More Cheddar, Sir?: what is better at the budget end of the market?

If you want one you had better move quick, not many left now and that's the last batch.
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You can't go wrong with an Edrig , I have had mine for 2 and half years , and have been very pleased. Mine has probably 50 + hours run time on it and it is still going strong. I haven't had a single problem with it , it ran perfectly right out of the box.

Charles M
 
Hi Dave - glad you liked the video!
I am not sure what the budget is - but if you bought the Iver from Stuarts, then similar money should find you an R/C Edrig as has been suggested. If you can cope with manual, then Caradocs are still around and Ragleth will be out this summer. You can always add a cheap R/C set yourself. And bit more gets you the Lawley. All of these Accucraft generic locos are well engineered and perform from the box (and even better after a bit of running in).
The manual Roundhouse Millie and Bertie are superb runners with lots to add on, and if you like quirky, then check out the geared Regner Vincent etc. - they will handle gradients and be more controllable than non geared locos.
Good luck
Chris
 
New Haven Neil said:
Nah, what you want, is a saddle tank......;)
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I certainly do- wish I'd been in a position to get a Mortimer before production ended!
 
Tony said:
Can i just ask can anyone tell me what they would expect to pay for a decend second hand Lady Anne or a Russell and are there any problem areas to watch out for not ever having run live steam

many thanks Tony
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Don't know so much about priced you being "Over there" but buying a used live steamer is a bit like buying a used car, I mean you really have no idea about how it was used or abused before you bought it (unless it's a local purchase from a mate) so you really need to see it steam before buying, I have a steamer on my shelf that I bought from ebay looks terrific but don't steam worth a damn...........................
 
Yes, it was watching NCB Austerities I think, that gave me my love of them!

A second hand buy - from a friend - :bigsmile: - who still thinks it's his....well it is, I think I bought a lease......
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Ah yes, saddle tanks. I guess as mainline steam had finished by the time I was "railway aware" in my early teens it was the industrial steam still going strong that made the biggest impression during my formative years. I suppose you could add to this the number of preservation start ups at the time that could get their hand on a couple of industrial locos quite easily to get them going ..... My first hands on experience was at the Middleton railway in Leeds at the age of 14, a nice little Bagnall saddle tank, just one of the extensive collection of industrial locomotives, and mainly saddle tanks they were too!

Hmm, can't wait to see the new Accucraft Sittingbourne and Kemsley 0-4-2ST "Leader" later in the year. Should more than fill the gap for anyone mourning the passing of Mortimer.

Meanwhile might send the lads round to terminate the lease on NHN's nice Red Jack !

To get back on topic a bit (!) I think if I were purchasing a second hand loco I would want to steam it up for a run before purchasing, doubt I would do it "blind" .

Happy steamings,

John
 
From my own experience, first choice would be a new Edrig, second might be any of the other Accucraft generics (new or used, but John has it exactly right, try before you buy). Side versus saddle tank? I've installed R/C in both an Edrig and an Excelsior, and found it a bit easier to fit all the bits in the side tanks. The new Leader (son of Excelsior?) is supposed to be more R/C friendly, tho, so maybe it's worth waiting a few more months for...

I did recently purchase a slightly used Roundhouse Millie, also another good choice, either as first loco or (as for me) backup to a larger engine.
 
Yes, the Mortimer r/c fitting was a touch challenging, the razor saw was brought out to chop bits of the front bunkers off, and the throttle servo is on the cab floor. She looks good now though...biased view!
 
I love budget steamers as they are simple and there in lies the beauty as you can fiddle and tinker with them to your hearts content knowing that there very little to get wrong or put back if you get it wrong and get it running again.

I find i have learnt more from owning my Accucraft Mimi, Long wheel base Ruby with a tender, than either of the big Roundhouse or Cheader engines i have owned in the past.

I have installed my own R/C setup in my mimi and got to find out in depth how the regulator and reverser and the like work. I have also tweaked little things like the chuff pipe knowing i was not throwing lots of of money about or away if it went wrong.

Plus there is a big after market industry allowing you to change, upgrade or repair these budget locos which can be done over time when money allows which i have found more interesting that i ever thought.

All you need to know is that out of the box they may disapoint on their first few steam ups as they have not had the benefit of a lot of running in and testing before being sent out from the factory. When i first got mine it would hardly pull itself around my railway and would run out of gas before you knew what had happened. But now after a good few steams ups and plenty of checking and oiling she will pull a four truck load around my railway for my railway for a good 20mins at least and she is still getting better with each run.

Hope this help mate.

jason.
 
a case off the more u put in, the more you get out off them...:bigsmile:
 
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