That's a huge toaster!

When I purchased this Austrian Beauty, I hadn't actually planned to make a hobby out of retrofitting it, but so far its been quite an interesting and sometimes a testing journey, especially sourcing good quality parts!

So I dug a bit further:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/licensing-for-home-users-of-explosives-precursors/licensing-for-home-users-of-poisons-and-explosive-precursors

However May 2023 is just an update and it seems it has been regulated in some way since much earlier. So I wonder why the crackdown now,

Colin.

Hmmm.

Never knew Hexamine could be used as a fuel in Mamods. My stationary engine ( that I connected to Meccano machines ) in the 1960's had a meths burner that came with it.

Also they are a bit late out of the gates on Hexamine aren't they? Yes, looking it up I do understand that it can be use as a pre-cursor for RDX, which has been around for over 80 years. However it has been widely used in the hexi-burners issued with compo-rations and also available for camping etc. for almost as long, so it seems strange that it is only now being regulated. Does this mean it cannot be bought for camping etc. as well? I do remember that hexi is nasty stuff and should not be burnt indoors inside a tent - nor did one want to taint one's tea with it when brewing up,

Colin.

Quote from: gc4946 on September 14, 2024, 05:09:17 PMI hope sometime classes 15, 16 (D8400) and 29 appear as RTR.

I am all for a Class 21/29

GE

Quote from: Paul J on September 15, 2024, 09:32:20 PMThere were also better engineered basic locos available from other makers for not much more money...

I've got an option to buy a pretty battered (definitely used) Bowman O Gauge 4-4-0 Loco from about 1930. It's definitely in need of repair and missing its tender, but still tempted as a project (as if I don't already have enough of those )

There used to be plenty of third party meths or gas burners for Mamods. I used both at one time or another.

There were also better engineered basic locos available from other makers for not much more money...

It is a shame that they are finally no more.

I was a member of the Huddersfield Railway Modellers. Their well known 16mm section started with various quality Mamod conversions back in the mid 1980s.

Quote from: Paul J on September 15, 2024, 09:00:50 PMI used to use a Mamod steam loco around 30 years ago. The first thing to be replaced was the burner with something not powered by those useless tablets.

I find it very odd that they could not switch to meths burning. I suspect the "rise in operating costs" (i.e. not making any money) might be the main reason.

Back when I had one as a kid and of course ran out of the fuel tablets that came with it, I ignored the warnings in the instructions and just used meths in the tray. The main issue was that it caused a lot of carbon build up on the underside of the boiler, which would probably cause it to corrode or overheat. I'm guessing that's from meths not burning quite as clean as the 'proper' stuff.

Yes, I wondered why they didn't just switch back to meths again-or would that be deemed a fire hazard or something similar in today's H+S.

It's quite possible that this reason is masking something else, I just think it a shame that the firm has gone under.

Martyn

I used to use a Mamod steam loco around 30 years ago. The first thing to be replaced was the burner with something not powered by those useless tablets.

I find it very odd that they could not switch to meths burning. I suspect the "rise in operating costs" (i.e. not making any money) might be the main reason.