Mamod - SC, SE and Minor Series Stationary Engines (1937-79)

SC, SE and Minor Series Stationary Engines (1937-79)

The range has its origins in 1936 when Geoffrey Malins started to make engines for Hobbies of Dereham. His engines were loosely based on the Bowman engines that Geoffrey Bowman Jenkins had made for Hobbies until 1935. The main difference between the Bowman and the Malins was that the latter were smaller, only came on metal bases and all except the SE1 had the chimney attached to the top of the boiler. From 1937 Malins decided to make his own range of engines as well as those he was producing for Hobbies. With the exception of a few small detail changes - such as lighter shade of paints and a Mamod badge - they were almost identical to the Hobbies range. The difference between Mamod and Hobbies became somewhat blurred; a Mamod badged SE4 could be found in the 'Hobbies colours'. This was the very beginnings of a philosophy which meant that the engines had to be sold and out the door. Unsold engines meant lost profit and nothing was wasted. Any differences between the two ranges had all but disappeared by 1940.

With the onset the Second World War, Malins association with Hobbies firm in Dereham came to an end, and the SC series of engines were the last steam toys to be sold under the Hobbies mark. Malins had also realised he could make much more money by concentrating on his own engines too. With hostilities increasing the St Mary Row factory was put into mothballs and war interests took over.

After the war the business was revived and by 1946 a limited range of steam toys was being made - the SE1, SE2, Minor 1 and tools. The pre-war SE3 and SE4 were dropped along with the short-lived twin cylinder Minor 2. Apart from the Minor 1 (now usually called MM1), the engines made in immediate post-war period had base-mounted chimneys. In all other respects the engines were the same as before the war. The SE1 and SE2 were only produced in this form for a few months; post war rationing meant that it was harder to replace materials used in production and so the SE1 and SE2 changed back to the locomotive style chimney. Apart from colour changes, the MM1 continued almost unchanged. Until 1948, the tools still used flat bases and cast iron bodies. By 1948 the SE range had received its first real update. Mamod branded brass engine frames and hot-stamped brass flywheels were introduced and the SE1 and SE2 received a regulator as well. Also introduced was the new Minor 2 (MM2). This had a single cylinder engine unit and was a larger version of the MM1. All engines continued to use wick burners with either 1, 2 or 3 wick tubes. By 1949, with the move to Camden Street, the firm had acquired a pressing facility and the expensive brass engine frames were replaced with pressed steel ones. The design was similar to those found on some Marklin engines. The boilers on the SE1 and SE2 now had a little superheating. The SE2 retained its regulator but the SE1 lost its. The MM1 engine became the first engine in the range to have a raised pressed base. The range remained in this form until 1953, when with the introduction of cheaper Mazak as a material, the brass flywheels were gradually replaced. This is typical of the Malins Engineers approach in ensuring that the models were always updated and changed to keep the price point as competitive as possible. In that immediate post-war period there were many other manufacturers making steam toys, such as Plane Products, Cyldon, SEL, Luton Bowman and Burnac.

At the start of 1954 the SE range all received raised bases as well as cosmetic updates and changes. By 1958 all but the MM1 had received the new vaporising spirit burners, which had first appeared in 1957 with the introduction of the all new twin cylinder SE3. Again there was another round of cosmetic changes with updated boiler bands and fireboxes. Combinations of these old and new parts can be found in the 'transitional' engines of the late 1950s period (e.g. the SE1, 2 and MM2). By the mid 1960s the engines were using pop rivets for the engine frame securing method (along with the entire Mamod range) as well more cosmetic changes. In 1967 the SE range received its next major update with the introduction of the SE1a and SE2a replacing the SE1 and 2. The superheating was gone and the simplified pipe work was all new. The SE2a also got a reversing lever like the 'MEC1' Meccano engine of 1965. Other details such as paint colour, boiler end cap and whistle design as well as decal layout were gradually changed. The SE3 was unchanged bar the introduction of the Griffin and George (educational suppliers) version in 1969. This engine was the only real variation to Mamod's biggest post-war stationary engine. It featured the very first silver soldered boiler (at the insistence of G&G) and also had a steam pipe union nut at the boiler instead of the usual stop cock. It carried an extra foil G&G lozenge logo by the engine too. About 2,000 were made until about mid 1970s. It was only sold to schools and came complete with a comprehensive manual for using the engine in lab experiments. Later examples of this engine were standard SE3s but carrying a revised G&G logo of a different design. This Griffin badge could sometimes be found placed alongside the warning labels applied to all stationary engines in 1976 explaining the use of inappropriate fuel containers and refuelling techniques.

The 1970s were the heyday of Malins Engineers. The MM1 received a vaporising burner in 1970, both Minors got overflow plugs in 1975, the engines were converted to solid fuel in 1977 for the domestic market (it had happened earlier for export) and in 1978 the entire range (except for the MM1) received sight glasses on the boiler instead of the overflow plug. By the late 1970s the range was looking tired and so, with considerable investment from the Malins family, in 1979 the SE range was superseded by the SP range.

In general, the SP models are modernised versions of the earlier SE models, the changes being for safety as well as cosmetic reasons. There is no strict correspondence between models in the SE and SP ranges. A rough comparison between the ranges can be seen in the following table: