I will never forget Christmas eve 1982 when I got my Wilesco steam engine! I was 12 years old and was totally amazed! Today it is still running, of course, and I frequently have fun with it!

21 year old here and eyed the D4 version for my entry into steam powered stuff and I’m loving what I’m seeing. Bought my D4 today, can’t wait to get into the fun!

Here i am now in my 50's and I've fired up my D16 one for the second time Well and truly awesome German craftsmanship and engineering Will be adding to my collection

Ran a small stationary steam engine back in the late 60's, loved that thing and spent hours on it.

On christmas 1982 i have a d20 from My father bekame. Now 2023 i am 50 and i play with her and i am so happy. In think when i play with her on old days to christmas. Greetings from germany 😊

Great to see these are still going. I had a Wilesco D20 when I was perhaps 8 or so and ran it to death... I sold it a couple of years back to help fund my 1/3rd size traction engine that I'm now building. I suppose once you start playing with steam engines you get hooked!

Dad was a major in the air force, 1955 at the officers club, Bingo nite. I was 5 and won a bingo. the prizes were on display. I wanted a wilesco tractor, but dad being a responsible man accepted a 25 dollar savings bond for me. this bothered me quite a bit as you may imagine. Bothered me for years. At 45 years old had a problem one saturday morning with my wife and just had to get away. I remembered seeing an ad for this tractor in the news paper that morning. So i drove to the toy store and paid allot of money for my tractor. I love my tractor and thirty years later still play with it . Also later got a good deal on a mamod . my wife is long gone.

Wilesco is the real deal. I'm totally going to guy one for my nephews when they get a bit older. 🙂

Well first of all I think that I’m a lil late to the party, but as a 17 year old German that has worked with the people @ Wilesco for the last 4-5 Years (Helping out on Christmas markets) I actually have a lot of fun playing with these. I „inherited“my Dads from his youth and finally earned my own one from all my work at the Christmas markets :3 (D21 if anyone’s interested - Ran for 5 years and I kinda broke a few parts over that period of time) I realise that I’m a „rarity“, but I genuinely enjoy talking to older folks who remember these from their childhoods quite a lot. I have seen many children fall in love with these marvels at those markets, but sadly for them the charm wears of quickly. So heads up to everyone reading this (you are probably double my age or more), there are still some people interested in this kind of stuff :). And for you Fred, keep up the great work and visit us in Germany this Christmas :P

Hello Fred. I, too was looking at these types of steam engines. it is a good learning tool for children and still most enjoyable for adults. I watched videos of real mnicro steam engines on KZfaq where they build a track and the owner actually rides the train and places coal in the burner to keep the train running on the track. It is amazing but it has to be treated with care and caution. I would suspect a ride on steam engine would be something that you'd have to be trained on to treat it with the respect it deserves. it sure looks like fun. Thanks for sharing and stirring up the excited nature of a child in me again.

Hahahaha : ) I love everything here, including the mid-life crisis. I am 50 years old, and I remember these wonderful toys from my childhood. I might buy one myself. Thank you for your upload and your enthusiasm.

Big Traks I had the dump cart too, I loved that thing. Know what I want for Christmas...again.

Congratulations! I’ve had a Wilesco D20 for the past few years and absolutely love it.

The crisis is real my friend....I am 39 and know exactly what you are talking about! I bought an Eachine ET1 hit and miss engine awhile ago and have had a lot of fun fiddling with it. Now i have decided i need a steamer to go with it. I am torn between a Jensen or Wilesco at this point. My mother is German and she would appreciate the Wilesco i am sure. Decisions, decisions........

Amazing how little the design has changed in over 50 years! I had a similar model when I was around 12yo in the late 60's. The first unit used the solid fuel bars I remember being called "Esbit" tablets? After suffering a burn on my finger, we returned this model for one that used an electric heating pad under the boiler! It did the job without real flame. I also had the machine shop kit too. Some 50 years later, I threw it whole thing out (binned) due to boiler rot. Shame.

I have a D20 and a D455 - the D20 is very similar to this engine. The 20 runs so smoothly and steams up pretty quickly as well - very nice products, these!

I want one of these to charge my phone lol

Hi Fred, believe it or not: Just yesterday I bought an used old Wilesco D18. Now I was looking for some information and tried to find a video with a running D18 while my machine is still shipped on it's way to me. That's why I found you. Thank you for your effort!

Last year I bought my first steam engine a Wilesco roller and now I have 21. :P Love the engines Wilesco make, good looking and sturdy engines.

06:00: Running on Tap Water is fine as long as it's not overly hard; you can remove Limescale by mixing Vinegar with Water and heating it up in the Boiler without actually running the Engine. The Blowdown Valve makes disposing that Mixture even easier. That Trick works very well with Kettles too. Besides: You shouldn't run your Steam Engine on pure distilled Water anyway; it will slowly draw the Zinc from the Brass Boiler turning it into Copper. Instead, mix distilled and Tap Water roundabout 1:1.

I also like the D18 frim Wilesco. It is mor a functional model with clean design. And it got the "full size" piston/cylinder with a good amount of power. Good choice.

The water you catch when you defrost the fridge is free from any lime content equivilant to distilled water. Filling the boiler with hot water from the kettle speeds up the process of getting steam up. we normally keep water in a flask when steaming my sons engine.

Good Video. I personally collect Wilesco machines. I grew up with the real engines, and it is nice to "play" with the smaller versions. Perhaps you should show some of the accessories such as the wood cutters, or the little welder (M96).

I think many of us had one, and let it go many years ago. Every year I look in the catalogue, this may just be the year.

When you said that kids might not appreciate it anymore i felt really sad

Funny to see comments about the dangers of these toys. Having survived Cox tether airplanes and Honda ATCs, my Mamod tractor seems very safe.

Really enjoyed.... Another "big kid"". Just like me... Haha.... Take care.....

Looks awesome that fred. Really nice bit of kit. Thanks for sharing!

Glad I’ve found your channel. I’ve got a stationary engine , remote control car. Meccano is being delivered wed.

Just like you, to my surprise, Wilesco, Mamod, etc. are still in buisness with kids these days who just sit in front of the tele or computer all day. I do enjoy the joy of maintenence, playing, or just firing up a steam engine, love it! I also recently bought a Wilesco Tractor on Ebay brand new in kit! Might be here at Monday, hope you had a blast with that stationary engine you have there! Cheers

I've wanted one since I was a kid, always wanted the Jensen model 85 since it is simple and could be used to run a variety of projects since it runs at such a high RPM.

Very nice voice.Realy nice video to watch.

My woman said I was going through a midlife crisis. "Cars, guitars, and women"- I said "Oh that's been going on since I was 13"

Nice vid, i like the D18, especially the colours and the light function. Its much cheaper than a Porsche! Rain water seems to be ok to use as well.

Wow I love that thanks for sharing :)

I laughed when saw this video, because we came back from the national railway museum in York desperate for a steam engine. Two hours later and bought a Wilesco D65 traction engine “Made in *Western* Germany” so its well old. Ran it today for the first time and it’s flawless. Extraordinary build quality, just needed a clean and now in descaling for 24hrs❤️

I had my mid-life crisis at 35yrs old. I sold the house and booked a trip to Thailand for 6wks. I came back, bought a Corvette and started dating a 19yr old college student and never looked back...

I think your heart is in the right place. Good man, and wait for it, regards from Germany!

Hopefully someday, I'll own a model steam engine. I think they are great

Wilescos are fairly decent Engines, but I will say the best I've ever owned was my original D-20, never had a problem with her. Every Wilesco I've bought since has always had a problem at one point. I bought a D-21 because I liked the paint scheme and the hand pump, but I needed to fart around with the check valve and spring inside the hand pump for it to actually work, also the boiler developed a few leaks after the first few runs, where it was just solidified flux plugging the little pinholes until the heat softened it again and started to leak, so I was chasing leaks around the sight glass flange with a micro-torch for a while. I always use the heavy grade 600W steam cylinder oil that I use for my Big Engines (instead of the thin crap they send you) in both the lubricator and on the wrist and crank pins, eccentric strap, and crankshaft bearing journals because it clings to the surfaces better, AND it quiets the engine down considerably since they clatter and knock horribly. I never run them fast either, I run them very sedately because it's more prototypical, and also it's much easier on the engine's working parts.

What a gadget that is Fred...looks ace mate.Try get a few projects connected to it in the New Year have a good one mate.

Nice video. A thought. I saw something the other day about advancing the valve timing so that the steam is admitted just before tdc. Gives a cushioning to the piston so it doesn't slap around and gives it a good push down the cylinder. Just passing it along.

I am 46 years old have Model trains, RC Aeroplanes and since yesterday a Willesco D10 steam engine. And a running bid on a D20 Hahaha

very nice model steam engine.

I had a couple of Mammods as a kid, a stationary and a traction engine. Being the impatient type and a determined experimentor I couldn't be ar5ed with waiting for the pathetic meths burners to raise steam so I used a gas blow torch!!! Hadn't quite realised the danger from melting solder yet, but I survived, and man did it get upto steam quickly! I then got tired of the safety valve blowing off, so I 'modified' that to increase pressure, which really got the crude oscillating engine buzzing! And that was when I reached the design limits of Mammods when everything either wore out very quickly or revved apart in a shower of small parts and steam!

I have one from the 1960s

Damn, I'm at the same stage in my life :)

love steam powerd equipment I am 13 and drive the really big ploughing engines

I would've lost my mind if my parents got me that for Christmas back in the early 2000s.

I'm 12 and I've been wanting one of these Since I was 5 . Now I'm 12 and I've just got a D6 .

After 32 years riding a BSA my crisis buy was a BMW Rotax single. It's like a Vespa compared to the BSA so I am buying steam engines too for that real machinery feel fix. I'll never sell my Beezer though, use methanol in a tray made for it.

I had on of those Mamod traction engines. Loved it. Now restoring it. Fill direct from kettle. Might be worth making up a meths burner for your Wilesco. Also, it sounds very rattly. Might be worth checking the oiling.

Careful, these are very addictive. Mind you I'm an American 15 year-old and I build these. I'm on my second build and I own a wilesco D21. I got mine when I was 9.

These are sold all over the World. Made in the biggest factory in Germany.

I liked you enthusiasm about this WILESCO toy-enigine-which has nothing in common with the plastic toys of today. WILESCO and MAMOD are the only 2 factories worldwide, which produce steam engines on a large scale.

Oh, hell, now I've got to track down one--!!!

Hade Wilesco D6 machine when was young. :-)

The little Dynamo if im not wrong puts out about 0,1A at full speed

I have a Mamod TE1a that I bought when I was about 10-11 years old? I did odd jobs and scrimped and saved every penny I could get my hands on for it. It is still in good shape in its original box, too! I ended up taking MUCH better care of it than I did most things that were given to me as Christmas or birthday gifts during that period. Go figure.

it looks I am full in the midlife crisis... in fact they are great!!!

Hi Fred, I just got a Hornby Live steam Rocket. ;) My steamtoy collection is still growing. :)) Midlife crisis for sure. Haha

I'm thinking backup emergency phone charger!

What is the relationship between stroke and torque/horsepower?

Very nice and wonderful engine. I want too buy this model D 18 .Can you tell me from where i got it. I am from India.

If you got a old wilesco you will find they are better built than the new ones

If you're worried about chalk-scale, buy steam-iron water from the supermarket, or de-mineralised battery top-up water from the local motor factor. (Not acid!)

Super

it seems every video they are either putting some drops of lighter fuel on the pellets or they use those gas pump burners wilesco sells

Cold water boils faster than hot water sound crazy but true

Nice engine. If you use boiling water you get a longer run

The engines are NOT static they are live steam.

im 11 got one built it its not hard at all but that might just be me highly reccomend these they are super fun.

just think if you were stuck what that could do, charge your phone, run a few small hand appliances, charge larger batteries enough to run a coffee maker or boil water , give you light...all things except drive you around or do farm work

Had one engine. I’ve now got 55 (and counting) 😂

i liked this video deal with it

That is really really expensive. its a nice toy though but i myself could never get the money for that.

I have a d 20 and I'm 13 I also have 6 mamods and a steam roller also made by wilesco but I think I'm the only person my age who actually likes them

bit of a knock at slow speed, but great going!!

It’s not a midlife crisis it’s a hobby

Do you happen to know what these tablets were called again? Ayway, could just be me or weren´t those tablets you fed into the machine made illegal in some countries a long time ago?

Are you green and sell insurance by chance?

My midlife crisis start when im born. Lol

Every penny worth

Look at the speed- just to illuminate that lamp. The gearing is just so ridiculously wrong. Treat yourself to a bigger engine pulley, and you can shut your running speed down by at least half.

I have a d10 and I'm getting a d405 traction engine (I'm 14)

Hey I'm only 16 and begging to get one of these, however I also play with Hydrochloric acid generate chorine gas and harsh chemicals in my spare time so I guess I'm not normal?

How much did you pay

You could have gotten the D2 engine, it uses a beeswax tea candle and costs about 70 pounds or $100.00 U.S. Currency

How much this one.......pls

alsways use recommended burn material or you will ruin the shiny finish...

Now try to create enough electricity to power up a small HO train!

they are are a real steam engine

Sounds a bit rough...

Use only steam distilled water.

Steam is only dangerous when not respected. I have models and full size steam boats and traction engines and locomotives. It must be respected. Its only daneropus when not respected

l feel a midlife crisis coming on Fred . Be careful the next step is the pipe and slippers next to the fireplace and a glass of sherry just for medicinal purposes lol

I have the armatron withougt the peices

Buy esbit camp fuel it works much better

I’m 13 years old and I would gladly have this or the steam tractors over a Phone of any sort

I'm a old fart and decided to buy a D18.