Help: 1" Minnie traction engine, anyone near?

Dampfzauberer · Help: 1" Minnie traction engine, anyone near?

It is again about the Minnie TE from ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAP...amp;ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:GB:1123

I felt it would be a better idea to open a new thread about this in this section rather than to go on with this in the ebay section.

I got a few more pictures from the guy, but i guess his cam isn't that good (or he wants the pictures to be like that?)

Now the question:
Who lives near GRANTHAM, NG34 ?
I would appreciate if one of you (who lives there) could have a "professional" look at the engine and give me an advise.

Photos are good if you have them, but if you can pick something up and take it in your hands, thats a lot better of course

In parallel I will ask him to adjust his cam and make me some new photos, again. (that was his 2nd try)

johnreid

There are several members that live in Lincolnshire I am sure that you can find someone willing to have a look at it.

Keith S

I don't know, man, if I had a couple thousand pounds to spend, I might just bid on it anyway. A coal-fired Minnie, never fired? Woo. If I had the money, I'd buy it now and save you the trouble.

OK, seriously though, I just had a really careful look at the pictures, the only thing I can see amiss is a buggered-up spring on the little linkage connecting the crosshead to the lubricator. You could replace this for the price of a cup of tea. I don't really know much about steam engines in this scale, so I guess I'm talking out of my you-know-where. I just get excited when I see engines like this come up for sale. I'm serious though, I actually would try to beat you to it if I had the money. I can't imagine there being much the matter with it that couldn't be fixed pretty cheaply. What a nice model. I pine for a coal-fired engine to play with.

Dampfzauberer

I got another reply from him re the quality of built.
I wanted to to talk straight about the engine.
So this is what he replied:

......
All i can really tell you is that it is nicely engineered,not perfect but not amateurish either! It has never been steamed and i can honestly say that i would think it could be put straight to steam.I have not steamed it as once steamed it has kind of lost its appeal to me! At least you know it is not worn out and tired!
......

tmuir

Sorry, bit far for me to travel to check it for you.

But it looks nice.
I'm assuming the boiler was factory made and originally would of come with a boiler cert.

You are really stepping up a notch if you get that one.
Coal firing is steaming on a whole other level.

Keith S

johnreid

Unless it is something I could really ride on, I do not think I would have the patience for a coal fired engine. That one looks like it might be so very cool. I hope one of our Lincolnshire members can get a good look at it for you.

Keith S

John, I think one of those will pull a man on a little trailer. Of course, you shouldn't ride ON it, you'd get burned! But I think you could ride behind it.

Dampfzauberer

Finaly, he managed to send me good pictures, here they are.
What do you think now?
Does anyone know what these engines usually fetch on ebay?

bessytractor

proceed with the utmost caution.

http://www.stationroadsteam.co.uk/News%20archive/May%202005/index.htm

the bit about boilers on this page is absolutely true. A good friend of mine was stung this way. The engine (an LBSC Tich) was sold as working on ebay and upon examination it was discovered the boiler would not pass a test, let alone get above 30 psi (test pressure is 120!). Out of curiosity we eviscerated the boiler (which is code for "cut it up with a hacksaw") and found the boiler was not built correctly which meant it would have exploded, and I am not kidding. Its crown stays were not attached to the outer barrel and the boiler was soft soldered in places. In short, scrap. Whilst the rest of the engine was nicely made the boiler was an absolute disaster.

The fact its never been steamed is even worse. If your buying it to run it then never buy an engine unless your privy to a boiler certificate thats not a DIY one or witness a private test yourself.

Its a lot of money is a new boiler. My mate was lucky and had his built as a favour by a professional coppersmith, but a new Minnie boiler will cost you about as much as the engine is going for now. Maybe more.

I might seem to be going off on one a bit, but I don't want to see you:

a) out of pocket
b) blown up!

Keith S

Geez, Bessy's got some damn good advice there. Now that he mentions it, buying a coal boiler without a certificate or a test DOES seem like a pretty random thing to do.

I don't understand people who go to all the trouble of building something like that and then don't steam it. I guess if I was looking at that it would all boil down to how much a new one would cost, or how much it would cost to make one myself. Still looks very nice, though.

Dampfzauberer

I guess i have to pass on this one.

IT is really the fact that this engine has never been fired and has no boiler certificate.

Of course, I could be lucky, and the engine is very well engineered and all working, just not been fired.

But It could be also the maker realised when finished that he made somewhere a mistake in the boiler design or badly soldered or whatever, and this beeing the fact this engine was just held as an ornament.

I have reply from the seller saying the minimum price he wants for the engine is 1650,- GBP, which is still much for me, considering now it has no boiler certificate.
Also notice, the reversing lever has been mounted the wrong side round

bessytractor

its the golden rule of big steam engine buying - always have a way of guaranteeing its not dead. Its not really worth gambling 2K on luck

For example I bought an engine off Station Road Steam (who's newsletter I used in my above post) and although it had no ticket its boiler was given a twice working pressure test before being put up for sale, so I knew that the reputable dealer Mike Palmer was being square about it. Just to be sure I gave the boiler a twice working pressure test myself and put about 30 odd extra pounds on just to really test the builders boiler making skills (though I wouldn't recommend this!) without any trouble.

Ebay is very good for things like electric miniature locomotives. I picked up a really superb 5 inch gauge loco for a paltry 250 quid from an estate clearance, but for steam engines its always a bit vague, though I have seen some really well listed ones with good pictures, an available certificate and sometimes even a video of the engine in steam.

Keith S

Bessy, it looks like you saved Dampfzauberer some potential headaches. All the same, it's a pity, maybe if the guy dropped his price and/or had the boiler tested, it would be easier to sell.

Dampfzauberer

Now the engine is sold, at 1700,- GBP

Maybe it is better it is gone now

So I don't have to think so much about this one...

I already emailed Mike Palmer about the Markie Showmann's engine.
But the price of that one is

so did not buy for now...
But I like his website and I feel if I should invest money in an engine then I want to have some kind of guarantee for the engine working.

Let's see what the near future will bring

Thank you all for your help here

johnreid

Be patient and a better one will come along.
It looks like something worth waiting for.

alan2525

£1700 for an engine without a boiler certificate seems a little high. Without a certificate you might as well have an off-cut of PVC drainpipe for the boiler!

The comment about an engine losing it's appeal after it's steamed is a little odd too. It's customary to test and steam an engine even if it's really just intended for display, just so you know that it has the potential to be steamed.

Dr. Rog

The Minnie has been a very popular design in the UK because the instruction book is designed for beginers and everyone is one of those once. They come up regularly on UK ebay.

Consequently the quality is never very high. Experienced craftsmen attempt bigger or more challenging "scale model" work.

I remember chatting to a chap who had made one at night school, it could actually pull him along on a trailer. It looked like he was on a scateboard behind a Wilesco.

I would recomend one as a first "model engineering" engine. I believe it is a free lance design so it works well even though it is small. Also being still popular you might be able to buy parts rather than having to have them made specially.

Happy hunting