later years, Sears Roebuck, Penney’s and Montgomery Ward’s would all feature Jensen Steam Engines in their catalogs.
