Bill's Lego Models

A nice confluence of various interests, and yes, it safely predates the introduction of the propeller hot air balloon introduced by TLC for the 2003 year.
This small gondola carries a full featured boiler and steam engine. The crosshead slides, the drive rod moves, and the flywheel rotates. The propeller spins too, but the drive shaft does not connect to the flywheel. Only so much can be done in the small space. Hot exhaust from the boiler provides the lift for the balloon. There is some coal up front, and the operator has a shovel to move it and a light to navigate by.
Additional views:

The balloon in action.
A glimpse of the drive shaft underneath.
The steam engine with the steam supply line from the throttle to the steam chest clearly visible.
The boiler with water tank at rear, feed water tube to the injector, the pressure gauge and water glass, and the safety valve. Look close to seethe orange glow from the firebox, below the wrench and oil can mounted on the backhead. From left of nose

This model has been documented with MLCAD.

Part List
MLCAD File
Instructions: Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6

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