Garden Railway Forum

Posted: **Tue Sep 29, 2009 8:51 pm**

I have an MSS loco and I have a few queries bout it, but first heres a small background about it:

It is a really good runner, a year old now, been used the most on solid fuel wax, recently converted it to meths. No mods been done to it (apart from higher pressure safety valve). Vids of it on youtube if interested www.youtube.com/DolwyddelanLightRail

1: How the hell do you get the smokebox off the boiler???

2: Are the upgrade pistons from Dream Steam http://www.dream-steam.com/upgrade_parts.html (around half way down the page) any good, if not, does anyone have any recemmendations?

3: Are there any mods that are really worthwhile for my loco??

Posted: **Tue Sep 29, 2009 9:32 pm**

I don't think that the smokebox comes off the boiler! I am upgrading a mamod at the moment and got all the bits from pps. One word of advice- don't! they may be cheaper but the after sales servises are **** (you can fill in your own word there)
Dream Steam are really helpfull. I have a set of O ring cylinders that are really stiff and have no hope of moving at low pressure!

Apart from that I have no other advice I am afriad but if it runs ok I should save the money and spend it on something else!

Posted: **Tue Sep 29, 2009 9:38 pm**

Like i've said to you before, if it runs ok now I'd be tempted to leave it and run it untill the performance drops to something un-aceptable. It dosn't stop you from searching the net for potential add on's or saving up the cash required. If you do go for add ons I would recommend dream steam (admittedly i've had no experiance of using them as I don't own a mamod) but from what others have said, as they really do know what they are on about.
http://www.dream-steam.com/

Posted: **Tue Sep 29, 2009 10:08 pm**

1. two bolts on the side of the smoke box then two uner the running plate in front of the cylinders.

2. yes they're brill

3. top up valve

Owt else, let me know

(runs for cover due to the word "owt")

Posted: **Tue Sep 29, 2009 10:15 pm**

Ah, thanks for that Dan, what I might do is leave her as she is at the mo, and if her pistons start to wear, i'll replace em, oh and another question:

How do you get a better chuff?

Posted: **Tue Sep 29, 2009 10:46 pm**

By modification of the exaust pipe, I think crimping the end and cutting an apature in the pipe somewhere just below boiler center level. The art is getting a realistic chuff, ie so that it sounds like a steam loco but not so loud that it sounds like it's going up to Bleanau Ffestiniog with 10 on when its running light engine. PTLRcecil is the master of mamod chuffs, but he is a unpredictable with when he comes on the forum

Posted: **Wed Sep 30, 2009 12:41 am**

As others have said, the smokebox will come off by the two screws (or if riveted on, drill the heads off so they pop out. Then use screws to hold in again), and the bolts on the chassis.

I have the upgrade cylinders on mine, but had hardly any chance to run them properly yet as my loco is now in bits and has been after getting them (nothing to do with the cylinders though). However: http://gardenrails.myfreeforum.org/about855.html

On the mods side, take your pick. For the running improvements, you've done well so far with the meths and uprated safety. Next thing I'd suggest is the top up valve (you need a pump bottle and tube also available). For the uprated cylinders, you have to bare in mind you need a lubricator too - and the Dream Steam dead-leg one's are cr@p... Buy a Roundhouse lubricator... but then you need a regulator etc etc... the list carries on!
So I'd suggest the top up valve as the next one, and you don't really need to bother with the cylinders unless you're upgrading heavily.

Nice to see you on the forum by the way, I've commented on a few of your youtube videos before (columbineMHLR

)

Posted: **Wed Sep 30, 2009 8:00 am**

Cheers for the info, I do currently have a homemade lubricator on my pistons already (which is a piece of string tied round the piston which I oil regulary) but I was thinking of trying to get a slightly better chuff on it, which at the mo is very quiet.
The pistons are really just in case i do get the go aheah with my railway, which will be on one long slow incline, so it may need more power

Posted: **Wed Sep 30, 2009 3:18 pm**

If you have £25 to spend, these are blimin' excellent!
http://www.summerlands-chuffer.co.uk/
They do them for the Mamod/MSS/Janet stuff.

Posted: **Wed Sep 30, 2009 6:25 pm**

Oh, and one thing that's just come to my attention,

What are Edrigs like?

I thought that if I am going to have long slow gradients, I might need a more powerful loco, without having to make massive mods on my existing mamods, or having to double or triple head, to get a small train up it in reasonable time!

Posted: **Wed Sep 30, 2009 7:42 pm**

DolwyddelanLightRail wrote:What are Edrigs like?

Bloody excellent! Superb loco, plenty of "umph" to haul anything you throw behind it. However, one word of warning, the last batch of Edrigs has just been produced, and theres only a few left I think in the various suppliers. It's being replaced by 'Ragleth', read about it here: http://gardenrails.myfreeforum.org/ftop ... -asc-0.php Ragleth is on 2nd page.

Posted: **Tue Oct 06, 2009 3:23 pm**

laalratty wrote:By modification of the exaust pipe, I think crimping the end and cutting an apature in the pipe somewhere just below boiler center level. The art is getting a realistic chuff, ie so that it sounds like a steam loco but not so loud that it sounds like it's going up to Bleanau Ffestiniog with 10 on when its running light engine. PTLRcecil is the master of mamod chuffs, but he is a unpredictable with when he comes on the forum

I heard that

Yes ratty is right, see "Worlds most Powerful Mamod" On youtube. I would post a link put college firewall blocks youtube.

Posted: **Tue Oct 06, 2009 3:26 pm**

any chance of a picture of your lubricator string creation??

Will

Posted: **Tue Oct 06, 2009 3:28 pm**

Lubricator String?

Posted: **Tue Oct 06, 2009 4:23 pm**

Yeap thats wot i ment

Posted: **Tue Oct 06, 2009 4:40 pm**

What do you mean by Lubricator String? I dont have a clue.

Posted: **Tue Oct 06, 2009 5:03 pm**

Mr. Bond of the DVLR wrote:I don't think that the smokebox comes off the boiler! I am upgrading a mamod at the moment and got all the bits from pps. One word of advice- don't! they may be cheaper but the after sales servises are **** (you can fill in your own word there)
Dream Steam are really helpfull. I have a set of O ring cylinders that are really stiff and have no hope of moving at low pressure!

Apart from that I have no other advice I am afriad but if it runs ok I should save the money and spend it on something else!

I agree, when I had trouble with mine I phone him up and was spoken down to like an idiot! he just grumbled on like he was reading a book and not paying any attention to my problem

go with Dreamsteam, wonderful chap who runs that

Posted: **Tue Oct 06, 2009 5:31 pm**

DolwyddelanLightRail wrote:Cheers for the info, I do currently have a homemade lubricator on my pistons already (which is a piece of string tied round the piston which I oil regulary) but I was thinking of trying to get a slightly better chuff on it, which at the mo is very quiet.
The pistons are really just in case i do get the go aheah with my railway, which will be on one long slow incline, so it may need more power

Posted: **Tue Oct 06, 2009 6:45 pm**

I see said the old blind man. The Cylinders on mine are packed with graphite yarn but it does have a dispalcement lubricator to provide the main dosage of oil or the thing just seizes up.

Posted: **Tue Oct 06, 2009 7:40 pm**

Have a look at this:

http://dolwyddelanlightrail.fotopic.net/c1750552.html

you can see the "lubricator" string on it
it actually works really well cause the loco used to sometimes run really well and then the pistons would lock up, then i would have to wait for it to cool down before they would unlock again!
but Britomart is a really nice loco to run now!

Garden Railway Forum

A bit of help needed on my MSS

A bit of help needed on my MSS