Whether you have just found a Mamod in your garage, saw one at a garage sale, or perhaps found the one you had as a kid, you may wish to identify it.

This page would be a whole lot longer if I attempted to cover ever small difference in the Mamod model range, so if your questions aren't answered here, please contact me and I will help you out with a specific question, or if I don't know I will be able to find out.

These are the very basics differences with Mamods, and does not cover the Locos, SP range, Steam Wagons, or others.

Further down the page you will see some pictures which help a little more in the identification.

In a nutshell older = more expensive. As they don't have dates on them, or "standoutish" features, telling the dates is impossible with no knowledge.

I have a book that I recommend any collector get hold of for Mamod information. That and the Mamod forums with it's regular posters are a great knowledge base of Mamod infomation that you can't go past.

Here is a very brief overall view of Mamod dates:

Flat bases: Before 1954.

Raised bases: After 1954.

Nut and bolt construction: Up till 1965.

Brass flywheels: Up to 1953 (from around 1948).

Mazak flywheels: 1953 onward.

Barrel pistons up to around 1958.

Wick burners up to around: 1958

Vapourising meths burners: 1958-1976

Solid fuel burners (in the UK) 1976 on

Above picture shows nut and bolt construction.

Above picture shows rivet construction holding piston/flywheel bracket to base

An earlier type flat ended cylinder

A newer type domed end cylinder

An exhaust throttle on my TE1. First TE1's had nut and bolt construction too. Anything with a reverse lever is TE1a

These engines are usually hassle free. Bit of oil on all moving parts including piston and faceplate and they should last for a long time.

Other points to remember:

* On Methylated Spirit burners use Methylated spirit only. Not petrol, kerosene or other stuff.

* Fill boiler with cleanest water available. Pre boiled tap water is best, and can be added to the boiler whilst the water is hot for a longer run.

* Ensure spring in safety valve is working.

* Normal petrol car engine oil is fine for oiling, "steam engine oil" from ebay is a gimmick.

* Tighten safety valves, plugs, finger tight only. Don't use pliers.

* Drain engine and oil parts after use.

That's about it. As these engines use flammable fuel, and boiling water, hot steam, common sense prevails.

Cleaning.

When I first buy an engine I clean the boiler with a fine steel wool. Give the boiler a wipe down with brasso, leaving it on the surface, then polish with a Dremel and polishing tip. Finally a wipe down with a clean cloth. This has always worked for me, however I'm told Brasso wadding is excellent to use. I haven't found it here in Australia though.

For more cleaning tips visit Mamodmans Page. He has some great cleaning and restoration tips there.

These engines can be found anywhere with a bit of luck. Garage sales/car boot sales may offer a bargain. Antique stores can be expensive for a common engine, but at the same time, a dealer may not realise the rareness of a engine, so you may find a bargain.

Ebay is definitely the best place to find engines. My aim here is to help avoid people being ripped off by buying a poor engine on ebay. It's happened to me when I was new to the hobby, and there are many things I have learnt since.

Please take into account general ebay security when buying.

Here are some more specific tips to buying mamods, or other steam engines from ebay.

* Unless you know yourself, or the seller is a reputable dealer, never take the sellers word for the age of the engine. I have seen many engines overdated, by sellers. It may not be deliberate, but this can affect the final price if bidders think the engine is older than it is.

* As above, unless you can pick it yourself, never rely on a seller claiming that mint looking engine, is all original. Check the engine frame to base fixings. Pop rivets were never used to hole a engine frame to the base. All that were used is dome top bolts and eyelets.

* Some sellers genuinely do not know if the engine works, so there is some questions to ask to increase your chances of buying an good engine. Ask the seller if the piston/flywheel moves freely. Also ask if the safety valve/overflow plug unscrews. A stuck plug or valve means you may have a bit of work ahead of you. A plug or valve that turns, but doesn't come out, will mean a broken thread, which requires soldering. Such problems can help you decide how much to bid, if you bid.

* If the pictures of the auction do not cover all of the engine, then ask for more pictures. In the past failing to ask for more pics has resulted in me buying engines that have had broken whistle arms, bad rust, or even a dezincified boiler.

* In the pictures, pay particular attention to boiler end caps. White deposits on boiler ends may mean a dezincified boiler. This can be the result of water being left in the boiler and turning stagnate. The white deposits is actually the zinc leaching from the brass. The end result is just copper left, which can have small pinholes in it.

(PIC COMING SOON)

* Be very careful of buying restored engines, especially if they haven't been fired since the restoration, or only run on compressed air. Ask the seller if heatproof paint was used on the firebox. Engines that have only been tested on compressed air since a restoration may indicate the lack of heatproof paint, and running an engine on compressed air doesn't always clearly show up leaks.

* On the note of buying restored engines, if it looks restored, but seller doesn't mention it, then it probably is restored. Check their feedback as a buyer, to see if that engine they have for sale was recently bought by them.

I hope that helps people avoid a dissapointing purchase. If you are unsure of a ebay item that you are interested in, please contact me and I'll try help. Just don't leave it till that last few hours of the auction to ask, as I may not get the email.