Should I get a Mamod?

steamyjim · Post by **steamyjim** » Sun Sep 14, 2008 1:07 pm

Am I right in thinking you couldn't get an Edrig around your line? Or am I getting you confused with another person?

If an Edrig couldn't then to be honest i'm not sure a Mamod would

mhlr · Post by **mhlr** » Sun Sep 14, 2008 1:08 pm

1. If you really want a Mamod, go for a old SL1 in good condition, not a MSS or what ever.
2. By the time you've spent money on upgrades, you could buy a Jane/Janet...
3. Yes, if you really want a low power, cheap ossilating loco, it's far better than a Mamod.
4. If your line is graded (like I can see in your videos), I say they would run very slowly, infact, stop completely!!!

steamyjim · Post by **steamyjim** » Sun Sep 14, 2008 1:56 pm

Oily Rag wrote:
steamyjim wrote:Am I right in thinking you couldn't get an Edrig around your line? Or am I getting you confused with another person?

If an Edrig couldn't then to be honest i'm not sure a Mamod would
Yes That's me.
I don't expect the basic Mamod will work on my line. But I was wondering if an upgraded one would. e.g. more power/ tighter control.

Eric

I think to have any chance of it getting around your line then you would atleast need the uprated boiler and the uprated cylinders.

SillyBilly · Post by **SillyBilly** » Sun Sep 14, 2008 2:02 pm

Buy a Janet or a similar second hand loco, you're better buying somthing with quality rather than spending £100s, trying to put some degree of quality in to somthing that is always going to lack it.

mhlr · Post by **mhlr** » Sun Sep 14, 2008 2:53 pm

Oily Rag wrote:Hi Pete, Are you saying the Jane/ Janet will run slowly but the Mamod won't. I don't mind it stopping 'tis better than flying through the flowerbeds.

Eric

No, they will both run fairly fast, and even if it's uprated, they will not work well on your line due to the gradients and curves etc. As SillyBilly said, just go for something different, as simple non ossilating locos like this won't be very powerful, run fast and lack quality if it's a Mamod.

alan2525 · Post by **alan2525** » Sun Sep 14, 2008 9:32 pm

YES, YES, and...YES!
- Buy a Mamod Loco, they are great fun!!

Ok, so there's a few things to look out for...

Mamod Loco's are very simple devices and there's a lot of advice regarding lapping the mating parts to ensure they are steam tight etc. If you get one and it doesn't run, be prepared to spend a little time working on it, the fun of seeing it running will more than make up for the time you spent learning and making it run nicely.

If you have some problems with the loco, don't give up on it or banish it to the bits box - persevere!

If you can try to get a good, used IP Jane or Janet from a Garden Show, you can always find modified Mamods too, some are real bargains, my IP Jane was £160, less than the price of a new MSS, and it run's and sounds like a watch, has gobs of power, makes steam in plenty until the gas is gone and pulls dozens times it's own weight!

Bear in mind the bargains happen at railway shows, if you have the notes in your wallet, most dealers will want to go home with the cash rather than put their stock back in pockets, you should be able to knock £20 or so off the asking price. I always think it's good to try to be chatty, most folks at garden railway shows are nice folks, and will want to see their loco's go to a decent new owner too!

alan2525 · Post by **alan2525** » Sun Sep 14, 2008 9:38 pm

mhlr wrote:
Oily Rag wrote:Hi Pete, Are you saying the Jane/ Janet will run slowly but the Mamod won't. I don't mind it stopping 'tis better than flying through the flowerbeds.

Eric
No, they will both run fairly fast, and even if it's uprated, they will not work well on your line due to the gradients and curves etc. As SillyBilly said, just go for something different, as simple non ossilating locos like this won't be very powerful, run fast and lack quality if it's a Mamod.

With a well running Mamod loco, you will be able to get a slow running speed. If you have gradients though forget it, it will always need to be set to either stop on the gradient, or run away on the level parts. With a garden railway though, time spent getting the track as level as possible will be rewarded by much more pleasurable runs and much less intervention required to drive the locos. It's great fun just being able to watch the locos run without having to step in and fiddle with regulators.

ACLR · Post by **ACLR** » Sun Sep 14, 2008 9:48 pm

well both my MSS and SL1K cost me £45.00
so I got them cheaply I have spent about £180 on upgrades so the cost me about 225 each there abouts but im very happy with them. Being in australia we dont have ready access to small cheap locos like the jane/janet and they would cost me a fortune to buy and ship over here. also an edridge would cost me nearly $1000 before I got it here. so the reason I have gone forsmall cheap mamods/mss. and both mine can pull up a slight incline 1:100 or there abouts. so theres my thoughts for the day you buy what you can afford as I dont have a father or a granddad to buy me nice steamy presents.

Chris · Post by **Chris** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 2:19 pm

ACLR wrote:well both my MSS and SL1K cost me £45.00
so I got them cheaply I have spent about £180 on upgrades so the cost me about 225 each there abouts but im very happy with them. Being in australia we dont have ready access to small cheap locos like the jane/janet and they would cost me a fortune to buy and ship over here. also an edridge would cost me nearly $1000 before I got it here. so the reason I have gone forsmall cheap mamods/mss. and both mine can pull up a slight incline 1:100 or there abouts. so theres my thoughts for the day you buy what you can afford as I dont have a father or a granddad to buy me nice steamy presents.

You can also add the upgrades as and when you need or want them to spread the cost (and make it less obvious to wives how much you are spending).

Buy one, you can always sell it again.

Aizoon · Post by **Aizoon** » Tue Sep 16, 2008 12:00 pm

Chris wrote:You can also add the upgrades as and when you need or want them to spread the cost (and make it less obvious to wives how much you are spending).

As far as his wife knew, a friend of mine had had a green engine and a black engine for years and years. She was happy until a visitor let drop the fact that he'd upgraded from two Mamods to a Roundhouse 'Katie' and an Accucraft Garratt in that time...

Stormy weather followed :shock:

alan2525 · Post by **alan2525** » Tue Sep 16, 2008 4:42 pm

Aizoon wrote:
Chris wrote:You can also add the upgrades as and when you need or want them to spread the cost (and make it less obvious to wives how much you are spending).
As far as his wife knew, a friend of mine had had a green engine and a black engine for years and years. She was happy until a visitor let drop the fact that he'd upgraded from two Mamods to a Roundhouse 'Katie' and an Accucraft Garratt in that time...

Stormy weather followed :shock:

Did he upgrade those mamods a little at a time, first starting with the roundhouse displacement lubricator, I imagine if he kept the nameplates from the original loco, it could still loosely be the same loco....

SillyBilly · Post by **SillyBilly** » Tue Sep 16, 2008 4:44 pm

Good idea

!

Chris · Post by **Chris** » Tue Sep 16, 2008 8:52 pm

Aizoon wrote:
Chris wrote:You can also add the upgrades as and when you need or want them to spread the cost (and make it less obvious to wives how much you are spending).
As far as his wife knew, a friend of mine had had a green engine and a black engine for years and years. She was happy until a visitor let drop the fact that he'd upgraded from two Mamods to a Roundhouse 'Katie' and an Accucraft Garratt in that time...

Stormy weather followed :shock:

I don't think I would get away with that.

Chris Cairns · Post by **Chris Cairns** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 11:10 am

You've already said that a basic Mamod would not work on your line, so keep an eye out for an IP Jane or PPS Janet instead.

These have a silver soldered boiler, 'O' ring pistons, lubricator, can be gas fired and have a fine control regulator. This will allow you to chase the loco on your down gradients and as the regulator is easily reached in the open cab (or can be extended outside the cab back) you should be able to tame the loco and prevent runaways as long as you can run fast!

It would be more expensive getting a basic Mamod and upgrading it. Sadly the credit crisis has not affected the high prices that these locos make on ebay yet!

pauly · Post by **pauly** » Sat Sep 20, 2008 8:39 pm

I think they tried to sell that before but something happened

the white stuff will easily come off.

SillyBilly · Post by **SillyBilly** » Sat Sep 20, 2008 8:45 pm

I've seen it on other mamods I think it's to do with the mazak alloy reacting with the air or some other s**t(anyone who watch's Harry & Paull will know why I swore there

).

Chris Cairns · Post by **Chris Cairns** » Sat Sep 20, 2008 10:02 pm

The 'white stuff' is very common on Mamods that have not been cleaned up after use, stored in damp conditions and near an open box of old solid fuel tablets.

It is not just limited to the mazak smoke box, but on the brass buffers as well, and there is a lot of paint loss on the right side of the boiler.

But at £41 with just under 8 days to go I do not think you will get this one cheap.

However good luck if you do bid (I've got enough Mamods for just now - on the lookout for an early MSS though).

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