The Unofficial Mamod and Other Steam Forum

Titan · Full member Joined: 19 Jul 2006 Posts: 720 Location: Derby

Well progress is being made - but it is kind of two steps forward and one step back.

I have reassembled Titans chassis and before getting too far ahead decided to test it - just as well i did.
It has been a bit stiff since I fitted new O rings to the pistons to replace the worn out ones, but with a little running on compressed air it seemed to be easing up a bit. However, the glands are leaking worse than I expected. So I decided to try it under steam to see if the heat improved things - and it made it 10 times worse!

In fact it pretty well siezed up!!

So new improved pistons are on order fromm PPS - with time catching up I want something that will definately work that I can bolt straight on and be good to go - I could possibly renovate the existing ones for spares but that will have to wait - in the meantime its on with the rest of the loco and there is still plenty to do!!!
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tmuir · Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2007 1:43 pm Post subject:

Hope you get it sorted in time.
I bought mine from IP Engineering and they work great.
The ones from PPS look almost identical so I'm guessing they should work just as well.
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Mamodman123

sparky · Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2007 2:57 pm Post subject:

take it there not the best then

Titan · Full member Joined: 19 Jul 2006 Posts: 720 Location: Derby

Mamod cylinders are plain affairs, they have to be simple otherwise it would put the price of the loco up too much.

Consequently they do have a habit of passing steam.

Having said that, Titan has already had one set of upgraded pistons, with O rings, its just that it has got rocket ship milage on them - the o rings being worn to a D shaped cross section and not doing much in the way of sealing anymore.

To give you some idea Titan has already worn out a set of mamod wheels, and the much harder cast iron replacements are starting to show signs of wearing double flanged too!!
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Mamodman123 · Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2007 10:36 pm Post subject:

Its done the mileage then Titan

. Have you ordered some new pistons? I just ordered some from PPS hopefully they'll be ok

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Titan · Full member Joined: 19 Jul 2006 Posts: 720 Location: Derby

Yes, sent the cheque first class today, should have enough time to get it sorted I hope!

Yep, Titan certainly has done the miles, I am rather proud of it and up until university and a career got in the way it was run and exhibited at every opportunity:

Regular annual appearances were made at Kew Bridge, International Model Engineering exhibition, Merstham School, and I have actually had it running at Leicester before, which might IIRC have been the very first MSTIA show.

On top of that I was a member of 16mmNG group, and ran it on a large number of Garden lines in the Midlands and Essex.

It has also been run on a few South wales lines too, including Deryk Goodall's, the guy who pioneered the water top up valve for the boiler which is sometimes refered to as the 'Goodall valve', and incidentally is the 'G' in Titans builders plate.

So it really has done the milage and had the exposure - I would not be suprised if there are one or two people outside the forum at the show that might recognise it, despite it not having turned a wheel under its own steam for something like 10 years!
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It's a Mamod Jim, but not as we know it!

Mamodman123 · Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2007 11:08 pm Post subject:

SPOKESMAN · Guest

Good luck Titan - hope it goes, see you at STIA!!

Titan · Full member Joined: 19 Jul 2006 Posts: 720 Location: Derby

Trouble is Titan has a reputation to live up to - at the moment I will be happy to just get it running and pulling reasonable length trains - although I really want to try and make sure all the additional accessories are working properly too, as that is part of its character!
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tmuir · Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2007 7:00 am Post subject:

When you do get it running we all expect a vid especially of your little steam dynamo that runs the headlight.

I love the ida of steam powered lights.
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A nice example of an Australian made Scorpion Donkey Engine

sparky · Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2007 9:25 am Post subject:

yeh that would be very nice

Titan · Full member Joined: 19 Jul 2006 Posts: 720 Location: Derby

There could be a slight hitch with the dynamo too - whilst dismantling one of the wires broke off flush right where it enters the casing. It is not designed to be taken apart. I am hoping that a thin pin or similar pushed in between the wire and insulation and held with araldite will hold, otherwise it might just be an interesting ornament!
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tmuir · Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2007 12:16 pm Post subject:

bummer.

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A nice example of an Australian made Scorpion Donkey Engine