Despite the maker's name, there is no plastic in this engine! It's about as simple as it gets and all metal - mostly steel.
The boiler sits on a pair of brackets forming a sort of open "firebox". The burner is a twin wick meths type. The horizontal boiler is made of steel; 1 5/8" diam x 2 11/16" long. It has a filler plug but no safety valve or any other fittings. Steam is fed directly to the back of the cylinder port face. The cylinder is a single acting oscillating type; 7/32" bore x 5/8" stroke. The crankshaft is held in a simple bent steel bracket. It has a disk crank at one end and a 1 9/16" diameter mazac flywheel at the other. As acquired, it was in fair cosmetic condition but in need of some extensive mechanical repairs. The flywheel was loose on the shaft and the filler plug was seized solid. The cylinder had been repaired / modified in the past and the port face mating surface was too narrow, allowing steam to escape directly to the atmosphere during the exhaust stroke. There was rust on the steel port face and inside the steel steam pipe. All these defects have now been fixed. There is still some surface rust on the boiler and burner but this is only cosmetic. It has been tested (successfully) on air but not yet tested on steam.| Make | Dixon Plastics |
| Model | Toytown Flyer |
| Made | 1940s |
| Description | Stationary |
| Cylinders | 1 |
| Cylinder Type | single acting |
| Bore mm | 5.5 |
| Stroke mm | 16 |
| Valve Type | Oscillating Cylinder |
| Boiler Type | Horizontal |
| Boiler Diam mm | 41 |
| Boiler length/height mm | 68 |
| Fuel | Meths |
| Mechanical Condition | Poor |
| Cosmetic Condition | Fair |
| Paintwork | Original? |
| Packaging | Cardboard box |
| Purchased | 21/11/2018 |
| Purchase cost | £92 |
| Additional spend |