I've been wanting to make this little engine for some time...
Ian asked how many tries I would need and the answer is two.
Anyway, I started with a piece of 3" dia, 1" long round bar which was trued up in the lathe. I can't really put photos in line, I might make a few posts to make it easier to follow.
The base of the engine was milled into that and the top lopped off the round bar.