This Weeden Toy Steam Traction Engine was manufactured by the Weeden Manufacturing Company of New Bedford, Massachusetts from around 1926-1935. The steam traction engine consists of a black firebox, tin boiler painted brown and horizontal engine powering a flywheel which is chained to the rear wheel. The back of the engine has a steam whistle, and the rear is stamped “WEEDEN/TRADEMARK/U.S. Patent Office.”
The Weeden Manufacturing Company was founded in New Bedford, Massachusetts by William M. Weeden in the early 1880s, originally producing a variety of tinplate household items. In 1884 it introduced the Weeden No. 1 Steam engine as “a new and great premium for boys” who were subscribers to the Youth’s Companion magazine. Weeden made over a hundred different models of toy steam engines until the company ceased operations in 1952.