Garden Railway Forum

dougrail:81693 wrote:Right now....
RWM Janet - £445
RH Basic [Bertie/Millie] - £598.
Accy Ragleth [closest to Edrig] - £750 or £640.

with a comparitivly low price like that in this current economical climate Id say the winds just right for the ossy locos to take the world back

£750 Archangel Marmaduke 0-4-0T
£795 Archangel Sgt Murphy 0-6-0T

pauly:81694 wrote:

dougrail:81693 wrote:Right now....
RWM Janet - £445
RH Basic [Bertie/Millie] - £598.
Accy Ragleth [closest to Edrig] - £750 or £640.

with a comparitivly low price like that in this current economical climate Id say the winds just right for the ossy locos to take the world back  ;)

That would be awesome - and hearing about Roy's order for 20 Janets certainly puts a spring in my step.

I recall my experience in Wales 2011 while doing running repairs fighting with 'Deep Thought' -a gentleman was watching and observed that "they [Mamods] sould never have made them - the amount of disappointed boys probably put them off the hobby for life." Which corresponds to the whole Mamod stigma, but wasn't one of the selling points of the IPEJ was that a)they were far far more reliable and b, they were known for being as 'what Mamod SHOULD have built'?

They difference is that RWM/PPS/IP had a much higher degree of quality control.

Also, the Janets aren't bad at all - Roy has a couple of videos of his own personal loco at work o his site - http://www.roywoodmodels.co.uk/

dougrail:81699 wrote:[Mamods] sould never have made them - the amount of disappointed boys probably put them off the hobby for life."

If you think about it, not long ago the only real cheap beginner level entry stuff was either Mamod or LGB, and even though electric, I've heard of LGB being not much better either! However, if you think about anything, the entry level stuff is always going to be cheap and crude and can put you off.

Its exactly the same in the guitar world! I started off with Fender Squire Stratocaster, which are awful things in basic form without modifications, they sound bloody awful and don't have a great feel about them at all, it was only when I was searching for a new amplifier that I looked at other guitars, like the Fender American Stratocaster ranges (Effectively the Edrig range as a comparison) and the difference was very noticeable. I ended up walking out of the shop with a Gibson Les Paul Studio, which is like walking out with a lawley or RH George/Mildred. These days with my playing style I sometimes need to use a whammy bar, which my Gibson doesn't but Squire does...so I'm soon to be upgrading all the electronics on it, new neck, new pickups, new whammy bar etc. All that will be left is the body when I'm finished - Sounds a tad familiar? If you keep persisting with something you enjoy it won't matter how crude it is, you'll carry on until you can move "up the chain"

DolwyddelanLightRail:81700 wrote:
If you think about it, not long ago the only real cheap beginner level entry stuff was either Mamod or LGB, and even though electric, I've heard of LGB being not much better either! However, if you think about anything, the entry level stuff is always going to be cheap and crude and can put you off.

1. LGB isn't cheap! Nor is it's construction "crude", especially if you take into account the market it was made for (kids of all ages playing in the garden )

2. Many years ago I watched a documentary on the electric guitar. At one point Francis Dunnery sat with two identical looking Strat's - one a Squire, the other a top end Fender.
Which was the better guitar?
The Squire!

Modern mass production meant that on the day of assembly, the neck, body and fittings taken from the parts bins were perfectly matched (the density of the wood grain, machining quality at the high end of tolerance etc), and the result was a first class instrument just as though a luthier had hand crafted it himself from choice materials.

If you keep persisting with something you enjoy it won't matter how crude it is, you'll carry on until you can move "up the chain"

3. If you enjoy playing with what you've got, surely there's no issue? ~ Conversely if you have "issues", then surely you're not happy? (and judging by the numbers of cries for help, there's a lot of people unhappy with their basic Mamod/MSS motive power)

4. Moving "up the chain"? Not quite sure what you mean by that. Obviously it implies acquiring a better engineered loco with superior performance (probably one that is also closer to prototype too without the waggly bits), but is that "moving up" or "changing perspective"??

I hope nobody thinks I'm "having a pop" ~ I have a couple of Mamods and enjoy the challenge, tinkering, fun and nostalgia (I started with one!), but I take a Roundhouse, Accucraft or Pearse loco as first choice for a guaranteed succesful days running. Also, my guitars are tools of my trade, though I now invariably play live with my Line 6 Variax while the Fenders, Gibson and Takamine stay at home! It's a "cheaper" instrument but does the job of all of the others (and more!) while I don't have to worry about it getting damaged or stolen while on the road
~ I'm just trying to constructively comment on what appears to be a "Bungled" thread

pauly:81694 wrote:

dougrail:81693 wrote:Right now....
RWM Janet - £445
RH Basic [Bertie/Millie] - £598.
Accy Ragleth [closest to Edrig] - £750 or £640.

with a comparitivly low price like that in this current economical climate Id say the winds just right for the ossy locos to take the world back  ;)

Very possible Pauly. The interesting bit:

23+ year old S/H Mamod on eBay et al - GBP 100+ (wonky wheels, zinc rot, broken bits, etc.)

New MSS stock - GBP 185/215 (side saddle)

Super Mamod (MSS) kit from Dream Steam - GBP 395

However.....

New Mamod MkII - GBP 299 - 319 (depending on gauge)

If one can deal with the looks of the MkII, it is the bargain of the lot.

What is disappointing is that we have not seen a largeer movement of Mamodification of the MkII and bits from suppliers that we saw in the days of old.

My *guess* is this goes back to the change of the times (open box and run) and those that would modify/improve a loco will not do so because "it is a Mamod" as stated above to Doug.

So maybe there is hope Pauly!

We-ell...checking my accounts, my engine only cost to get up to mechanical spec £269. And 90% of the 'upgrade' parts were brand new.

dougrail:81706 wrote:We-ell...checking my accounts, my engine only cost to get up to mechanical spec £269.  8) And 90% of the 'upgrade' parts were brand new.

Hmm ~ to balance the equation, that's still more than I paid for my Lady Anne (and no, I wouldn't swap it )