Mss as a first

[laurence703]

Hello!
I'm new to the miniature world of garden railways as such and I've always wanted a Mamod or a Mss loco. After the Parents made the mistake of saying "Yes Laurence, You can put a railway in the garden"
On a few conditions this was allowed and the conditions were that I pay for Brick flower beds and that it has to be proper steam... I love my Parents! I'm yet to build the railway, but I bought a Mss loco and tender with a good amount of Mamod track from Ebay. The loco had only been steamed once before I bought it and after a few sessions of trying to get it going it now runs a dream and is actually controllable, which was very surprising considering the horror stories that surround mamods and only being able to stay on the track for no more than 2 seconds... which I quite pleasantly discovered is a load of old wives tales so to speak.

Here's a video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM_0jkplKTk



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[invicta280]

Well done Laurence. Your parents have wisely decided that a properly laid out garden railway is an asset and an improvement on your average flower bed.

Go ahead and repay their confidence. I like their proviso that it has to be 'proper steam'.

[Sir Clothem Cap]

I totally agree that mamods are controllable but of course if you bang the regulator right over and send it round a tight bend anything will fall over. I like your parents! I had to buy a house first before I got my garden railway!

[dougrail]

Mamods are controllable. You either need to mod the reverser block or I recommend buying a PPS refined reverser. Regardless, she's a fine looking engine and will provide hours of fun.

[DolwyddelanLightRail]

Regardless, she's a fine looking engine and will provide hours of fun.

Until the wheels slip on the axels

In all serious though you can get the odd MSS that are bloody good, my one, Britomart used to be good, and it ran very happily along my line with just a meths burner and uprated SV. It used to easily haul 4 mamod vans up my gradient (which was roughly 1 in 30 or 40, can't remember now!) and in it's hey day it hauled that and another dead mamod at the back!

Until it broke

[laurence703]

I haven't upgraded it yet and in its current state the only things I'd want to do to it were a water filler valve, move the existing safety valve to where the whistle is and put a meths burner in there as well.
The tablets can be a pain to light when its a little bit breezy! It's a good little runner It'd be nice to take it to a garden railway or a club track somewhere for a good run instead of just running it on my patio...
Anyone know of anywhere near Milton Keynes that would let me take it for a play?

[spooner]

Get in touch with the Bedfordshire area group of 16mm.