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Newsletter February 2004 Page 1

PresidentMike Maloney TreasurerBill Davis Newsletter EditorBill Fitzgerald

Secretary:Graeme Thomson16 Catherine StCANTERBURYVIC 31269836 7359Website

http://members.tripod.com/melbmci

MELBOURNE MECCANO CLUB INC NEWSLETTERIssue No 1 February 2004

Jack Parsisson at Moe Exhibition with his Shay Locomotive

(photo by Peter Dalliston)

Page 12 Melbourne Meccano Club Inc

MECCANO DIARY

MMC NEXT MEETING

SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING - Sunday 18 Apr 2004At Bri Phil Hall,80 Gardenvale Rd ELSTERNWICK (Melway 67 H7)The purpose of this meeting is to discuss and vote on a proposed By-Law relating toElectrical Safety. Please try and come along if you can.

1.00pm Sales Table2.00pm Special General Meeting StartsOur normal meeting will start as soon as the Special General Meeting finishes.Please bring a small plate of afternoon tea to share.

FORTHCOMING EXHIBITIONS

We have been invited to exhibit at the following venues. If interested please contact JackParsisson on 03 9789 5796 (Email: [email protected]) for more information.

Berwick Agricultural Show

Saturday 28th Sunday 29th February 2004

Berwick Show Grounds, Princess Highway Berwick

Scoresby Steamfest

Sat, Sun & Mon 6-8 Mar 2004, 10 am to 4 pm each day.1200 Ferntree Gully Rd SCORESBY (Melway 72 D9)

Pakenham and District Agricultural Society Show (not certain - probably not)

Saturday 20 March 2004

OTHER MECCANO CLUB MEETINGS.

Meccano Modellers Association (Sydney)

Meetings are held at a members house normally on the fifth Saturday of a month.Contact Malcolm Bookeron (02) 9451 8807 for details.

SEQMG

The next SEQMG meeting is on Saturday 24 Apr 2004at 1:30 pm at Brian and KathySmiths house: 8 Marbella St, Slacks Creek, Brisbane Ph: 07 3808 5558.

Maylands Meccano Club (Perth)

Meetings are held at the Maylands Meccano Club, 16 Kennedy St MAYLANDS usually onthe first Tuesday of each month.Contact Ross Smith (Secretary) on 08 9367 8906 for details

more cool drinks thoughtfully providedby Carol, Mike thanked both Carol andJack for their hospitality on a day, thewarmth of which was not of theirchoosing!

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Meeting at Jack Parsissons 14 Feb 04by Graham Jost with photos by PeterDalliston, Dave Denner, JackParsisson and Tony Press. (Thank youall for a wonderful illustrated report![ed.])

Intro: Whew it was hot REALLY

HOT! The thermometer on Jacks backverandah exceeded the predicted 41Cwell BEFORE the meeting began!! Sowe all very sensibly opted for the shadesurrounding the back lawn for ourmeeting proper. The attendance waspretty good considering: 25 members,two family members, and three visitors.Members attending were: John Brand,Lindsay Carroll, Chris Comer, PeterDalliston, Bill Davis, Dave Denner,Bruce Douglas, Peter During, Roger

Hall, Sandra Hall, John Hutchinson,Graham Jost, Mike Maloney, JohnMartin, Barry McDonald, KimballMonger, Jim Osborne, CarolParsisson, Jack Parsisson, TonyPress, Graham Russell, GraemeThomson, Catherine & (son) AlexanderTritt, Jeff van Hees,Doug Ward and MikeWright.

Visitors were : JohnDurrant and Russell &

(son) Callum Hiscock.

Apologies werereceived from BillFitzgerald, David andMargaret Goss, Billand Margaret Inglis,Paul Johnstone, WalMaynard and RodPalmer.

As usual, the first hour or so sawintense model inspection, chit chat andof course trading. In fact so intensewas all this that the meeting proper didnot begin until 2.20 pm! OurChairman, Mike Maloney, began byintroducing our new visitor, John

Durrant Russell and Callum Hiscockwere at our previous meeting atLindsays. John has an interest inMeccano in general, and in roboticcontrol in particular.

Mike announced two new members,David Lawrence from South Carolina(USA), our second international mem-ber and Alan Towsey from NSW. Bothare retired, with a long association withMeccano. Our bank balance stands ata healthy $4042.69.

The President (Mike) then introducedthe matter of electrical safety in ourmodels, particularly that all electricalequipment used at club activities mustmeet regulatory safety standards.Please read p 5 and the enclosed

Notice of Special General Meeting

John Durrant and Russell Hiscock


SPECIAL GENERAL MEETINGSunday 18 April 2004 at 2 pm

At Bri Phil Hall,80 Gardenvale Rd

ELSTERNWICK

To discuss and vote on a proposedBy-Law relating to Electrical Safety

Please try and be there!!!

Vern Elliss Meccano Did You Know?

In 1908 the part name angle piecewaschanged to angle bracket. Also eachmodel was now accompanied by a partslist. The perforated strips and new anglebrackets were now made of the finestgrade steel available and had rounded

ends to stop finger injuries. Models nowwere more rigid, solid and lookedrealistic. Examples are a working LevelCrossing Gate (Dec 04 Newsletter) and aCoal Tipper.

In 1909 on the 29 March Meccano Ltdmoved to274 West Derby Rd, Liverpooland the Hornby System of MechanicalDemonstrationwas introduced, intendedfor use in colleges etc. There were threelettered outfits: A (carton) 10/-, B(cabinet) 35/- and C (cabinet) 70/-. Theparts were chemically blackened to givethe models a scientific look. Outf it

covered the topics of axles, wheels,triangle of forces, pulley systems,inclined planes and so on. The partswere quoted in metric lengths to followscientific practice. There wereAccessory Sets Aa and Ba as well asspecial conversion sets MSA, MSB andMSC to convert standard sets to thescientific sets.

The lids of the ordinary Meccano outfitsnow showed a crane and a dock sceneon a new label. The sloping O in thename Meccano was unique for a

company logo at the time. The cover ofthe Meccano (Mechanics Made Easy)instruction manuals showed two boyswith a Meccano windmill. Outfits 5 and 6now came in walnut stained presentationcabinets with glass covers over thebrassware. The flanged wheels andbush wheels now had 8 standard holes,the 1 pulleys 4 and the 1" pulley 3.Also included in these sets were propellerblades for a Wright Brothers aeroplane.

surfaces. Although there was nodanger of it taking off, it did operatewith a delightful hum lost I suppose inan exhibition setting, but lovely to hear I wondered whether the stiffcardboard surfaces might have beenoperating as sound amplifiers to add tothe framework vibration?

In closing the meeting and before weall descended on afternoon tea and

Roger Hall

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(to be held on 18 Apr) to find outabout very important recent

developments Im not going torepeat it all here! Mike concluded thislengthy first part of our meeting bythanking Lindsay Carroll for the veryconsiderable informed assistance that

he has been able to bring to this matter.Jackreported briefly on the oneoutside exhibition that we have heldsince our last meeting at theGippsland Heritage Park at Moe overthe weekend of January 17 and 18(more on p 6 & 7). We have theopportunity to exhibit at three moreshows in the next two months: atBerwick on the weekend of February28 and 29, Scoresby (Traction EngineSteamfest) on the Labour Day

weekend of March 6-8, and a newinvitation, to the Pakenham and DistrictAgricultural Society Show on March20. Jack is in twominds about this latter,coming in just twoweeks after our long-weekend show atScoresby. Get intouch with Jack if youare interested incontributing to any or

all of these shows remember he has toKNOW WHO ISCOMING!

Graemereported thatthere are still somecopies of our 2003Annual ExhibitionMagazine available

get in quick before they all go!

Dave Dennerdrew attention to the ex-Doug Wilson (a former MMC member)model exhibition now on permanentdisplay in Marysville. For detailscontact Dave if you are interested (but,using the ABC vernacular he

remembers that a charge applies!)

Models

Callum Hiscock was first up with hismodel motorcycle. This was a model ofhis own design, but its interestingcharacteristic was that it was made ofwooden Meccano. Now this is a firstfor our Club, Callum! Alexander Trittwas next, and he had also produced amotorcycle (motor scooter?) after thesingle photo on the rear cover of the

20-model manual. Well done to boththese very young modellers for theirfine efforts. (contd p 10)

Pterodactyl


Dave Denner

demonstrated hisRenault F1 remotecontrolled racing car the one the Pomscouldnt motorise orsteer by the steering

wheel! Well done,Dave you showedem!! This is a finemodel, after one specially available inkit form in Europe from Renaultdealers, and to be available here laterthis year. Dave has had significantinternational success since Jackpublicised Daves effort on Spannerrecently it is to feature in theRunnymede Newsletter, theInternational Meccanoman AND CQ now this last is a REAL feather in yourMeccano modelling cap, Dave. Welldone indeed.

Peter Duringdemonstrated his latestFerris wheel Im not sure if this is anew one, Peter, but the flashing lightsworked a treat. Jim Osborne renderedPeter some assistance in this regard.

Graham Russellhad modelled TWOmotorised T-model Fords, in TWOcolour schemes (Eh! black andblack?), one new, and one (much)

older. These really looked the part,though Graham had succumbed to adash of non-Meccano improvisation.Im not sure why they really dontneed that contamination!

Sandra Halldemonstrated another ofthe models from the current FerrisWheel set, a fairground ride. It is aneat model, Sandra.

Roger Hallfollowed with a solarpowered pterodactyl usingConstructor parts. In view of theintensity of the solar radiation thatafternoon, Im surprised it didnt takeoff, but a dash of binding in the worksmight have been the explanation.

The final model on show was from oneof our more confirmed non-builders

or should I say more confirmedcollectors Tony Press! This was areal beauty, a reproduction of the 1909Wright Flyer (shown above) asillustrated in a 1909 Meccano Manual.With a wingspan of some 3, the scaleis approximately 1 to 1. Tony hadmotorised it, a small motor hidden inthe engine driving via straight andcrossed chain drives to those firstMeccano flailing spoon typepropellers, the drives ensuring contra

rotating propeller rotation direction asper the original I was impressed withthe smoothness of the lightly-oiledcrossed chains operating within thatrestraining sleeve piece. Forwardelevator and rear rudder and wing tipwarping were faithfully reproduced,along with Franks advice, in thoseearly pre-flexible plate days, of usingcardboard if you must in this casethe wings, rudder and elevator

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The Wrights flew the worlds firstpowered airplane at Kitty Hawk on 17Dec 1903. Beginning at 10:35 AM,Orville flew it about 120-feet (in about 12seconds), Wilbur, about 175 feet; Orville,about 200 feet, and, about 12:00 PM,Wilbur flew it 852 feet in 59 seconds.

The Meccano Model is of the later 1908Model A (which appeared in the 1909Meccano Manual as a No 6 Outfit Model).This was the aircraft that convinced theworld that the Wrights had indeed flown.It was also the first two-seat aircraft, andthe first Wright aircraft in which theoccupants sat upright. The worlds firstproduction airplane, the Wrightsproduced variations of the Model A from1907-1909. Wilbur flewthe first one on 8 Aug1908 in France andlater in Italy and at

Governors Island inNew York in Oct 1909.Orville flew A Models atFt Myer in Sep 1908(killing Lt. Selfridge inthe crash of 17 Sep1908), Germany in1909, and Montgomery,AL in 1910. Model Abiplanes had 41-footspan; 6.5-foot chord; 6-foot separation; 510 ft2

area; 1/20 camber; 70ft2double horizontalfront rudder; 23 ft2twin

movable vertical rearrudders; 31' overalllength; and weighed800 pounds. They hada 4-cylinder verticalengine and the peculiarsingle warp/ruddercontrol between the twoseats that left seat pilotsoperated with their righthand and right seatpilots operated withtheir left hand.

If you have read your aviation history youwould know that the Wright engine wasthe first with an aluminum block. Thecylinders were cast from iron but it was athermal nightmare, it readily overheatedand parts often glowed a dull red. Theengine was non-carbureted, as shown in

the Smithsonian drawings (a crude typeof direct fuel injection) but was nevermeant to be run for long periods of time.Because they overheated easily, the wearwas substantial. Furthermore, they werehit-or-miss engines with just two speeds -on and off

Tony Press (photos by Tony)

Tony Presss Wright Brothers Model A Flying Machine


213d3P coupling andshort 3-flat tail shaftsupporting a 19T pinionmeshing with a25Tcontrate gear fixedto the rear axlejournalled in two 48es ina revised suspensionsetup.

The wheels are 187csfitted with (wetweather?) J45 tyres.Fitted inside the wheelsare 57 T gears fixed tothe rear axle.

To fit the steering servo,the body at the front had to be widenedand changes made to the radius armsetc. The servo output bush wheel has aplastic covered 6BA bolt lock nutted to itwhich nestles between the two threadedpins mounted on the tie rod. Anadditional hole was needed to bring thepins closer together.

A plastic 194a and a metal 190a flexibleplate were cut to shape to cover theincreased width of the nose cone.

To improve the turning circle 4 hole flat

girders were substituted for the 5 hole flatgirders used in the front side spoilers.

At the rear and around the cockpit theB472 double curved strips were replacedwith a pair of 133c and curved strips 89arespectively. The drivers rear visionmirrors are blue 120c and 806b 2 holenarrow strips. Each of the blue 4 hole x 7hole plastic plates covering the side airintakes were made up from 4 x 194s.

The radio receiver, direction controlservo (output wheel connected to a 3 wayswitch to control the MO motor), two sets

of 4 x AA batteries and an on/off switchfor the radio are housed in the air intakebox like structures on each side.

The model has plenty of power andperforms at quite a reasonable speed. Inplace of many unique coloured parts,standard parts were used. I commendthe model to all those who are unable toacquire the real thing.

Dave Denner (photos by Dave)

Alexander Tritt

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Presidents Note Safety Of Electrical Equipment Used In Club Activities

As many of you will be aware, our Exhibi-tion Co-ordinator, Jack Parsisson, hasbeen concerned about electrical safety,including the possibility of OH&S inspec-tions, and has supplied from his ownequipment approved extension cords

and Residual Current Devices (RCDs)for use at our displays. Regulation andCompliance are the order of the day, andJack has experienced (at exhibitions runby other organizations) occasions wherea Workcover inspector has preventedsome exhibitors presenting their displaybecause their electrical cords, powerunits and/or models did not comply withaccepted safety standards.

Your Committee has been attempting toformulate, amongst a confusion ofregulations and mis-information

regarding requirements, a (relatively)simple ruling to apply to Club activities.We have decided on compliance with anAS/NZS published standard, whichappears to be the accepted standard towhich Workcover and other authoritiesrefer. As well, although not compulsory,the Committee has decided that the Clubwill provide RCDs as an additionalsafeguard at all Club activities.

Standard AS/NZS 3760 requires visual,mechanical and electrical tests of cords

and portable equipment, includingintegrity of the earthing conductor andinsulation between live conductors andearth and exposed metal, and betweenthe primary and secondary windings oftransformers. Allowing that all of the

Binns Road Meccano production is atleast 30 years old, and some of it up to70 years, it may well be that someequipment will not meet the currentStandard, and thus will not be able to beused at Club activities and may not besafe for your own use at home! Likewise,the use of 240 volt motors fromdismantled appliances, etc. is unlikely tomeet the Standard, particularly withregard to the protection, access to, andinsulation of conductors and terminals.

Because of the above, the Committee

recommends the use of extra lowvoltage (50 volts or less) equipment ifpossible. If this is not suitable, thenelectrical equipment must be tested andtagged as specified in the Standard.

The proposed By-Law detailed in theattachment with this Newsletter is to bepresented at the next meeting, and theCommittee seeks your support for itsadoption.

Mike Maloney.

President


Dave Denners Nikko/Renault F1 Grand Prix Racing Car

The new Nikko/Renault joint ventureMeccano Set 0508 featuring the RenaultF1 car will not be available in Australia orNZ for at least 6 months. With the newset having many unique parts and notcoming with a motor, an alternative

approach had to be found so why notequip the model with a motor an radioremote control it as well? A kind Spannerhad advised that he had posted the

instruction manual for the set including theparts list on his web site. So firstly themodel was assembled as per theinstructions, then partly dismantled to fitthe motor/gearbox and radio gear.

Minor widening of the chassis at the rearby a couple of washers on each sideenabled a French MO motor with 19:1gearbox to be mounted. The g/box outputshaft was extended rearwards by a

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5th Annual Models Expo, Gippsland Heritage Park, Moe

Graham Jost demon-strates his Ball Roller

and Braiding Machine

Dave Denner with

his models inmodern Meccano.

Our first gig for 2004 was to be at theGippsland Heritage Park (formerly OldGippstown) in Moe, about an hour-and-a-halfs drive from Melbourne, as

part of their Annual Hobbies Expo.Kimball Monger, Dave Denner, Jackand Carol Parsisson, Peter Dallistonand Graham and Mary Jost fronted up

for this show, and what a

beauty it turned out to be. Avery gentlemanly openingtime of 11.00 am meant thatprovided we set out fromhome at a reasonable hour,there would still be plenty oftime to set up before then -and even have a quick lookaround this verycomprehensiveestablishment. This was infact the fifth annual modelsshow to be staged at the site,and management is both

keen and pleased to see itgrowing from strength tostrength each year. Itincluded displays of modelpowerboats, aircraft, cars,sailing ships, plastic scalemodels, the Gippsland ModelEngineers, trains, trucks,radio-controlled everythingand even dolls houses andfurniture! Jack and Carolhad already come down thenight before to make sure

that things would be allshipshape and ready for ourshow. Then, after we were allset up, and come 11 oclock,the fans began to appear - inquantity - and thus itcontinued throughout theday. We were in the oldTynong Theatre, which is oneof the very many buildingsthat have been moved to the


Graham Josts

Rocket Locomotive

Daves BreakdownTruck

site for their preservation.As this building is rathercompact, it is actually rathercosy - and we had it all toourselves!! The first daysshow concluded at 4.00 pm,after which we had beeninvited to a most enjoyable

evening barbeque, evengiven an occasionally ratherchilly wind.

We all stayed in townovernight, so it was an easystart to Sunday, with thedoors opening at 10.00 am.This was preceded by ahearty breakfast on site,doubtless so that we would allbe in fine form for the day tocome. And as before, aconstant stream of interested

visitors enjoyed our display,and with the day finishingthis time an hour earlier at3.00 pm, we were all backhome again well and trulybefore the day was done.

This was one of the mostenjoyable of the outsideshows some of us do eachyear, and in view of the manyfavourable comments made,it is quite likely that we will beinvited back again next year.

For those who have yet toexperience the enjoymentand camaraderie of such aMeccano activity, mark thisopportunity down as one youmight like to try.

Graham Jost

Photos: Peter Dalliston andJack Parsisson

Documents

2004_Feb