...Not sure if I've posted this in the correct place but thought I'd draw your attention to the repeat on BBC4 recently.  OK I'm an engineer so find this stuff fascinating but it's still worth a watch ayway.

Forget DC
Forget DCC
Forget solenoids or servos
Forget PC, PLC, Arduino or blowing raspberrys everywhere

...You need a clockwork mechanism, very finely filed manually, no doubt in a damp basement with a candle for light etc.  2 years + of your -and alloted very skilled minions time.  The results are stunning.

I think I have seen the swan somewhere a few years ago -or something very similar, just mind blowing skills and complexity when you see it in the flesh.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0229pbp

! No longer available

Cheers,

Rich

This looks remarkably like the one that the firm I was serving my apprentaship  with were asked to service back in the early 1960.
It was located in Barnard Castles museum (Bowes Museum) and the workshop manager had to stay up there for a week or so and do the job on site. They had several other automata one of which was a life-sized mouse with a gold body and ruby eyes which he did bring back to our workshops and was serviced there (great fun was had chasing it round the workshop to test it)  before he took it back and finished the service on the swan

 

I've seen the swan featured on one of the many antique shows the BBC is so fond of, but thanks for posting it.

It is a good programme, first shown in 2013.