....and welcome, welkom, benvenuto,
wilkommen, bienvenue, croeso etc.etc. at the House of Moose!
This website documents my small but bijou collection of live steam toy
engines. I'm often asked ( in a sort of "you should get out more"
tone...) what the appeal of these toys is. Well, I think there are
quite a few factors. They're noisy, smelly and dirty and have just a
hint of danger about them, which appeals to the big kid, but they're
also design classics: every single one of my engines can be dated by
its looks alone, from the elegant 1930s Bowman engines, to the great
solid 50s American Jensens, and the sobre, functional designs of early
British post-war engines. Another factor is that almost all my engines
were bought as wrecks (with a few notable exceptions); I love rescueing
old crocks and bringing them back to their former glory - worth noting
here that all my engines get regular outings - they're not simply
display items. I'm pretty sure the trouble started for me with my tenth
birthday present: a Wilesco D45, which I treasure and play with to this
day. Having the hook planted young seems to be something many
collectors have in common!
I'm constantly amazed at the amount of visitors this site attracts, and
I've been on the receiving end of lots of friendly emails,
encouragement, and I've even made a few new friends! One caveat,
though: NONE OF THE ENGINES ARE FOR SALE! I am, however, always
interested in swapping/exchanging - in fact, this is how I acquired a
couple of my most interesting pieces. So if you have a proposal, don't
be shy and contact me! Oh, and do me a favour- would you please sign my guestbook,
even if you're just passing by? I promise to say thankyou nicely. Thank
you for visiting my website, I do hope you'll enjoy your stay here! .
