I wonder what it's history is....? It's obviously very old, maybe even pre-war(?), and I suppose it ought to have some collectable value - as such I'm guessing no-one would really be daft enough to actually try to steam it up! Reckon it's scratchbuild, or something by an early commercial maker? Yes, it looks very odd from our modern perspective - but then so do most 0-gauge clockwork toy trains from the pre- and post-war period.
Jon.