Mamod to close

Adrian Lockrey, owner of the company posted:

As the new owner of Mamod, I've faced significant challenges over the past year. Upon taking over, I discovered the landlord planned to raise the rent from £24k to £38k per year, plus extras, totalling over £40k annually. Additionally, he demands a full repairing lease, making us responsible for all repairs, despite neglecting the property for nearly 30 years. He also requires a personal guarantee, which I cannot provide as it would jeopardize my own home.

Another major issue emerged in February with the fuel crisis, which should have been addressed in October. Due to poor communication from the government, we were unaware and had to invest heavily in researching new fuel alternatives while managing our stock of Hexamine-based solid fuel.

We considered relocating, but the staff, who mostly walk to work, opposed it, leaving us no choice but to close Mamod in its current form.

We invite you to our open day on Saturday, August 3rd, at the factory. This will be your final chance to visit, with limited tickets available. You can purchase Mamod engines and spares, with 40% discounts and end-of-the-line sales on incomplete models. We've also built more Red London Buses with seats and lights and hope to finish a batch of SP5 and SP5Ds before closing. The event will feature a full-size traction engine, catering with tea, coffee, and hot sandwiches, a train track running our trains and traction engines, and guided workshop tours every 15 minutes showcasing the construction of the last Mamod engines.

Despite my efforts, managing Mamod for the past year without any return and covering my son's wages, I can no longer invest time and money into the company as it stands. However, I hope to continue providing spares and limited production of some engines in the future.

I have tried everything to keep us running, but after managing the place for the last year without receiving any return and paying my son’s wages, I cannot keep investing time and money into Mamod as it is now. I hope to continue providing spares and limited production of some engines in the future.