IndianaRog and the Temple of Steam
Toy and model steam engines and turbines by Jensen, Karsten, Mamod, Stuart, Empire, LiNEy & others plus engine videos with sound & helpful restoration tips
Jensen Steam Engines
A little something about Jensen: Click Here
Engines in this Collection:
(click hyperlink to jump to that engine type)
Approx. Dates: Model
late 1930's...................# 5 "Riveted Boiler" Oscillator
iron base generator and standalone lamp post
1951...........................#10 Power Plant w/ round (1951 only) cast iron base
generator
mid-1940's..................#20 "Big Power Plant" w/horseshoe cast iron generator
1937...........................#25 "Riveted Boiler"
(also called a 4 bolt #25 or Big Cylinder #25)
late 1930's..................#25 "Riveted Boiler" non-reversing type
Nov. 2006...................#30 (parts replica) 1954 era engine
Mid-1940's..................#35 "overtype" with cast iron flywheel
Nov. 2006...................#40 (parts replica) 1960 era engine
Dec. 2006...................#51 (replica) built up from 1967 era Jensen 50
Accessories in this Collection:
(click hyperlink to jump to that accessory)
1948-1950...................#100 Workshop w/ blue painted plywood base
1951-mid 1980's..........#100 Workshop w/ natural plywood base
late 1940's-present.......#15 Generators...six varieties
A little about Jensen Engines and Accessories
There are a miriad of makers long since gone out of business, and a few still around, but there is just something about Jensen's "Abrams Tank" demeanor that draws me to them.
Jensen is still very much in business at their original Jeannette, PA, U.S.A. location, and although "old world" in their manufacturing processes, they have a state of the art Jensen website worth a leisurely visit to view their currently made models, tour their one of a kind shop, see how they make their engines and meet the handful of people who ARE Jensen today. Their museum section Jensen Online museum for models dating back to the early 1930's is the gold standard for Jensen identification, and much of my information ties back to it. If you need parts for new or old models, Jensen generally has them and they are just a phone call away.
For another perspective on Jensen the company...Click HERE for an interesting magazine article about them.
Click HERE for a jewel of a video done a few years ago for the Pennsylvania TV market, it takes you inside the factory to meet the people and see how and where Jensens are made.
As for my Jensen favorites:
You will see an overall preference for the following things in my Jensen collection:
- Cast iron engine frames and flywheels
- Riveted boilers from the earliest years
- Wooden bases with decal or brass ID tags
- Electrically heated boilers with the external style sight glass
It's just that once I hit upon the "Heavy Weights" so to speak, I opted to focus my Jensen collecting in that area. It has taken me a few years of collecting to sort out what I really like vs. items that are just placeholders. I've tried to eliminate placeholders and only keep pieces that fit the above criteria as close as possible. BUT, I'm king of my collection and reserve the right to grant myself exceptions!
As laid out here on my website, I will walk you thru the Jensen models in numeric order by model #. I was tempted to do it by year of mfg., but thought that might be more confusing, So YES, the years will jump around a bit, but the model numbers will rise numerically.
Jensen Model #5 Riveted Boiler Oscillator (late 1930's)
They were used for added strength before the transition to silver soldering boilers together that made rivets unnecessary. This piece was purchased from the collection of a former Jensen sales manager, but since it had accumulated a few incorrect features over it's lifetime, and could use some cosmetic work, I restored it very much in keeping with my three other riveted Jensens.
I tend to restore wood finishes over and above the way they left the factory...simply my personal preference for a furniture like finish vs. one coat of shellac as was typical given the constraints of original production. I love to bring out the grain of the original wood as can be seen in the comparative photos below:
Engine as received Engine as restored
Unlike most of my Jensens, which use slide valves and have Stephenson's reversing linkages, the #5 is an oscillator and goes only one direction...but it sure likes to get there in a hurry. They are a delight to run and create a 4 foot exhaust plume!
This is one of my four Jensens with boiler rivets and robins egg blue engine color used in the 1930's/early '40's. I parted ways with a lovely #5 from the late '40's to make way for this one...ahh what a collector will do to lay in few rivets!
This engine features a number of things that date it to about 1938 or 1939:
- longer boiler...earlier ones were shorter
- tall/longer smooth black firebox...earlier ones were shorter and squatter
- riveted boiler (10 per end) with soldered in bushings throughout
- riveted boiler straps vs. nuts and bolts
- early design external sight glass and steam dome, with solid vs. hollow steam screws
- straight black dowel handles...bit longer than later ones
- nickel plated cast iron flywheel
- cloth cord exits chimney base via a flared hole (before Heyco connectors) and chimney base has screwed on cup that supports the chimney
- robins egg blue cast iron engine base with cast in horseshoe shape beneath flywheel...later versions squared off the recess and were painted a darker blue
To return this engine to it's period correct features, I gave it a full restoration including: wood finish, paint, gaskets, boiler straps, cord, metal work and made a new decal.
While I had it apart I installed a new heater so I won't have to disassemble it again any time soon. As the chimney base included was from a later model, I re-worked the metal to the period correct configuration, so a cloth cord now exits a flared hole near the base and stack is supported by a cup like affair screwed to the top of the chimney base.
Details, details...but that's what endears such an engine to a Jensen collector. For specifics on wood and paint restoration techniques and materials...see the Jensen 4-Bolt #25 section, it set the pattern for how my 4 riveted Jensens have been restored.
As with the other riveted, 1930's vintage Jensens in this collection, this engine has a black painted, brass chimney.
In the forties Jensen transitioned this to nickel plated brass, but the painted version is correct for this engine.
So, how well does it run??....Sweet, check out the video below.
Click below to see an instant video via YouTube:
Jensen Model #10 Riveted Boiler Power Plant w/Horseshoe Magnet Generator and Standalone Lamp post (1938-39)
To say I've been looking for one of these for "awhile", would be an understatement. This is now the earlier of two styles of Jensen 10 power plant I have in this collection.
This engine came to my collection in the same way as most, via eBay, but with a bit of a twist this time. As listed it was missing the standalone lamp post and the generator electrical contact setup seen here. As a result it did not meet the seller's reserve price and went unsold.
I then contacted the owner and negotiated a sale, taking a chance I could find or make suitable replacements for the missing parts. Upon receipt, I did hesitate for 6 months to refinish this like my other robins egg blue/riveted boiler pieces, wondering if I should retain it in it's original condition, engine rust and all.
In the end my OCD tendancy won out and I'm glad it did.
This engine has many of the exact same dating features noted on the late 1930's Jensen 5 that preceeds it above...even the wood looked like it was of the same grain! I would therefore estimate the date of this engine at 1938-39.
It would NOT have been earlier than 1938 as an example in the Jensen online museum dated 1937 used a more complicated electrical contact setup that appeared to be made of bakelite. Mr. Jensen simplified this a bit a year later to what you see here. I thank steam friend Gil for some photos to go by to replicate the masonite/brass contact block...it now mimics yours exactly and works perfectly.
This engine got a complete restoration as well as a new made stand alone lamp, new painted brass chimney patterned off the original, and a new generator contact block. I finished it up in July 2008 and I'm once again impressed with the design genius that went into this engine by Mr. Jensen. It is truly an elegant piece yet among the most efficient he ever built.
The straight line generator configuration common to the early Jensen 10's, results in less waste energy than a separate generator connected by belt, hence the lamp glows very bright on this design.
The boiler's nickel finish and general condition is about the best of all my Jensens. Their earliest boilers and engines benefited from superior metal preparation (burnishing) and what seems to be multiple layers of plating.
This caliber of metal preparation could probably not be sustained during or after WWII without pricing Jensen out of the market. It is nice to find one however, nearly 70 years later!!
I discovered an oddity I've not seen before. The firebox on this piece was designed so the boiler strap retention screws threaded directly into the firebox lip itself. This is the first example I have come across like this...all others were either nut and bolt, or riveted. It was so simple to re-attach the boiler straps on this one, that it made me wonder why this strap attachment method was tried and abandoned?? Perhaps stripping out the holes became a problem?
I'm pleased that this particular engine did not get Mrs. Jensen's COMPLETE paint job...where she also painted the copper windings inside the generator as seen on many examples. The windings on this generator (as seen below), were left unpainted, for which I'm grateful!!
Like the Jensen 20 further down the website, I took an extra liberty in this restoration...I uncovered and polished the nickel plated screws on the generator's sides which are always painted over. I know this was not an original feature, but it should have been !
Like my other in-line Jensen 10 (1951), this one runs like a champ as can be seen in the following video. It was well worth taking a gamble on buying this engine, I could not be happier.
Click below to see an instant video via YouTube:
Jensen Model #10 Power Plant with Round Magnet Generator (only made ONE year, 1951)
This Jensen was a must have for an odd sort of reason. You see, this engine and I were both made exclusively in the year 1951. Apparently the mold was broken in both cases, too hard to replicate !!
As for the Jensen, it was the one and only year Mr. Jensen machined the magnet for the Jensen 10 from a solid piece of iron (also referred to by some as the "Omega" style magnet). Before 1951 the generator magnet was made in a horseshoe shape as in the previous Jensen 10 example. After 1951 the generator magnet became a 3 part affair and is made that way to this day. 
Detail of the one piece round magnet can be clearly seen in the picture to the right. This whole setup runs beautifully and the light output is as strong as any generator I own.
Restored? Well, yes, partially. Although in very nice shape overall as received in a recent private sale, the paint was thin on the engine and the magnet itself.
This piece meant too much to me to NOT put it in first class shape. So the base was stripped, sanded, stained and polyurethaned and the paint was redone on the engine and magnet. I did opt to leave the firebox in original condition because it was nearly perfect. Nice bright screws, a bit of polish on the boiler and she's looking good.
This Jensen 10 looks like it was made yesterday, just the way I like them. Unfortunately my 58 years are definitely showing and no amount of paint or polyurethane seems to help !
Jensen Model #20 "Big Power Plant" (mid 1940's)
In early May 2008 I experienced a "Perfect Wave" so to speak in the world of eBay auctions. My find was what Jensen originally called their #20 Big Power Plant". It featured a non-reversing 20 sized engine with 3 inch boiler, driving a tough to find standalone horseshoe magnet style generator all mounted on a solid wood base. The auction BIN price was right and in 20 seconds I was the winner.
I was the first to view that auction and friend Gil was #2...but by the time he hit the BIN button, it was sold. I've never pulled that off before and was further amazed when Gil called me moments later laughing out loud that he missed it by seconds.
The first picture below is how it looks now AFTER full restoration.
This BEFORE picture is how it looked on eBay.
As described in the auction it needed a chimney, chimney stand, heater and cord, but otherwise was in decent shape. Upon receipt I was delighted to find that although the heater was dead, it was in the company of the chimney stand, something I figured I was going to have to otherwise make by hand.
I gave this one the "full meal deal"...complete restoration from top to bottom.
I have made a number of Jensen decals, but this was my first UL sticker and I was pleased with how it turned out. It might seem a minor thing, but such stickers are like ID labels to me, the engine isn't complete without one.
The nickel polished up nicely and was set off with new high temp firebox paint and my standard blue tractor paint for the cast iron surfaces. I swear Jensen used such tractor paint originally...though mine is a few coats thicker than factory original!
The blanket heater was replaced with a new one from Jensen and the tired looking cord was also replaced with a new, period correct cloth covered type.
The
flywheel and engine are precision works of art on this piece. They
polished up nicely to look the part and perform flawlessly...early
Jensen nickel plating was amongst the best they have ever offered. 
Being a mid-'40's version of the #20, this engine was made before Jensen began adding the Stephenson's Reversing Linkage as seen on younger versions. It goes one direction and one direction only...but does so quite elegantly!
The
horseshoe style standalone generator is one of the earliest generator
versions Jensen produced and in my opinion, the strongest version
measured by light output. 
The horseshoe variety just captures my heart for best of show vs. any other generator type out there including other Jensens. I was delighted to learn that these early horseshoe type generators also featured a machined brass pulley with nickel plating...all Jensen pulley's since are of the aluminum variety.
All things considered I feel very fortunate to have obtained this engine and been able to spruce it up for another 50 years of enjoyment by me and the owners that will follow me.
It runs beautifully as can be seen in the following video.
Click below to see an instant video via YouTube:
Jensen Model #25 (4-Bolt) Riveted Boiler (1937)
I previously said in this space: "In the event of a fire, my 1937 Riveted Boiler 4-Bolt #25 is the one Jensen I would grab if I could save only one". That was before my Jensen #51 replica made the scene in Dec. '06...sorry, but the #51 will now get out the door first, BUT this one remains a close second !
First off, this #25 has those charming boiler rivets, something Jensen founder Tom Jensen Sr. called "eschucheon pins", added to his earliest boilers to increase their already solid construction.
The rivet feature on boiler end caps (see photo to the right) is highly sought after by collectors today, since they were only made that way for the first few years of Jensen manufacture, then with introduction of stronger silver soldering, they were eliminated in the early '40's as perhaps an unneeded luxury. Mr. Jensen was never one for frills!
In the photo to the above right you can also see the hex style pressure valve, high domed steam tube and sight glass blocks that attach with solid vs. hollow screws, all characteristics of very early Jensens.
Another subtle feature indicating this is my earliest Jensen is found in the steam valve body which is round and just over 7/16 inch diameter. This was the first known style of Jensen steam valve later replaced by squared off versions for a short time and finally by the 3/8 inch diameter version that came in about the time rivets were eliminated and robins egg blue engine frames gave way to darker blue.
Given the above...it is felt this engine would date to 1937, the first year the Jensen 25 was manufactured and the oldest Jensen in my collection. This is a keeper !!!
The "4-Bolt" was so nicknamed because of the distinctive pattern of 4 screw bolts holding the cylinder end cap in place as seen in the photo above.
The wall thickness of that cylinder was an unbelieveable 1/4 inch thick, presumably to provide something for the 4 bolts to be threaded into. Interestingly the bore and stroke were 1/2 inch and 5/8 inch respectively...the same as used to this day on this model engine...only the cylinder wall got skinnied down!
The photo below is of the "4-Bolt" as received in what I
call "boat anchor" condition, with a boiler that was the worst hack job I've ever seen. I must confess however that steam friend Kirby was kind enough to sell me a proper replacement boiler and the even rarer ceramic internal heater, even AFTER I beat him out by a few dollars to win what you see via eBay!
I think Kirby figured if one of us was to get it, he'd be sure there were enough parts to make it whole and operational again. Thank you again Kirby, I hope I did your kindness justice.
The "4-bolt" is definitely the most extensively restored engine in my whole collection, and although a completely overhauled piece, it's now worth 10X to me what it was when I got it. By "worth", I don't mean a market worth (which I'm not concerned with), it's a Rog worth and it's a function of hours invested and personal satisfaction with the finished result.
I love this engine, can you tell by the number of pictures?
Restoration Process
To get from "Boat Anchor" to "Best of Show", the process sort of went as follows.
The original wood finish itself did not hold up well to years of water staining from most that I have seen, this one being a prime example. I am correctly accused of "over restoring" most of my engines, but I first want to ensure durability, since I do run these engines regularly. Secondly I want a nicer, smoother finish akin to a piece of furniture, something Mr. Jensen would have never bothered with, but he was making thousands of them and I have the luxury of time to lavish on a few. It works for me.
The black firebox was likewise stripped, sanded of rust and sprayed with several coats of a semi-gloss high temp automotive engine enamel. If you look carefully at this firebox vs. later ones with 2.5" diameter boilers...it becomes apparent that this model used a lower profile, shorter firebox with a shorter boiler.
Since the engine was missing it's chimney and the black base it sits on, I reworked a spare Jensen 35 chimney base to the proper dimensions. A correct black painted brass chimney finished off the firebox as originally designed. Jensen switched to nickel plated brass chimneys later in the forties, but for a late thirties engine this is correct.
The Robins Egg Blue cast engine itself took many hours of cleaning, paint stripping and working over with a Dremel tool and a dental pic to get a thick layer of some hardened on alien substance off. I took it down to bare metal, but was careful to NOT remove the characteristic sand bumps left from the original casting process, another charming Jensen feature I didn't want to lose.
Notice how this engine casting does NOT have external mounting lugs like virtually every other Jensen I have...holes were simply drilled and screws put right thru the main casting...another very early Jensen characteristic.
I matched the original robins egg blue on the cast iron base and inner flywheel, by mixing three model railroading paint colors to as close a match to new as possible. Jensen lore has it that Mrs. Jensen used to hand paint these engines on the kitchen table with that curious robins egg blue paint, something Mr. Jensen got a deal on in during tight financial times. Funny, but I probably paid more for 2 ounces of modeling paint than he did for a 5 gallon pail of the original stuff !
The boiler and other nickel bits were polished using the time honored hand technique of "SimiChrome on - SimiChrome off"...over and over 'til they looked right without rubbing off too much nickel. I replaced the cloth cord with another that was "new old stock" of that period bearing the same black and white pattern and ensured the electrical connections were safe and solid.
I thought of trying to re-use the original cord, but despite repeated "washings", it still looked awful. It makes me wonder at times where some of these engines got stored for their 50-70 year nap! This one could have been a refugee from the floor of a dirt cellar it was so cruddy.
The Jensen decal was the final touch as the original was illegible upon receipt and thus stripped off with the finish. I made a re-creation of the original Jensen decal using a digital photo of a good one, further cleaned up using "Photoshop" computer software, then replicated onto new water slide decal paper. Making such a decal was tedious work, but worth it in my opinion.
The decal (shown to the right) looks almost too perfect, too new - hence it had to adorn
an engine that looked like the day it left the factory. I'm very pleased with the overall appearance and if Mr. and Mrs. Jensen Sr. were around today, I think they would approve, though they would probably admonish me for spending too much time on it!Oh, and YES, it runs beautifully
Click below to see an instant video via YouTube:
Jensen Model #25 Riveted Boiler, Non-Reversing (late 1930's)
Here is a soul mate to the 1937 Riveted Boiler 4-Bolt shown just before this one. It is similar in many ways to the 4-Bolt, though it demonstrates key transitional changes that would come to be standard in model #'s 5, 10 and 25 down the road.
This engine bears a smaller cylinder, taller/longer firebox, longer riveted boiler, cloth cord exiting the rear of the chimney base, solid wood base, robins egg blue engine frame, mounting lugs externally molded into the cast iron engine frame and a decal.
This version of the 25 had an outside cylinder diameter considerably smaller than the 4- bolt version which sported an excessive 1/4 inch thick cylinder wall that the 4 cylinder end cap bolts screwed into.
In actuality the cylinder bore and stroke are the same for both versions, at 1/2 inch and 5/8 inch respectively. While wall thickness was reduced compared to the 4-bolt, Jensen has maintained this same cylinder wall thickness for almost 70 years and exceeds all similar sized competitor engines by 2-3 X.
As with all the riveted style Jensen's from the 1930's, this one includes a black painted brass chimney, a feature that was replaced with nickel plated brass in the forties, but is correct for engines from the late thirties.
It also bears a couple of unique features eliminated soon after. First it has a rare, square style steam valve and NO Stephenson's Reversing Linkage, a nice feature added to later model #25's. All things considered, this piece possibly dates between 1937 and 1939.
Closeup of the highly coveted rivets (called eschucheon pins by Mr. Jensen). These are found only on the 1930's and early '40's Jensen engines before the advent of stronger silver soldering which made them unnecessary for strength.
This piece was from the collection of a former sales manager of Jensen and had been restored previously. However, the robins egg blue color didn't seem quite right to me and the firebox had been sandblasted at some time, leaving a somewhat rough finish under the paint.
So it was an easy decision to re-do it to my personal satisfaction.
Although I fabricated the decal on this one as I did for the 4-Bolt, both originally did have decals in poor condition. Decals were how Jensen labeled their engines at the time...model numbers were not applied until the brass ID tags came in years later.
At this close of a photo, you can tell from the grain of the wood that this (and the 4-Bolt) received a furniture smooth finish somewhat nicer than they came from the factory. I'm partial to perfect !!!
Jensen Model #30 (1954 era Replica)
It may have been production efficiency, a more complicated heater design when the boiler was vertical, marketplace reaction or a combination of those factors that limited production numbers and/or initial appeal of these designs. Bottom line is that none of Jensen's vertical designs were ever big sellers from what I have gathered.
This includes the wood based versions, the Jensen #30 (which used a #25 cast engine) and the Jensen #40 (which used the same boiler as the #30 but connected to a #5 cast engine).
Wood based Jensen #30's and #40's do come up for sale occasionally, but usually at pricey levels and/or in very poor condition. Unlike the wood based versions, the metal based hobby type are a bit more plentiful in numbers, used the same boiler and steam tube but were paired with pressed metal Jensen #25 type engines. The hobby versions can still be had for a reasonable price and pop up on eBay from time to time.
This brings me to the Jensen #30 you see here. This is NOT an original piece...at least it didn't originate from the Jensen factory as the assembly you see here. Instead, this is a replica I put together from a correct boiler, steam tube and cast iron Jensen #25 engine mounted on a newly finished birch plywood base and bearing a replica ID tag correct to the early 1950's.
I didn't set out to make a replica #30 initially, but happened upon a metal based version in nice shape quite cheaply. Having a donor vertical boiler in hand and a spare cast iron Jensen #25 motor left over from an earlier "boilerectomy" project, it seemed like a natural to make the parts into a correct whole...a replica Jensen #30. It runs extremely well and adds an unusual change to my Jensen collection which was previously all horizontal style boilers. I've configured this piece to approximate a 1954 example seen in the museum section of Jensen's website.
As I was preparing to assemble a Jensen #40 replica (next engine), I decided to make up new matching birch plywood bases for both and stain to match. I also replicated ID tags appropriate to the model, using decals derived from photos that were then applied over correct sized aluminum tags.
I'm not certain of the exact stain color used by Jensen on wood based models of the '50's and '60's as there seems to be a lot of variation out there which was applied on various types of wood and has worn to varying degrees. When in doubt...I do what makes me happy. I used Min Wax Red Mahogany #225 stain applied over birch plywood, followed by 4 coats of Min Wax Semi-gloss Polyurethane for the final finish....a combination that gives an almost furniture like appearance I first used on my Jensen 4 bolt #25. I very much like the look and the assurance it will stand up well to heat and moisture.
Thus, both this refreshed Jensen #30 and the Jensen #40 that follows it were birthed as seen, in Nov. 2006. While pleased to have "examples" of these engines in my collection, I readily admit they did not originate as is from Jeannette, PA. , they look a little too furniture-like for that !!!
Click below to see an instant video via YouTube:
Jensen Model #35 Overtype (mid 1940's)
This example is thought to be the third major variation and dates from approx. 1945 or possibly a bit earlier.
The first 35 has come to be known as the "Forgotten 35"...it had a riveted brass boiler, cast iron base, cast iron flywheel, black painted brass chimney mounted on the boiler, cloth cord and a decal ID tag. It remained in production about 2-3 years.
In the late '30's the next major change to the 35 occured. Now known as the "Transition 35", it still bore the riveted boiler but now nickel plated and the cast iron base was replaced with wood. The chimney migrated off the boiler and onto it's own chimney stand at the boiler's rear. The decal was kept though relocated. The Transition 35 spanned the war years to whatever level of production Jensen maintained, but from their rarity they could not have made many.
By 1945 or so the third version as represented by my example above, did away with the rivets (eschuchen pins) and went with a nickel plated, silver soldered boiler...other "Transition 35" features remained including the heavy cast flywheel, wide style safety valve, nickel plated brass chimney and decal as seen in these photos.
The third version of the 35, might have had the shortest production run of all...1-2 years maximum, before the fourth and most common version of the 35 appeared in 1946. The fourth version basically substituted a lighter weight alloy flywheel, rubber cord, aluminum chimney and brass ID tag. The fourth version remained virtually unchanged from 1946 til production ended in 1959 and Jensen made a lot of them. This fourth version is widely available to this day via eBay and can be had quite inexpensively.
The third variation had one "feature" I am personally not fond of. For a short time, Jensen used spiral nails with rounded heads to attach the firebox to the wood base. Unlike screws which are easy to remove, these nails are almost impossible to get out without damage to wood and/or firebox due to prying.
My example is in generally good shape and I've not restored it in any way. ...but not for lack of desire. It's the darn nails!!! The photo below shows my flaking decal on this 35...it was originally laid onto a rough spot in the wood's finish and has not stood up well over the years, having lost about 50%.
BUT...the nails are keeping this restorer at bay!!!!
I have run this engine and it's a keeper. Like all 35's, it has no throttle, so speed is all or none. It's a very exciting engine to run and perhaps the reason they were so popular.
One caution to anyone considering the model 35 in any variation...the inherent design of the engine mounted atop the boiler creates 10 boiler entry points where leaks can and often do occur. This design thus has 2X the boiler entry holes vs. that of most Jensens.
A carefully chosen example that has NOT had overtightening of the engine mounting screws will perform just fine...but beware of examples with oversized screws, a sign the hole for that screw has been stripped out and is a leak candidate.
Jensen Model #40 (1960 era Replica)
To create a replica Jensen #40 wood based version, I cannibalized a vertical boiler off of a Jensen #30 metal base model and paired it up with a cast iron base Jensen #5 engine. The #5 engine was purchased off eBay several years ago as an orphan without steam tube, boiler, firebox or base. It looked so bad I wasn't even sure it was a Jensen when I got it.
If an engine ever looked like it had been buried in the ground for 50 years...it was this one. There was so much rust on the flywheel particularly, that I found I needed to fill the many pits with automotive bondo, sand it smooth and paint it silver to simulate nickel plating.
Although it's days as a nickel plated flywheel are long past, it still makes a presentable piece refinished as is and it is a great runner. Paired up with the Jensen #30 boiler to make a #40 replica gives this old engine a new lease on life and it's days as a grungy homeless fellow are past...he's back in the family and looking fine.
According to Jensen's website museum, #40's were only made from 1960-1965. This helps explain why original Jensen #40's are rare as hen's teeth. I'm picking the year 1960 as close to what my replica would represent because it was the earliest mfg. date for the #40 and we all know Mr. Jensen would use up left over parts, right? In truth, I'm just reverse engineering a date to match parts in hand !
The
cast iron #5 engine I'm using has the heavy type flywheel, squared off
crank and flat ended cylinder typical of #5's from the
1940's-1950's. A check of Jensen's website shows a #40 from the 5 year production period, but it bears a lighter weight flywheel, different crank and the later cylinder type with the belled out cylinder face. I'm assuming Jensen transitioned to these newer parts when he ran out of the original parts used with the #5. I have seen another original intact Jensen #40 from a recent eBay sale and the engine was outfitted the same way as on the Jensen website.
I actually thought about finding the "correct" parts off a later piece and retrofitting them on my replica's engine, but heck, I like cast flywheels better and a 1960 version "could" very well have looked just like this as older engine parts were used up ! I'm going to leave it be.
Click below to see an instant video via YouTube:
Accessories for Jensen Steam Engines
Unlike the Nuremberg, British or other U.S. makers, there were no waterfalls, pumps, windmills, fans, fountains, sausage makers etc. etc. I don't know why Jensen never expanded into those sorts of things, but something tells me Mr. Jensen probably thought they were trivial toys and not worth the bother, or the market was flooded with them and there was no value in being part of that.
The Jensen accessories, though limited in variety were of the very best quality and many exist in significant quantities to this day.
Jensen Model #100 Workshops in Blue Painted Wood (1948-1950)
Several examples of blue solid wood bases have shown up over the years, probably a case of Tom Sr. using up some Jensen 10 bases very early on, before switching over to lower cost/more warp resistant plywood. Below right is a pic of one such example recently listed on eBay, bearing a solid blue base with routered edge.
It was recently learned that Jensen had the Legetoy design upsized about 30% and die cast here in the U.S. for the Jensen brand. This size difference is not readily apparent unless the Jensen and Legetoy pieces are placed side by side.
Occasionally you will see stand alone tools sold
on eBay under the Danish name...some virtually the same in general
appearance (except for the size)...others unique to Legetoy that were
never introduced by Jensen. The example to the right was taken from a recent eBay auction, with the H. Langes Legetoy label visible. Jensen tools all had the Jensen name embossed in the metal, so you can easily tell a Jensen tool from it's distant cousins.
Jensen also sold the tools separately, but I believe most went as part of complete Model 100 Workshops as seen here. The blue based model was changed to a natural varnished version in 1951 and that style was retained til the mid 1980's.
(please note...both my blue and varnished accessory workshops have since gone to other collectors as of Mar. 2008, but I'm keeping their memory alive here!!!)
Jensen Model 100 Workshop in Natural Wood (1951-mid 1980's)
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Jensen Model 15 Generators
My oldest Model 15 is a one piece Horseshoe Magnet style from the mid-late 1940's which stayed in the product line til 1950. It is a cast iron base example from my Jensen Model 20 Big Power Plant. The generator is probably the strongest I own in terms of light output for a given speed...a very well made and attractive generator.
My next oldest style of Model 15 made a short appearance in the year 1951 only. It featured a one piece, round style magnet generator. My example is actually part of my 1951 Jensen 10 power plant which was also a single year issue.
Though the round magnet type were supposedly also offered as stand alone generators, I have never seen one. Apparently Mr. Jensen found the round magnet too difficult to machine commercially and ceased production after one year.
The cast iron based generator in dark blue paint introduced in 1952 utilized a 3 part magnet replacing prior versions. The 3 pc. magnet in and of itself has been in the Jensen line from 1952 to present, though the base changed along the way.
This cast iron based model remained in the Jensen line from the early 1950's into the mid 1980's. I believe Jensen transitioned from blue to teal green painted cast bases in the mid-1960's. Here's two photos of the blue version and teal version...identical except for paint color.
In the the mid 1980's, Jensen converted away from the cast based version of the Model 15 to a pressed aluminum version pictured immediately below.
The aluminum based type works a little better because of a separate brass contact for grounding vs. the cast iron type that depended on the axle to journal contact for it's ground. This model is the surviving Model 15 as of this writing in Oct. 2009
One additional version of the aluminum based Model 15 was in the Jensen line from 1995-2005. The Model 15BL was likewise an aluminum based version, but featured a pair of ball bearing races supporting each end of the axle, these generators are indeed very smooth operators.
The BL versions had one additional feature, an extra pulley and extra steps on both pulleys...enabling the generator to function as a line shaft while in use. Unfortunately, they proved to be very difficult to manufacture and were discontinued in 2005.
One other Jensen Generator version was made available in very small quantities as an AC/DC version. This was offered as part of the Model 51 Power Plant and the Model 15D, an accessory set sold in the early 1990's as a small setup with line shaft, little motor and lamp post to demonstrate with.
I believe there are only 3 or 4 of these known to exist in collector hands. An actual stand alone model 15D is shown in the Jensen Online museum. If you find one, please contact me discretely and I'm sure we can come to an understanding !
All of the examples above work beautifully and use a #14 bulb readily available from Radio Shack.
