| Archive for The Unofficial Mamod and Other Steam Forum The Original Unofficial Toy Steam Forum Established 2006 The biggest, most popular steam forum around! Accept NO imitations! We have a growing community of regular posting members who chat about all aspects of toy and model steam. |
| Chris |
Good price for a mamod?I just 'won' this on ebay...My first loco, so I don't really have much of a clue, but I think I am happy with the price?? http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290078546566 Will be after some track now! And some info on making it run on meths I expect. |
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| Mamodman123 |
Re: Good price for a mamod?
Its a pretty good buy Chris. It has a new MSS steam dome though for some reason. It should be ok though and for 80 its not too bad really  .
To convert to meths you'll need a meths burner and a chassis spacer, thats all
Track can be tricky to obtain put it this way its easier to get a set with a loco etc. Keep scouting on ebay though 
Good buy 
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| Steely |
That's a great price mate. To run it on meths you'll need a meths burner from either Chasteam or I P engineering. They make a massive difference to the performance of the loco for very little money.
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| SPOKESMAN |
A good price, good nick too! | ||||
| tmuir |
Nice one.
Ive fitted a MSS steam dome to mine to and it works fine. It was probably fitted as the brass cover for the original one was probably broken or lost and you cant buy Mamod type ones as spares anymore. |
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| Chris |
Indeed, probably would have been easier to get one with the track, but by the time I had convinced the wife that I could have a loco, the £200 set that a certain someone was selling on ebay had already sold!
Didn't really want to spend about £200 buying a set from someone else as it is a lot of money to spend if the loco ends up being shot. Might just have to buy some new track, but that isn't too bad. Then get a bit of rolling stock, think I will make it a goods train as goods wagons are cheaper and it doesn't matter if the wagons are a bit of a mix. |
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| Mamodman123 |
ITs a good buy chris and hopefully it will run well for you keep us updated on how it goes anyway
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| bessytractor |
Re: Good price for a mamod?
interesting how it was described as a William! guess the seller checked up the mamod site? Now I am looking at all 3 of my standard mamod locos and the cylinders look different slightly to mine, upgrades? |
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| Mamodman123 |
Re: Good price for a mamod?
Yes the cylinders have been upgraded I think. Defiantly a good thing!. Wouldn't suprise me too much, it does have the MSS steam dome as well. |
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| bessytractor |
something that i have always heard about mamod locos is their wheels always slipping on the axles and throwing the quatering out the window. every person who had one on their garden line using the original wheels said that after a lot of running the wheels gave up and slipped. | ||||
| Chris |
Will be good if they are upgrades. I will take a look when it arrives, not that I will know what I am looking for. Just hoping it works at the moment!
Maybe the guy got the upgraded pistons and changed the steam dome at the same time. |
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| Mamodman123 |
Looks like it! I would definatly get a meths burner for it as well though, unless you already have one? otherwise solid fuel may not cut the mustard so to speak 
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| Chris |
Will wait for it to arrive and check it over. Bit of a newbie at the moment, so will probably try and run it on blocks to make sure there are no obvious problems, then order a meths burner. Want to get a meths burner anyway, cheap and easy to buy, less smelly and more effective. | ||||
| Mamodman123 |
That sums it up perfectly plus you get longer and generally better runs
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| Spule 4 |
Thanks for posting that, I was going to hack up one here (already has a hole in it for the Dutch-made lubricator from the 1980s) but now I will hold off. |
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| Chris |
My loco has arrived, and the good news is that it is a runner. See below a couple of photos and a video...
Once it has built up pressure it runs like the clappers for a while then pressure drops too much. Hopefully that will be solved with a meths burner. So questions: 1) It dripped rather a lot of water, is that normal? Couldn't quite make out where it was coming from but guessing maybe it is just condensation as it was a short run from cold. Figure that if it was serious then it wouldn't run. 2) Seem to be able to buy a meths burner from several places, are they all pretty much the same? And if not then who's should I buy? 3) Not seen one of these up close before...are they upgraded pistons? Cheers. |
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| Mamodman123 |
When you run a loco on the tracks you won't have to open the regulator too much. That was running VERY fast, you'll have it half that at least when you have it on the tracks, otherwise you will loose pressure too quickly and it may fly off the tracks . Mine is never really open more than half
1) They do drip a lot of water, Rosa drips a fair bit when on blocks. Some is from the condensated steam in the smoke box. You could put a sponge in there to absorb the excess water. 2) I've got the IP meths burner, it's fine. I had the chassteam one but it took ages to arrive and it was bent, didn't get a good burn off it. Other peoples have been fine, I think they are all pretty much as good as eachother, so get the cheapest. 3) they look like upgraded pistons, but they aren't one's I've ever seen before, i'm sure they do the job well. You won't know until it hits the track Chris! |
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| Chris |
Yep, I need to get some track yet!
Think I will be ordering some track later tonight along with a meths burner. |
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| Mamodman123 |
Mamod stuff is the best, you will need rolling stock to keep your loco down otherwise it may go flying lessons
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| IndianaRog |
Chris,
Nice link to a lengthy article about your new loco...if you have not seen this yet it's worth a read. http://www.sidestreetbannerworks.com/locos/loco36.html Made loco of the month no less!! cheers, Roger |
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| Chris |
Thanks Rog, I had seen that before while reading up a bit about these things.
I've just ordered some track, cost a blinking fortune! 16 curves and 8 straights. Don't fancy my chances of making it fit on the kitchen floor, so think it will be an outside job. Ran out of money, so meths burner will have to wait until after pay day. Got one flat wagon from e-bay. A log wagon (without logs so will have to make something), and a gaurds van should also be on their way. Wife thinks the loco is cute, so I am getting away with spending all my money on it so far! |
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| Mamodman123 |
Un fortunately it will do Chris but worth it in the end! The circuit is quite big when layed out so outside you'll need a perfectly flat surface untill you get meths and an uprated valve
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| Chris |
Right oh, the track arrived. Just about managed to set up a circuit in the kitchen once I moved a few things out of the way.
First run - lots of crashes, stuggled to get anything between stopped and going like a nutter. Luckily for the floor it is tiled so it was easy to blow the fires out! Second run - much more successful, managed to get it to run slowly, but struggled to make it go just a bit quicker, it really wanted to run away. Will order a meths burner and safety valve shortly. I am hoping that the safety valve will give me more power for the same speed, am I right in thinking that? As I really don't need more speed!! Also I will want to put the valve where the whistle was. So I will need to plug the hole that the original valve is in. Is there anything other one of those water top up valves that I could use for doing that (without making just a plug). |
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| Mamodman123 |
Mamod locos don't tend to go well on their own with original wheels etc. They need at least 2 rolling stock behind it to keep it on the tracks! You can get them going round on their own but theycan be unpredictable, depends on how well they are run in and how sensitive the reverse block is. The new safety valve will give you more power which in turn of course will give you a speed boost, it will allow you to have it running quicker without having the regulator as far open. Bear in mind the regulator should NEVER be fully open. At the start of every run when bringing it up to steam, have it running backwards and then forwards quickly to remove all the water/oil out of the cylinders, otherwise you'll open the regualtor, it won;t move as there is water in the cylinders, you'll open it more and it'll fly away and off! Just put a water top up valve in the front where the mamod saftey valve will go, you don't have to use it! Just let it sit there happily then put the uprated valve where the whistle is! Hope that helps?
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| Chris |
Great thanks. I think the backwards and forwards tip to clear the cylinders will help as it sounds as if that is what was happening.
Cheers for all your help with this MM!
I will get the water top up valve at the same time as ordering all the other bits...after I have been paid 
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| Mamodman123 |
Yep you'll get the noise of water in the pipes and a "gurgling" noise
You'll have it sussed soon enough
Keep us updated on it
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| Chris |
That cracked it. I ran it back and forth to clean the water out, and it went much better. Great tip.
So I had two good (if very short due to solid fuel) runs this evening. Got paid today as well! |
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| Mamodman123 |
Excellent to hear Chris! very glad you have a working loco. They are great when you get them going
Good to hear you can start to save again for more Mamods
Cheers, MM |