This January meeting was extremely well attended and included seven guests, one of whom we then welcomed as a new member. A big thank you went to the ladies in the kitchen for supplying drinks throughout the day and laying out the buffet lunch. Also a big thanks to those who brought additional goodies.
Neil showed a selection of models.
The Army half-track and howitzer was produced only from 1939 to 1941. The very interesting Mechanised Army outfit featured parts in olive green, often with fewer holes than standard Meccano parts. His assumption is that this was done to make the models look more like armour plating. These two models are from the set manual, which is harder to follow than any other Meccano instructions Neil has ever seen.
He also brought a demonstration differential. This is a very small, all pinion diff which he would like to develop for use in the LWB Land Rover. The challenge is to make a steerable version for the front, as well as a fixed axle version for the rear.
The two Land Rovers are both Series One. The first has 4 wheel drive with improved steering and a faster motor but no differentials. Both of these have been shown at previous meetings, but the long wheel base one is still a work in progress .
The small tractor is powered by a Meccano clockwork Magic Motor.
Richard S built a very cute animated 'Bill and Ben' of Flower Pot Men fame from years gone by. The simple string and cam action made both figures jiggle and dance. He wants to expand this into a diorama of the show.
The nice looking motorbike is not Meccano. However, this splendid exhibit is here because Rolls Royce - where this originated - used Meccano 3.5 inch tyres on the wheels!
Alan showed his Burgh Island Sea Tractor (1930's version). Burgh Island was regarded as Agatha Christie's second home and leisure retreat where she wrote two novels. Alan's tractor has motorised travel and manual steering.
Barry displayed a 1968 set 10, some of which he had re-carded. The colours of this example were only used from 1965 to 1969. The set is in pristine condition and beautiful to look at.
Mark H-S brought four models on an army theme. The transporter carrying the tank is part Mogul toy and part Meccano. The cabin of the transporter is from the Mogul toy range, marketed by Meccano in the 1970's as a rival to Tonka Toys. The tank is a Russian T45 designed by Bert Love. The instructions are in CQ17 September 1992 and ME10 December 1975.
The half-track towing the field gun is from the Combat Multikit. This was one of several models suggested by Binns Road which could be built from a combination of the Army Multikit and the Combat Multikit. There were pictures in the Combat Multikit manual, but no instructions.
The mobile crane was a rusty Mogul toy repainted in Army Green. The trailer was made from a removable back section of a Mogul Army Truck.
Sam built his Stothert and Pitt steam crane during lockdown. All functions of the actual crane were driven off the single steam engine. The model has a single electric motor and uses sliding gears on grooved rods and tri-axles but they have a tendency to jump. The actual crane was bought for £1 and was transported back to Bath at a cost of £5,000.
Sam's other display model was of a car built using one of the new Spinmaster kits. The majority of parts are now plastic, and the motor+battery unit is a single assembly. There were also some more Meccano Magazines being offered by the club for a small donation.
Steve's current build has not progressed since last shown, so he brought along his Penny Falls machine which was much enjoyed by many members and visitors. Details of this can be seen on 2021 January Virtual Meeting Page 2. (Scroll partway down the page). The only problem with this machine is having to re-seed it with coins after travelling, as they mostly fall into the hoppers during the journey!
Pete displayed several models. The Arnfield Mantel Clock (Model Plan 104) works well. It is powered by a weight housed in a cylindrical boiler which in turn is raised by an electric motor when the weight needs to be reset.
The bus is made from 1920's nickel parts and uses a 6v motor for forward and reverse travel. The model shows the limitations of the parts available in the 1920's period, but still gives a pleasing result.
His 1930's era train is built using dark red and green parts. Pete made a lot of improvements on the original plan.
His mechanical dog is from a plan by Fabian Kaufmann. This is an excellent model with superb walking action and swaying head.
The little robot man is a design by Fabian Kaufmann and has now been built by several of our club members.
The last of Pete's display was a selection of Meccano Car Constructor No. 1 and No. 2 models. It also included one rare Meccano car which was not from the Car Constructor range as there is no construction involved.
Richard G displayed a selection of aircraft from different countries - all 'construction' as they were required to be assembled using bolts.
Colin displayed his model of The Liberty Ship from Peter Thurston's Model Plan 264. This was built to 1:60 scale and inspired by the SS Richard Montgomery. Colin didn't realise how big the model was and the plan calls for the whole ship to be built in one piece. Colin built it in three pieces for ease of transport. The Derricks were too large so he made them smaller, and the rigging incorporates rod connectors for ease of assembly of the separate modules.
Brian brought his Liebherr Backhoe Excavator. This model originally used cables to enable the various motions, but has been modified to now use screw jacks. The drive to the impressive tracks is direct, without the use of chains. It was radio controlled but is now operated by a wired control box (also made from Meccano).
Inside the machine there is a tin can with some loose Meccano ball bearings inside. An eccentric below the can vibrates it - and the balls inside - to give a very realistic sound effect of a motor chugging away.
Chris displayed a Konkoly model steam engine and workshop. He has changed a few things and incorporated a speed controller. The workshop demonstrates overhead shafting. Jim Gamble designed the workshop machines.
John H brought a mini Meccanograph. He built it before Christmas, but unfortunately his cat pushed it onto the floor and damaged it.
Ian’s mobile telescopic crane was built during Covid lockdown. It has lived unattended on a shelf for a while, but still mostly operated ok. It is on a fairly small scale so has very compact mechanisms. The telescopic action is driven by a 6mm threaded rod in the jib. But the motor is in the chassis, so the drive to it goes through the jib’s pivot axle allowing the jib to also be raised without affecting the jib length. There are manually operated outriggers which pull out for stabilisation. The jib also slews, and the vehicle can move via a 3 speed + reverse gearbox.
Kevin found some drawings in a Meccano Magazine from the 1920’s of a tram, and of a WW1 battleship also seen in a Meccano Magazine. He built both to bring to the meeting. The magazine photo shows the original drawing that Kevin used for the tram. He did a very good job with so little information to work with.
John D brought along several models. His first is the Arnfield Clock inspired by the one Pete made. Jim Arnfield recently invented a low friction method for the escapement using two gravity arms as well as the pendulum. The clock was designed by Michael Adler and took John many hours to set up and get it to run and keep very accurate time.
His next model was of a 4-4-0 Locomotive and tender - a Meccano set 10 model, designed by the Meccano factory in the 1950’s. It has been modified so that it can be operated by turning the handle on the buffers to move it back and forth. John tried to motorise it to move on the track but the design and weight just didn't lend itself to this. This being the case, there are no internals to the loco.
John's third model was the Meccano No. 2 Clock kit with modifications by Noel Ta'Bois. See the notes in the photo - click to enlarge the photo. It is a work in progress. John has been working on the chime of the clock. Some helpful modification information was given to John by Richard Payne.
Bob brought some modern kits. Of the 3 kits he acquired, 2 were not complete and some parts were poorly made with questionable quality control. The assembly includes the use of Meccano plastic stud fixings which have no fixing strength but are quick to use.
Kenny also brought some modern kits which he'd bought on ebay. These were quick builds and the kits were complete. The larger red/white car has flexible 'light tubes' which glow at their ends to provide working head and tail lights. The wheels of this modern model are quite nice looking.
Greg saw a small model of this fairground ride in Dobbie's Garden Centre in Tewkesbury and was challenged to build a Meccano version. The gondolas alternately rise and fall. He tried to incorporate a mechanical reversing mechanism to achieve this, but resorted to an electronic method instead.
