question from a newbie

diamondlady · question from a newbie

I'm waiting to build my track but in the ??? stage still....(sorry folks)
I've read about mamods and wonder which train run's best ?
and what are the problems with each one?
meths burner or Gas
And what train do YOU run on a normal english day...wet & windy!
Plus as a mamod runs on 32m track have any of you got 45m and can you alter the mamod to 45m
or have any of you got both 32m & 45m

Rob

i have 4 mamod loco's now and an acucraft edrig which is being converted to coal firing.

they are all 32mm gauge, but can be adjusted to run on 45mm.

i run 16mm to the foot scale, so my 32mm track represents 2ft gauge.

the track i use is peco "sm32" which is narrow gauge scale track

on a windy day, i would not use on of my mamod's as they have holes in the chassis frames which the wind blows through and disturbs the flame. internal gas fired loco's will be better, which have a single flue tube in the boiler and the burner is inside there, like accucraft and roundhouse.

the meths burner on the mamod's is a good upgrade from the solid fuel, but if the loco derails it may spill out and ignite. it produces a good heat for the boiler. the gas is better but you need to be careful as not to let the water level dissapear as the burner may damage the boiler if boiled dry.

i would highly reccomend the accucraft edrig as a starter engine, as it is gauge adjustable by alen keys on the wheels. they are producing the last batch of them now, so grab one whilst you can. i think theyre about £420 now from track-shack, who is also good for the peco track.

hope this advice helps, and i wish you well with your railway,

keep us posted on your progress...

alan2525

If you are undecided between 32mm and 45mm track, i'd strongly suggest you go for 32mm. 45mm is as used by LGB, track powered electric, it's very rugged and can be laid outside temporarily on a lawn or a patio. 32mm PECO track is more difficult to lay as you need a proper wooden or concrete block trackbed to screw it down to, but it does look a lot more scale, representing 2ft gauge track.

A lot of the more expensive Roundhouse or Accucraft locos are regaugeable, the wheels have grub screws and can be slid along the axles, a little brass gauge is supplied so you can set them correctly.

Mamod Loco's are regaugeable between 32 and 45mm but to do so you need to pretty much totally dissasemble the loco and purchase new wheelsets and cylinders in order to do so.

I steam my IP Jane very often, it's like a Mamod Loco, but is upgraded as standard and has a silver soldered boiler and gas firing. I've steamed it in all weathers, from wind and rain, to 3 inches of snow at about minus 5! It ran great although snow falling onto the boiler from the trackside after i'd cleared it soon cooled it down! It's very reliable and can be kept in steam all day long if you want!

Go for 32mm, run your Mamods a fair bit so they wear in, with a bit of time you can see where they are loosing steam, fix leaks and soon they will be running great! Then if you are feeling up to spending some money they are a huge selection of fantastic loco's you can buy!

diamondlady · IP JANE

an you tell e what an IP Jane is please......thanks

question from a newbie

IP JANE