What do you make of this....?

[Zerogee]

Any thoughts as to what on earth this is - the seller seems to know very little about it either:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Gauge-1-45mm-...=UK_Trains_Railway_Models&hash=item3368e9520f < Link To http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Gau...mp;hash=item3368e9520f

The grey square block is a stackable pile gearbox for an electric motor, as seen here:
http://www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk/acatalog/marx-pile-motor-monoperm.html < Link To http://www.cornwallmodelb...le-motor-monoperm.html
I've used these thirty years ago to run scale R/C boats, they allow quite huge gear reductions in a very compact package.... so the chassis is obviously designed for electric power, despite at first glance looking like some sort of live-steam setup....

Any ideas?

Jon.

 

[nicebutdim]

There is alot of meccano there, even the grey gearbox is similar to something I have in the building box. Looks like it would have been a Thomas chassis, and I bet the piston was for either making a chuffing sound or for pulsing a smoke generator.

 

[ntpntpntp]

I agree, my first reaction was it's meant to be electrically powered and probably an attempt at a Thomas loco. Looks like wires to some sort of smoke unit with piston-driven puff.

 

[KeithT]

Verr odd.
It looks like a railmounted V1 rocket!