antique toy steam loco set

[Anonymous]

My father has aquired an old train set that was my grandfather's. It appears to be tin plate constructed, the locomotive is actualy steam powered, and it appears to have a stamping with some name(possibly Ives) and the date is 1887. This could possibly be the correct date for my grandfather was born in 1889 and the set was bought for him by his father as a childhood gift. Any information would be helpful.

[Algonquin]

I am far from being an expert in "Live Steamers", but you might try the "Small-Scale Live Steam - Resources and Frequently Asked Questions" website at http://www.nmia.com/~vrbass/steam/steamfaq.htm

Beyond this I don't know much more. CTT did have a couple of articles in the past on Ward Kimball's train collection, which did include some very old "Live Steamers".

Good luck reasearching your locomotive.

Regards,

Tim Pignatari