Miniature steam turbines are a rare breed within the
miniature live steam
hobby. I collected
steam engines for
many years before
ever even seeing
one. I acquired
my first steam turbines
at auction on Ebay,
when I spotted three of
them in a very badly
listed offering.
I bid and won them,
beginning what has
become a fun new
avenue in my collecting
efforts. Those
three very badly
made engines created
quite a stir among
online collectors
who began scouring
the internet for
one of their
own. It didn't take
long to figure out
they were extremely
difficult to find
and even harder
to buy. I've long
lost count of the
offers to purchase,
requests for donation,
yes...and
even a few angry
demands that I sell
mine. Today there
are commercial
sources for these
amazing engines,
making them realtively
easy to add to any
growing engine collection.
There
is just something
about hearing a
small turbine spool
up to operating
speed that has proven
to appeal to nearly
every steam fan
who has the opprotunity
to witness it.
The insane RPM's
achieved by such
a small device while
sitting in the middle
of a cloud of exhausted
steam is just an
incredible thing
to witness. I can
highly recommend
the experience....(grin)
I've
been lucky enough
to have been involved
with helping to
develop and market
some of the commercially
made turbines available
today and I know
first hand that
the talent behind
them is quite astounding.
I hope to see this
new and fascinating
area of the live
steam hobby continue
to grow and gain
in popularity.
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