Many modellers – especially beginners – ask themselves when the first steam engine or hot-air engine model is finished and working: and now? After all, such machines were originally intended to do work and enable mechanical activities. Early on, the suppliers of toy steam engines therefore came up with the idea of producing drive models in which the engines could deliver their power in a meaningful way. But many of these suppliers no longer exist, many machines are only available in antiquarian form and the supply of finished drive models is limited – and besides, making your own is much more exciting anyway! This is also the opinion of Volker Koch, who describes in this book numerous self-built propulsion machines of the most diverse types – for the most part based on historical models – and how to build them himself. With simple means – mostly from the scrap box – and little use of machinery, small works of art are created here that make the operation of steam engines and hot-air engines even more interesting. Sketches of the various models help to find the right dimensions and to achieve a successful result. From the content: • General remarks about drive models • Use of tools • Materials • Sources of supply • Working techniques for building operating and other functional models • Replica of a Doll/Fleischmann forge • Reconstruction of a drive model "Man at the grindstone" based on a Fleischmann model • Man at the well • The “wood sawyer” • Simple windmill • Hammer mill • Transmission • Blacksmith of own design ​​​​​​​• Scissor grinder with spraying spark