Model train firm runs out of steam after No10 fuel ban
A BRITISH firm that has been making model steam engines for nearly a century fears it may be forced to close because of government restrictions on a substance used to fuel its products.
Hexamine was banned in October because it can potentially be used to make explosives, and model company Mamod has been using fuel tablets made from it in its engines for decades.
Bosses at the firm fear they could be forced to lay off staff unless the Government relaxes the rules around the sale of fuel containing the compound.
It can be bought in certain circumstances, but customers must pay for a licence and hand over personal details, which Mamod, based in Smethwick, West Midlands, fears will cause sales to plummet. Thousands of its live steam models have been bought over the years.
The company, which dates back to 1936, is facing a major overhaul of its business that will cost some £50,000.
Huge amounts of stock may also have to be discarded, which will cost the firm dear. It is reluctant to sell the engines without fuel as it would be “like buying a torch and having no batteries for it”, the firm’s bosses say, and they are reluctant to do their customers a disservice.
Tom Lockrey explained: “It is impacting our business in a major way as we have over £8,500 in orders to dispatch, which we are holding on to for now, as we won’t ship them without the fuel.
“Also, we have eight employees who will need to get paid at the end of the
‘It is impacting our business in a major way as we have over £8,500 in orders to dispatch’
month, with no money, technically ,coming in, as we won’t take payment until products are ready to dispatch.”
“What the Government fails to see is the wide range of people this affects.
“We have started a petition to allow us to sell the products in a regulated manner, such as a maximum of three boxes per customer, without requiring any sort of identification. This is stopping £8,500 in orders from going out, as over 75 per cent of our products run on hexamine-based fuel.”