No.80 AUGUST 2009

INDEX

Are there still Meccano boys? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Society Meeting 23rd May, 2009 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Secretary’s Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

The Menstrie Challenge 2009. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Review The Special Edition Mechanical Workshop . . . . . . . . 8 Balado 2009 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Skegex’09 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Auchterarder 2009. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Arithmetical Meccanography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Among the Model Builders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Meccano on the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY Society meeting, Smith’s Museum, Stirling . . . . . . . 23rd August Annual Exhibition, Scone . . . . . . . . . . . . 12th /13th September Cathcart (to be confirmed) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24th /25th October NEMS Annual exhibiton, Darlington . . . . . . . . . . 24th October Greenock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7th/8th November Society meeting, Smith’s Museum, Stirling . . . . . . . 22nd November

ARE THERE STILL MECCANO BOYS? The question was asked by a former chief engineer of Blue Funnel line after a recent talk on the history of Meccano which he attended. The concept of the Meccano boy had been introduced by the speaker via a slide of the first ever Meccano manual.

The development of the concept into the mid-twentieth century prepubescent boy with short trousers and long socks as an ever present feature of Meccano advertising had been outlined by the speaker who was emphasising the educational side of Meccano that Hornby himself evidently always thought to be important. The fact that many of the boys depicted in the publicity advertisements appeared to be less that a foot high (if compared to the Meccano models they were pictured beside) was glossed over. Nevertheless Meccano boys as a species were once very common. They collected Meccano via A or X sets, joined the Meccano Guild, bought the Meccano magazine monthly, and generally took more than a passing interest in engineering developments and building of working models. Many progressed to careers in engineering and all of the rest took an appreciation of the subject area into whatever sphere of activity they progressed to. Alas, the answer to the retired chief engineer’s question had to be “Yes – but they are mostly over sixty and retired”. The long slow decline of Meccano and in interest in it among the young started in the middle part of the last century and coincided with a similarly extended decline manufacturing in the UK. Perhaps this might give Lord Mandelson some food for thought in his new found enthusiasm for government support for the engineering industry.

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Society Meeting, 23rd May 2009 The meeting was held during the Constructor’s Day in the Scout Hall at Menstrie, at approximately 14:00 hours. Members present were Angus Plumb, Bill Jack, Rod Bessent, Jackie Inglis, Robert Jones, Gordon MacMillan, Alistair Nicoll (Newsletter Editor), Bobby Middlemass, Margaret Tattersfield, Hamish Davidson and Douglas Carson. There were apologies from Alan Macdonald (Treasurer), Jim Berrie, Alan Blair, Tim Edwards and Bert Hutchings. Election of Secretary: in the absence of the Treasurer who had been called away earlier in the day, Alistair Nicoll took the chair and intimated that the first business was the election of a new Secretary to replace Bert Hutchings, who had announced his retiral from the post at the previous Society meeting. Mr Nicoll called for nominations. Douglas Carson was nominated by Bobby Middlemass, seconded by Margaret Tattersfield and Mr Carson indicated his willingness to fill the position. There being no other nominations, Mr Carson was elected by acclamation. Mr Carson then took the chair. The new Secretary thanked the members for their expression of confidence in him, expressed his appreciation of the great work that Bert Hutchings had done for the Society as Secretary since September 1994, and hoped that he would prove a worthy successor. Correspondence: the Secretary reported that letters had been received from:

1. The Southern Federation of Model Engineering Societies concerning the CE marking of boilers. In short, boilers manufactured after 30 May 2002 that are not CE compliant will not be covered by the insurer’s boiler explosion cover. The Secretary considered this to be of little relevance to most members other than himself.

2. The Henley Society of Meccano Engineers giving details of their annual gathering on Saturday, 5 September, 2009. Any members interested in attending should contact the Secretary for details.

Exhibitions: several members had exhibited at the Steam in the Park rally at Balado on 9/10 May. Angus Plumb will supply a full report for the Newsletter. It was noted that there were fewer tables available than last year and that without Jim Berry bringing his own tables we should have been short of table space. In future we should ensure that the organisers supply an agreed number of tables. The Skegness exhibition is on 3/4/5 July and the Secretary, Alan Blair and Ken McDonald are planning to mount a joint display on behalf of the Society. Angus Plumb and Margaret Tattersfield are also planning to visit at some point. Angus kindly agreed to provide a report. Jim Gregory has booked the Guide Hall in Auchterarder on Saturday 18th July. Alistair Nicoll and Bobby Middlemass indicated their intention to attend this charity fund raising event, which runs from 10:00 to 14:00. The hall will be available from 09:00 for setting up. There was nothing new to report on arrangements for Scone (12/13 September), Cathcart (24/25 October) and Greenock (7/8 November). Other business:

1. The Secretary reported that he and the Treasurer planned to approach Mrs Bert Love with the intention of securing the return of the Presidential chain.

2. Bill Jack commented on the low turnout of members today at the Constructors’ Day and suggested that the all day meeting be abandoned in favour of a regular afternoon meeting at the Smith Institute. The majority opinion was that we had been unfortunate this year and noted that turnout for the last few years had been good. Members also appreciated the

space available in the Scout Hall and the opportunity for leisurely discussion afforded by the all day format. It was thought that it might be advantageous to avoid the national Bank Holiday weekend, although it was recognised that dates in May were limited because of the Balado rally also taking place that month.

3. Margaret Tattersfield suggested that the annual competition and rules be finalised earlier, thus allowing members more time to prepare their entries. It was quickly recognised that to achieve such an object we would have to start thinking of ideas now for finalisation later in the year. After several ideas had been discussed, Bill Jack suggested a race or a sprint of a Meccano contrivance powered by a Magic Motor between the two black lines painted on the floor of the hall. (These were subsequently found to be 18 feet apart.) This suggestion was adopted and Bill Jack agreed to produce a draft set of rules for the next meeting in August.

4. The Secretary reported that video of the Steam in the Park rally including the Society’s display was on Youtube and offered to send links1 to anyone interested.

5. Angus Plumb reported that he had visited the Meccanuity exhibition where Bert Hutchings was showing models, including his new collection of lorries built in a variety of different colour schemes.

The meeting closed with a vote of thanks to the Treasurer (and Margaret Tattersfield who stepped in at the last minute after the Treasurer had been called away) for the catering and organisation of the meeting.

Douglas Carson, Secretary

* * * * SECRETARY’S NOTES

I have been your Secretary since the middle of May – around four months – and I thought I should take this opportunity to introduce myself. I am 49 years old, married and have lived in Glasgow since 1983. Although my father had bought me Meccano as a boy, it was put away in my middle teens and it was only when I had to entertain a visiting nephew that I retrieved it from the recesses of a cupboard. Somewhat to my surprise, my nephew took to Meccano like the proverbial duck to water, and on subsequent visits he demanded that we build more models from my 1960’s 4/5/6 set manual. He even went so as to buy the additional parts we needed to build No 6 set models. I thoroughly enjoyed these times and after he had left I found myself tinkering with and improving the models we had built together. I discovered the Meccano Society of Scotland (MSS) in 2003 when I visited a model railway exhibition at Cathcart in Glasgow and found that the MSS was exhibiting. I can remember Bert Hutchings with his well known crane “for children to play with” and Ken McDonald showing some Primus models. I chatted with Ken and bought a Part No 43 Tension Spring from Bert. Around that time I also discovered the vast amount of Meccano that was available for purchase on eBay and I bought a 1970s Meccano steam engine with a view to incorporating it into one of the models I had made with my nephew. Then I found that I needed gears and pinions to reduce the

1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYvTc7DnN7w http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_gD4cjubrA

output speed of the steam engine, chain and sprockets to transmit the power to where I needed it, and I think that by then you could say I was hooked on Meccano. It was, I think, in November 2005 that I decided I should attend a MSS meeting and find out what it was all about. I got the date and time of the meeting from the MSS website and made my way to Stirling where, instead of going to the Smith Institute, I mistakenly went to the Albert Halls and there met Margaret Tattersfield who was also looking for the MSS. We went together to the correct building, found the MSS meeting, and we both joined the Society there and then. Since then I have acquired a lot more Meccano, built more models and have enjoyed showing them at Balado, Scone, Cathcart and Greenock. I’ve competed (and been disqualified!) at our competitions at Menstrie and submitted some articles to our Newsletter which the editor has been gracious enough to publish. This year in July I attended the Skegex exhibition for the first time. Whither the Meccano Society of Scotland as we approach the 2010s? I am very conscious that the Society exists for its members and that since its inception in 1984 as the Central Scotland Meccano Society it has catered for Meccano model builders, Meccano collectors and indeed anyone with an interest in Meccano. It is my firm view that these objectives should remain as the core of our Society. However, I am equally conscious that the world has changed greatly over the last twenty five years and I believe that we should actively consider the most effective ways of achieving our objectives in the current age. In future Newsletters I intend to explore some ideas about how our Society might do this. In the meantime, I urge you to contact me at the addresses below with any thoughts you might have about the future direction of our Society.

Douglas J Carson, Secretary

douglas_carson@fsmail.net 99 Earlspark Avenue Glasgow G43 2HD (Tel: 0141 633 3956)

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THE MENSTRIE CHALLENGE 2009

The rules for the competition this year were as follows:-

1. The challenge is to build a trebuchet.

2. The model shall be a trebuchet constructed entirely of Meccano parts. The two exceptions are :-

(i) any cord used does not need to be Meccano cord. Such cord shall not be elastic. (ii) if a pouch is used to hold the missile it can be made of any suitable textile or

similar material.

3. The use of parts no. 66 and 67 (lead weights 25g and 50g) is not allowed.

4. The model shall not be more that 15.5" long, 15.5" high and 3" wide and shall stay within those dimensions while operating

5. The object thrown shall be a matchbox containing a number of Meccano ball bearings and

the same object shall be used by all contestants. The matchbox will be covered with bubble wrap giving it overall dimensions of 2¼" x 1⅝" x ¾".

6. The winner will be the model to project the missile the furthest. The distance measured will be from the front of the model to the point of first impact of the

missile on the floor.

In the event there were 5 entries. Two of these did not fall within the rules. One was spring operated. By definition a trebuchet was weight operated. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a trebuchet as “a machine for projecting missiles against defences”. While this is a necessary condition of being a trebuchet, it is not sufficient to completely define the machine. The rules originators did not consider it necessary to include a “no springs” rule, it having been assumed that the weight operated condition would be well understood by entrants. The other entry that did not meet the criteria was one which had a sling attached. As it was 15½" high and the sling was attached at the top, in operation it was going to be outwith the 15½"arc defined by rule 4.

The five entrants lined up before battle

From left to right in the picture above appear: • Douglas Carson’s entry. Highly ingenious design with the weight falling vertically and

activating a lever system which caused the arm to flick over at high speed. Projected the missile further than anyone else but unfortunately disqualified as the sling on top did not operated within the specified 15½" arc.

• Bill Jack’s machine – a conventional design. Probably had the greatest activating weight. • Bobby Middlemass’ machine. Spring operated and therefore not within the rules. • Robert Jones entry- another conventional design having the pivot point on the projecting

arm very close to the weight. • Rod Bessent’s entry. Very well engineered machine with a geared wind up device for the

weight. Projecting arm at right angles to arm bearing weight. The overall winner. In the event each machine was required to project three missiles:

1. A matchbox with a small number of ball bearings 2. A matchbox filled with ball bearings 3. A practice golf ball (i.e. a hollow plastic sphere with a perforated surface).

The results are shown in the table below:-

Entrant DISTANCE PROJECTED (inches) Light Matchbox Heavy matchbox Practice golf ball

Rod Bessant 76 62 55 Bill Jack 55 15 83

Robert Jones 40 22 n/r Douglas Carson 168 101 n/a

Bobby Middlemass 65 19 52 For some reason the performance of Robert Jones’ entry with the golf ball was not recorded. Douglas Carson’s sling would not hold the ball and his machine therefore did not project it.

Douglas Carson’s entry Rod Bessent’s entry Rod Bessent was the overall winner with the missile specified in the rules. Interestingly Bill Jack’s machine outperformed it when the golf ball was used as a missile. Douglas Carson’s machine was so much better at projecting the matchbox that one is left wondering if a better design within the rules might have been a shorter projecting arm with a sling to bring the operating arc up to the specified arc. Or was his success due to the ingenious vertically falling weight mechanism referred to earlier? The machine was later displayed at Skegness and attracted considerable interest.

Trebuchet, designed, built (and photographed) by Desmond Smith

One machine that was not entered on the day was that of Desmond Smith who constructed the machine shown on the left. Desmond was unable to get to Menstrie to enter. This was unfortunate, though being apparently rocket assisted the entry might well have been disqualified. Anyway, Desmond’s prowess at model building and taking photographs of the results, is amply illustrated by the picture.

REVIEW

THE ‘SPECIAL EDITION’ MECHANICAL WORKSHOP SET

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Douglas Carson The Meccano Mechanical Workshop set (#0532) is one of the ‘Special Edition’ series of sets. This series also includes, inter alia, the 100th Anniversary, Ferris Wheel, Spitfire, Vintage and Red Arrows sets. This article will describe my initial impressions of the Mechanical Workshop set. They say it’s an ill wind, and mindful of our duty to spend our way out of the recession, I set off to Glasgow city centre after Christmas to see what

Meccano bargains might be obtained as the retail trade attempted to sell off its post Christmas surplus stock. In Debenhams I found a single Mechanical Workshop set (sticker price £50/€78) on the 50% off shelf. After confirming with an assistant that it really was being offered for sale at £25 and hadn’t been placed on the shelf by mistake I quickly headed to the tills to make my purchase. The set contains 727 parts (including nuts and bolts) and comes in a black and grey plastic, two layer carry case. The case has an outer card cover illustrating some of the 25 models that may be constructed. The featured model particularly attracted me, being a motor car chassis featuring, it said, suspension, steering, gearbox and motor. I have for some time fancied building one of the Super Model or Set 10 motor car chassis and I thought it would be an interesting exercise to compare the modern with one of the traditional versions. Inside the carry case was the usual collection of plastic bags containing the parts and a fairly hefty 131 page book of models listing the set contents and full construction plans for 15 of the 25 advertised models. The remaining 10 models are given a couple of photographs and thereafter the builder is on his own. The carry case, while suitable for storing larger parts is pretty useless for small parts unless these are already enclosed in some sort of container. If stored loose, small parts will immediately distribute themselves throughout the carry case the moment it is moved from the horizontal. I set to building the motor car chassis and the first step is assembly of the battery pack for the 6V M0 type motor. Also supplied is a 1:19 reduction gearbox which fits directly on to the output shaft of the motor, the gearbox housing being bolted to the motor housing. The next step involves assembling some of the axles and pinions that will eventually provide the reversible drive to the rear road wheels. At this point the first major problem arose. One of the pinions is supposed to slide on its shaft in order to engage and disengage with the one of the other pinions and this sliding pinion is right next to the gearbox housing. This pinion was fouling the gearbox housing and instead of stopping at this point and correcting the problem, I pressed on in the hope that the pinion was not actually supposed to be adjacent to the housing. This turned out to be a mistake because had I looked ahead 35 steps I would have realised that the pinion must slide cleanly past the gearbox housing for the reversing mechanism to work correctly.

However, ignoring this little local difficulty, I continued to the next step which is assembling the front part of the model comprising the front steering and suspension and the representation of engine cylinder block. The plastic rack and pinion steering along with independent front shock absorbers is quite ingenious and although it requires some fine adjustment is not difficult to assemble. This assembly is then attached to the engine frame into which goes the engine. The model is supposed to represent a five cylinder motor with the cylinders in an inverted “V” layout (^). I have seen V6 engines but never an upside down one, but not being a motor engineer I suppose such a beast could theoretically exist. Grey plastic rods represent the pistons and these push up and down against orange rockers (representing, I suppose, the cylinder valves or cams.) However, these rockers are where in a real engine the crankshaft would have to be, so there it a fair amount of artistic license going on here. The steering wheel is mounted on a short rod with a pinion attached that engages with another pinion fixed to the long rod that runs the length of the engine assembly to operate the pinion for the steering. This is let down by very flimsy journaling of the short rod holding the steering wheel. The next step is to attach the previously built motor/gear box assembly to the engine/steering assembly and this is where the fun really begins! The connection from the gear box shaft to the rod that drives the engine is through a friction clutch made with a soft plastic wheel mounted on a ½” pulley wheel pushed against a multi-purpose gear wheel. A clutch is necessary because the shaft that provides the rocking motion will not rotate in the wrong direction. A standard short spring on the gear shaft provides the “push” so that the plastic wheel engages the multi-purpose gear. A single nut and bolt secures the two assemblies in position and this is not really enough to provide sufficient rigidity. At first I could not get this clutch to work. The motor driven plastic wheel just would not reliably engage with the gear wheel. Looking at it more closely I realised that the plastic wheel was not in fact symmetrical. There was a larger overlap of plastic wheel (over the inner pulley) on one side than on the other. Reversing the direction in which I placed the pulley on the axle rod make a big difference. This was not at all obvious from the model plan. The next step is to fit the strips that form the front windscreen and provide the mounting for the mudguards and running boards. That done, it then finally dawned on me that the pinion lying next to the gearbox housing must be able to pass cleanly beside the gearbox housing. I had to remove the motor assembly and rebuild it. This required very careful alignment of the strips that provide the journaling for the axles so that the pinion can slide without snagging the gearbox housing. Having reinserted the motor assembly it was a relatively simple matter to complete the drive to the rear axle and attach the front and rear wheels. So, does it work? The answer is yes and no. The friction clutch is the major weak point in the design and I have not been successful in getting it to run reliably for more than 30 seconds or so. The rockers have a tendency to rock too far and not return to position. The suspension does not flex, the steering is too stiff and the position of the steering wheel bears little relation to the position of the seats.

The whole model is flimsy and gives the impression of relying on the lucky alignment of axles and gears; it also suffers from a lack of rigidity. If a couple of additional angle girders had been provided to form a rigid chassis then the model would be immeasurably better.

Pictures © Meccano 2006

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Another criticism is that some of the tri-flat axles were not cleanly finished and the plastic collars and pinions would not slide cleanly up and down the axle without some reaming with a small file. The small rubber collars allow parts to come loose. I have to report that I was very disappointed with this set and I certainly would not advise anyone to pay full price for it. In my opinion, even at half price it is barely worth the money. However the carry case might be useful to some people and there is a reasonable collection of modern parts in not too garish colours.

BALADO 2009

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Angus Plumb The Society was pleased to accept a further invitation to present a display at the Scottish Traction Engine Society’s Annual ‘Steam in the Park’ Rally on the former airfield at Balado, just across the Motorway from Kinross in Fife. This year’s event took place on 9th and 10th of May. The location is that made famous by the Summer Pop Festival known as ‘T in the Park’. On Saturday, if we had musical entertainment other than from fairground organs, only one line up would have been appropriate – ‘Wet, Wet, Wet’ supported by ‘Cold Play’. It was the sort of day the organizers of these outdoor events must dread. It had been raining before we arrived, it looked like rain as we set up the display and it rained more-or-less non-stop all day. Of course one reason why the organizers are pleased to host shows like ours is that it gives the visitors somewhere to go, apart from the beer tent, when the weather is poor and keeps them from driving off the field too early. The host Society was undaunted. The steam engines put on a good display. They use the old runway and do not churn up the field, but the traders were huddled in their vans with their stock stacked under their awnings. There was the usual range of auto jumble, tools, models, protective gear, toys, books and trinkets that will provide something to satisfy all tastes. Apart from some early problems with the strong wind blowing drips over the side sheet, and a leak in one of the seams, we managed to keep dry, but certainly not warm, spring like it was not. We had a steady flow of visitors, it was never busy, but the marquee was never empty. Many of the visitors were technically minded and there was time and space for much informative discussion.

Ken McDonald and display

Margaret Tattersfield presided over the next table. She had brought some of her own models, but, as she felt we had adequately filled the available space, she did not show them. Instead she played host to Alan Blair’s medium red and green two cylinder Marine Steam Engine and two of Bobby Middlemass’ dark blue and yellow Steam Engines, the Kientz Oscillating Cylinder Engine and a Beam Engine. These are not on their first outing, but they remain excellent examples of working models and performed faultlessly all day.

On entering the tent the visitor first saw Ken McDonald with his Centrifugal Intermittent Motion, a regular exhibit which always fascinates the viewer with its ball bearing twining around each of the four posts in turn. Ken had also brought with him a medium red and green Big Wheel that has been sitting in his attic for some years and needed some attention with a soft brush.

We were sharing our marquee with Sandy Taylor of Scottish Garden Railways with a G scale layout. His rolling stock is heavily influenced by American and Continental practice. His locos have built in realistic sound generation and helped to keep some of the younger visitors sufficiently entertained that they did not feel the urge to twiddle all the knobs on the Meccano models. Sandy had some fine models mounted on display as entries into competition classes and had transported his layout in a very nice Morris Minor Traveller that he was also entering in its class on the field. To say Jim Berrie filled the back of the tent hardly does justice either to the quantity or quality of his display. Pride of place went to the late Bobby Brown’s Flying Scotsman. Jim is taking full advantage of his acquisition of our former member’s extensive collection both of parts and made up models. Jim had his accustomed variety of sets, parts, Meccano models and model vehicles for sale. He had no cause to complain of a lack of business, models representing the era of steam powered agriculture seemed to be going like hot cakes. Your reporter was somewhat overshadowed by Jim’s tables. Not to be completely outdone I had brought an Outfit 10 Combine Harvester in zinc and yellow that I have not yet got into complete working order, though it nevertheless attracted interest among a largely agricultural crowd. Among a display of largely farming based models most of which have been seen at other exhibitions I also had a version of John Herdman’s ‘Useful Roller’ that also attracts much appreciative interest and which I intend to further modify if and when time permits. I continue to feature plastic Meccano, at the suggestion of Bert Hutchings, and get a good response from many visitors who remember having such sets in their quite recent youth. Douglas Carson was next with his Workshop, designed to be operated by a Mamod/Meccano Steam Engine, but for safety considerations, being driven by a PDU. He has placed a loose tyre on his overhead drive shaft, having been assured that this was standard practice, the motion of the tyre warning that the shaft was in service. We are given to understand that our public liability insurance only covers boilers with a test certificate. This is hardly a practicable consideration for the Meccano version.

Douglas Carson’s display at Balado Douglas also had a Forge Crane in aluminium/black/yellow that he was encouraging kids to operate. He had a Foden Wagon and freelance car, both built around steam engines. Reminiscent of the Science Museum, Douglas also had a somewhat parti-coloured horizontal Steam Engine with a push button to encourage visitors to set it in motion. Douglas was pleased to point out the he had acquired the model, ready made up, for a song at an auction.

Bert Hutchings was last but by no means least with his blue/gold Railway Crane displayed with the advert for Defence Bonds in which it features, the young lad dreaming of days of peace and Meccano to come with victory in the Second World War. Bert had the Spitfire (continuing the wartime theme) from a recent set and a Concorde also from a recent offering from the Meccano Company. Bert had taken a few liberties with the original, in the interests of greater structural integrity, and we discussed further modifications, in particular methods of centring the tail fin over the fuselage by inverting the last cylinder. He also displayed seven small Low Loaders made up in the parts and colours of the main periods of traditional Meccano production. This display led to some discussion about just how many models would be required to cover all the variations within the main periods, we gave up at 25. Bert’s models display their time period as registration plates, a clever touch. Bert presided over his nickel Hammerhead Crane which he encourages visitors to try their hands on to get a real taste for what can be done with Meccano. Ian Soutar visited; he was displaying one of his military trailers on the field. Unfortunately he did not have any spare Meccano parts with him and was unable to persuade me to part with my cash. Sunday smiled on Balado with far more clement elements. The rain came on too late to spoil the event. Your reporter was unable to be present as I had a prior commitment to the Grampian Model Transport Collectors. Our Swap Meets have been declining so it was suggested we did a show based on the products of Binns Road to add to the attractions. I am pleased to say that we seem to have been successful in boosting attendance and there was an encouraging interest in Meccano. Next time I must remember to arm myself with a supply of flyers for the Society. I left my models at Balado, so the display on Sunday was the same as Saturday with the addition of the Empire State Building, presided over by Alan McDonald. Alan had been otherwise engaged on Saturday with the Hornby Railway Society’s 40th Anniversary celebrations at Menstrie. A good time was reported to have been had by all, and it is, after all, a Meccano product, so he can be excused. Members who attended as visitors on Sunday included Jim Gregory and Angela Goodlet, Desmond Smith, with his companion, and Jim Wood. Margaret Tattersfield must be mentioned in despatches for giving the service of her van to collect and deliver models from our various members who were detained elsewhere. The general opinion is that we had a good week-end. There was some concern last year that we were thin on the ground, but that was not a problem this year. It is to be hoped that the visitors and the organizers share our opinion and we will be back next year.

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SKEGEX ‘09

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Angus Plumb The first week-end in July once again saw everybody who is anybody in Meccano directing their steps to a somewhat run down resort on the bracing Lincolnshire coast. There is, so we are told, a recession in the economy. No-one seems to have told Skegness. Admittedly it is not the most prosperous of places at the best of times. However there are very few empty shops to be seen, it is impossible to see where Woolworths was. There is development work going on. The burnt out site opposite the Embassy is being replaced with what promises to be an exercise in Art Deco in modern materials. The town was full of the usual slightly down-at-heel crowd, intent on making the most of what fun their means can run to. Bracing Skegness was not. Muggy was more the mark,at least on Friday. Although rain promised for most of the day it never came to anything. Visitors from Nottingham had encountered torrential downpours, but evidently the showers had run out of steam before reaching the coast.

The Meccano Society of Scotland display The visitor, on entering from the Embassy Theatre from the Esplanade was presented with Peter Pyefinch’s accurately modelled heavy tractor and low loader, the sort of vehicle that carries transformers and large bits of bridges around the country, and can be even more annoying than a caravan when you come up behind one going up Stainmore on the A66.

For the second year running the Society had an identifiable presence in the Embassy, once again with its name spelt out on the table cover. Four members manned the stall, our new Secretary, Douglas Carson, was making his first pilgrimage to the Mecca of the Meccano world. Old stagers Ken McDonald and Alan Blair were his supporting stars and your reporter leant a hand As usual, I will go round the exhibition in the order a casual visitor might have followed.

General view of the hall showing the huge array of Meccano on display

The space was not quite at such a premium as last year, but every table was taken with a good range of large and small models giving something to encourage Meccanomen of all levels of aspiration. It was not necessary to displace the Guide’s Tombola from the foyer. I actually managed to win something useful this year, a small glass ideal for holding the celery for the cheese course makes a pleasant change from the soft toys and frivolous ornaments of previous years. Proceeding around the perimeter of the hall, after showing one’s ticket and falling prey to the temptation of the raffle, Dave Bradley’s table was encountered on which he displayed a Land Rover, a City Car and a Mini Truck at 1:6 scale in zinc and yellow. The Land Rover, with its angular shape, is an ideal subject for Meccano. Dave also showed a pair of mini quad bikes in modern colours, with a trailer to carry them behind his Land Rover. Sid Beckett was next with a novelty model, a half size petite Grand Piano and Stool. Although the piano appeared to be fully strung with functioning keys it did not actually play. Sid reckoned the stool was as much of a challenge as the instrument, with its (non-Meccano) padded seat it could easily support a child’s weight.

A fine model of the City of Sheffield locomotive

Although Bob had a motor in his model that was capable of moving it, he was having a bit of trouble with a slight difference in the height of his two tables. Next year perhaps he will be using the Garratt as a banker in true prototype Next came John MacDonald, a regular visitor to Skeggie with his collection of well detailed military models. This year we were treated to a Blue Steel Rocket on a LWB AEC Matador which was in service in 1962. Alongside this was an 8x8 Wrecker, essentially a Lorry Mounted Crane with 8 wheel drive on two four wheel bogies and featuring rocking beam suspension and turntable steering. John displayed a model he was calling Hitler’s Mercedes, a 6-wheel truck. He also had a Mack NO7 ½ ton Artillery Tractor chassis including 6-wheel drive, 3 forward and 1 reverse gears, foot brake on rear axle and powered winch. Having produced such well detailed scale models it is easy to see why John says that having to dismantle a model reduces him to tears. Alan Scargill, one of the local Meccano boys, ambushed the visitor at the corner, with his daughter assisting with the disposal of vast quantities of mainly old used parts on one side and a group of large models, including a Dockside Crane in medium red and green and a Beam Engine on the other. Alan is clearly a keen businessman. He remembered that I had been buying blue/gold last year and had of box of parts ready for my consideration, including two rather nice silent wind blue No.1 Clockwork Motors. Stuart Borrill, another of the local lads, most ably assisted by his wife, presided at the next table over his usual selection of well made brassware. I was speaking to a retired machine tool operator later in the day and he concurred with the approval of Stuart’s stock. Alan Wenbourne was first against the back wall with his representation of the London Eye with the Wheel modelled at 1:120 scale and the capsules at 1:45, in order to accommodate a realistic representation of both elements within a reasonable space, without excessive demands on parts and within the capabilities of a practicable power source. A vast number of Rod-and-strip Connectors (Part No. 212) had gone into the construction, fortunately these parts are both cheap and easy to obtain. Meccano Toys (UK) Ltd. were again up-beat about the future of the hobby. There seems to be no sign of a downturn in demand as yet. All stores reported satisfactory sales last Christmas and Tesco are now signed up as regular customers. We must accept that the traditional Meccano is a

Bob Seaton, on the next two tables, was making his third appearance with ‘City of Sheffield’, an LMS Duchess class 4-6-2 steam locomotive, looking the part in red and black parts. Bob says he has a Garratt under construction, but could not complete it in time for this year’s exhibition. Maybe he should have a few words with Tim Edwards on his experience with the similar model he brought to Mauchline earlier this year.

thing of the past. The company must make sets that appeal to modern youngsters, and that can be marketed by the multiples that dominate present day retailing. There are plans for larger sets in future. Wendy Miller had her usual tables of parts, one of plastic and one of metal, at which kids were being encouraged to try their hand at building in Meccano. Robin Johnson, aided and abetted by Michael Denny, presided over his stock of back numbers of CQ and associated publications. Douglas Carson picked up the copy that features the Falkirk Wheel which is of course one of his current models. Rob Mitchell, one of the NEMS members who attended Scone last year, once again displayed his MP58 Automatic Lift and his demonstration set-up of the Walschaerts steam locomotive valve gear. He also had a Silly Train Set, somewhat reminiscent of Emmett and some earlier modelling by Dave Taylor amongst others. His imagination had conjured the South Yorkshire Disjoint Railway and an unlikely and highly impractical assortment of rolling stock. Rob was struggling to persuade a Matchbox Manipulator, (after the design by Chris Shute from CQ51) to function. “It was working at home” he assured us. Anyone who has transported a mechanism to a show will sympathise. Rob also presented a selection of Bernard Perier models. Peter Pyefinch, better known perhaps for very large vehicles, notably the heavy haulage rig that greets visitors to Skegex in the foyer of the Embassy, had mounted a display of Meccano and Hornby themed postcards. Peter had also brought a yellow Airfield Crash Tender. Douglas Windibank is a relative newcomer as an exhibitor. He is based in South London and carries his models in a suitcase to suit his choice of express coach or train as his means of getting to shows. Routes that avoid long staircases have to be devised as even the use of a shopping trolley does not make Meccano any lighter. Douglas had built a quite impressive Big Wheel out of Eitech, making good use of the circular strips available in this economically priced centimetre based system. He concurred with my experience that the smooth finish of the zinc parts required careful and thorough tightening of bolts and even then they easily worked loose. Tom McCallum’s collection of Meccano sets from the Binns Road era occupied the corner below the stage. An Orbiter, a fairground ride constructed in red, was also on display and working.

An unusual blocksetter by Peter Goddard

Peter Goddard was the central attraction under the stage with the First Gijon North Titan Blocksetter. This machine was used to build a harbour in Musel in Northern Spain (about 200 miles west of Bilbao). The design, known as a Rectangular Titan, is much broader and squatter than more common versions and was reckoned to be more precise in its placing of the caissons required by the design of the Musel breakwater. Alan Low presided over an outfit 10 Trench Digger while it dug into a mound of haricot beans. These machines always look so much better when they are doing some sort of work that at least closely resembles a real on-site job. Mike Cotterill, the MC, the man without whom Skegex would not happen, in addition to running the show and doing the PA, was presiding over a Woolf Compound Engine in red and green, a Beam Engine and a Traction Engine and Living Van of the sort a roving contractor like Fred Dibnah might have used. Marion Cotterill presented a selection of recent models from such as the Landmarks sets. Ralph and Sue Laughton, new names to me on the show circuit, were displaying a Scotch Electric Derrick Crane from SML36, with modifications to the cabin as the original pre-dates flexible plates which give a more impressive appearance. “Why Scotch?” I asked. The most convincing suggestion was that this type of crane was characteristic of Scots manufacturers. I’m not totally convinced, especially as Scotch has at least one other meaning in the world of mechanics. Of course it could be that Scotch Blocks were characteristic of the way Scots waggoners kept their carts from running away on steep braes. The Laughtons also had a French display model crane in recent (zinc/black/orange) colours. This is quite an impressive model and deserves to be more widely known. John Ozyer Key, by contrast one of Skeggie’s old stagers, presented his Liebherr Back Hoe Excavator in zinc. John Thorpe this year confined his efforts to a far more modest scale than the Tornado that impressed so much a few years ago. His Outfit 10 Railway Service Crane was expertly executed as befits a master of the hobby and although his Meccanograph was described as a first attempt no doubt it will be developed. It will not come as much of a surprise to regulars to know that John was selling off stock (again!). Peter Clay also had a Meccanograph, but he had a novelty Chess Set and a 3-wheel car that was described in a recent CQ.

The very detailed Morgan –apparently the subject

of serious discussion Ivor Ellard was risking the wrath of the puritans by using Erector parts, segments from a Giant Ferris Wheel, to provide the basic shape of his Newcastle Arch Bridge. He also presented an Australian barge emptier with conveyor and 3-rail ‘0’ gauge tipper trucks and electric loco also made from Meccano. John Evans has completed his Field Marshall Series 3 Tractor in yellow. He believes that Major Marshall bought a Lanz Single Cylinder Tractor and used it to develop the Field Marshall which was a popular machine for contractors to use to drive stationary machinery and also for log hauling. Jim MacCulloch displayed a model of the Steam powered Pumping Engine installed in the Waddon Water Works, near Croydon, south of London, and capable of pumping 2 800 000 gallons per day. Bob Ford showed a model in yellow of a Climax Logging Loco, an American design as an alternative to the Shay and others with articulated drive gear to cope with lightly laid and uneven track. Nick Rodgers had three fine lorries, a 1953 Foden Flat Bed with chains at 1:12 scale, a 1947 Petrol Tanker with Ackerman steering, twin differential and inter-axle diff. between the two rear axles and spring suspension all round. He also had a 1963 Quarry Truck. His models are in refurbished red/green. It is difficult to resist the temptation to suggest he used Dinky Toys as his prototypes. Eddie Oatley had a pair of Industrial Saddle Tanks, an 0-6-0 and a smaller 0-4-0, both in yellow. Roger West presented an excellent model, a fully detailed London Transport C class bus, a single decker on a Leyland Cub chassis with 20-seat body. The bus was one of the red central area vehicles that were based at Hornchurch after World War II, and was provided with an appropriate destination blind.

Terry Allen was displaying a fine example of Meccano parts well used in the shape of a 1933 Morgan Super Sport Aero in nickel and with great attention to detail particularly in the representation of the two cylinder air cooled engine mounted in front of the bonnet. I hope one day to develop a somewhat smaller blue/gold 3-wheeler to display similar features, but prototypes do not turn up very often at shows I can get to.

Geoff Bennett presided over another fine model, an SRN4 Hovercraft, his third essay on this subject following versions in 1971 and 84.

Highly detailed model of SRN4 with propulsion machinery operating – even although

Car port door is lowered! John and Joyce Sleaford presided over their display of various small models mostly from recent sets. They had a radio controlled version of the Estate Car from 1962 Outfit 5. Tina and Peter Sleaford displayed respectively a No.1 and No.2 Clock. Chris Freeman had a collection of nickel models, a Blackpool Tower, Gantry Crane, Log Saw and freelance Horizontal Steam Engine. He also had a pair of Car Constructor models assembled. Brian Ashton was entertaining the crowd with his collection of Arcade Games. He had also brought along his version of the Loom, a popular early model, but a challenge to get into full working order. John Bader presented HMS Revenge from a 1930’s Outfit 6 in 20’s nickel. Jack Robertson, aged 13 from W Yorks., displayed his model of a Jet Plane in zinc/blue/yellow. Barry and Steven Wilcox and Roger Thorpe once again presided over their ‘Extreme’, a Fairground Ride mostly made of Meccano and with some fearsome electronics, sound and light show. I cannot say I like the model, but there is no doubt of its appeal to modern youth. If it prompts just a few lads to pester their relatives for a Big Wheel Set and sets them on their way to a life of Meccano then it has succeeded. As I have already mentioned, the Society was represented this year by Douglas Carson, Ken MacDonald, Alan Blair and your reporter. Michael Denny, my opposite number in CQ, described our display as ‘splendid’ singling out for special mention Douglas Carson’s Falkirk Wheel and Ken’s Tower Ball Roller. Douglas had also brought his Steam Powered Workshop that has had several outings at Society events. Unfortunately insurance requirements mean he cannot fire up the boiler even at Skegex, but a carefully concealed PDU back drives the piston and maintains a realistic appearance. He had brought his Trebuchet that we saw at Menstrie, and was asked to demonstrate it much to the satisfaction of our colleagues from a society in the English west midlands. Alan showed his Gallopers, now nearing completion, subject to a satisfactory solution to the problems of legs, manes and tails for the horses. Not surprisingly there was a fair amount of interest in this complex model. He also had his red/green Two Cylinder Marine Steam Engine, a

very reliable performer. I filled the remaining gaps with some small models in various colour schemes including a version of John Herdman’s Useful Roller, a Silver Ghost in zinc, which never fails to attract the onlookers. Tony James displayed a Five Car Transporter, a Ten Set model. The large plastic cars that were loaded and off loaded during the show were definitely non Meccano. John Molden returned with his ‘T’cab Scania Prime Mover and Wild Mouse Roller Coaster packed on to the trailer. Last year this was work in progress, this year it is finished. Mark Rolson had a pair of AEC Matador Log Tractors, one complete and one as chassis and cab only. Tony Homden had modelled the Fairey Rotodyne, a late 1950s hybrid between Helicopter and Aeroplane intended to be a commercial VTOL craft. Harry Harker presented three examples of early motoring. He had a model, of the first motor car, the 1895 Benz, using quite a lot of non-Meccano parts to achieve a realistic appearance. This was presented as ‘the first motor ever maid’, an accompanying advertising poster showing a serving girl handing refreshment to the driver. He also had an 1896 Ford Quadricycle and a very neat model of a 1932 Baby Austin with opening bonnet revealing a well modelled engine, and door open to show the fully upholstered interior. The Nightingale family were again present with the familiar Meccanograph developed from Konkoly’s prototype and producing an apparently inexhaustible variety of patterns. Les (junior) displayed his Empire State Dalek that he had entered in this year’s competition at TIMS Meccanuity in May. Les (senior) showed Taliesin, the narrow gauge double fairlie steam engine originally built for the slate traffic and still in service on the Ffestiniog Railway. Also on display was a Kawasaki1000p motorbike on a turntable. Ron Gee had a bang up-to-date model representing a Platform Support Vessel, the sort of thing that should inspire potential Meccano Boys from the ports in the oil and gas producing and prospecting areas. These are certainly impressive vessels and it is good to see one re-produced in the fitting medium of Meccano. Lewis Latham had a model of a Cliff Lift based on the cliff railway at Scarborough. There are not many of these around, my experience is limited to Brignorth. They are fine subjects for Meccano, Lewis having chosen the popular Yellow and Zinc combination for his impressive model with fine detail and realistic operation, especially the synchronizing of the doors, a vital consideration in the prototypes. Brian Chaffer’s Zig Zag Ball Roller even impressed Ken. It is a fascinating machine that seemed to spend all day lifting and transferring balls from one side to the other apparently without assistance. I was reminded of Jackie Inglis use of an Archimedes Screw for a similar mechanism.

The Zig-zag machine- energy conservation demonstrated

Joe Etheridge of our neighbours in NEMS has added a dockside crane to his colliery complex, a product of his encounter with Ed Rebecca at Scone last year perhaps. Curiously, Joe seemed to be celebrating his birthday again, funny, that’s what he was doing last year. John Herdman, a fellow member of NEMS, had a radio controlled model of a prototype battery powered tram, a Japanese idea for small towns where the cost of fixed power supplies would be prohibitive. He was using the old infra red system most effectively to control his articulated set. He also had the Ellicar (Electric Lithium Ion Car), another Japanese concept claimed to be capable of 0-60 in 4 secs., top speed of 230mph and a 200mile range on one charge. If John isn’t keeping Meccano up-to-date and in line with what it does best then no-one is. Wasn’t the Mini concept tried out in Meccano? Tim Royance had a Big Wheel with a light sequencer, using electronics for the light show rather than rely on cumbersome and unreliable Elektrikit or other electro-mechanical systems. Ian Mordue showed a Liebherr 363 Travelling Gantry Crane. Those of us who saw his exhibit at Scone last year will appreciate how much Ian likes cranes and how proficient he is at modelling them. It is a pity that personal commitments will mean he cannot join us again this year. Robin Schoolar had a fine model of Thomas Heatherwick’s Rolling Bridge over the Grand Union Canal at Paddington Basin in west London. The best way to describe this fascinating mechanism is to imagine a two-dimensional hedgehog in steel. Chris Bourne presented a carefully modelled BR Class 20 Diesel Freight Loco. The BR logo is just asking to be represented in Meccano strips, especially with its bold use on loco sides. Chris’s choice of colours could be criticised, but anyone who has ever tried to replicate any actual railway company colour scheme without resorting to re-paints will have his sympathy.

Paul Joachim had another model of the London Eye, but he had stuck to an overall scale of 1:120 and put up with slightly less that totally realistic capsules. Roger Marriott, who was with us on Saturday last year at Scone, again displayed his fine versions of the Motor Car Chassis from the Super Model Series. Roger was very pleased with his visit to Scone, but family commitments will prevent him from joining us again this year. Roger’s improvements on the original model are well written up elsewhere in Meccano literature. Harry Marien, a visitor from Belgium, had produced a novelty for Skegex in the form of a model in the Distler system, a Belgian construction system using the Meccano principle but on a larger scale. Harry’s Giant Dockside Crane was so large that it required signing and guarding in the adjacent aisle. I should have put my professional hat on and dug out Chapter 8 (signing and guarding of roadworks!) Matt Goodman of the West London MS had modelled a Sentinel DG8 Steam Wagon in red and blue parts and purporting to belong to the Binns Brewery. These machines have a fair turn of speed, a similar one is displayed at shows here in the north-east in the colours of the Glendronach Distillery. I would not like to have been a tourist pottering around the A97 when that thing came round a blind bend towards me. Bernard Shaw must have a liking for architectural models, last year he showed the King’s Lynn Custom House, this year he displayed the Grey Friars Tower from the same East Anglian town, one of the buildings that featured in a television series last year. Guy Kind, from Luxembourg, a regular at Skegex, this year had a Rhaetische Bahn 205 Loco, a 1913 four axle electric design by Brown Boveri and Schaffhausener Maschinenfabrik. The model is described in some detail in CQ85, which I will be pleased to lend to anyone who needs more information than space permits here. John Bridger displayed a model of Rowland Emmett’s ‘Nesta’, on the ‘Afternoon Tea Train to Wisteria Halt’. I suppose you can’t really go wrong with Emmett in Meccano, the bits you can’t get quite right really don’t matter when the whole thing is whimsy. That is not to say that John had not put a lot of effort into achieving just the sort of effect Emmett’s cartoons achieve at their best. Mike Hooper presided over a Universal Gun Carrier also known as a Bren Gun Carrier, at 1:12 scale. Tony Parmee is another advocate of Outfit 10 and showed his 1901 House to illustrate just what can be done within the limitations of this much derided set. I must admit that my sympathy is with both Tonys. Meccano had to work within commercial strictures and Outfit 10 is a very good compromise. One can go on and develop into specific fields, but Outfit 10 is as good a jumping off point as any and it is the culmination of the Meccano system which aimed to develop the boy’s engineering skills, an engineer is one who can do for five bob what any fool can do for ten shillings. Michel Breal, another of our colleagues from the EU, France in his case, arrived a little late with his Bucket Excavator which soon got down to work shovelling beans.

Faced with Belgians, French, Luxemburgers and Scots, not to mention Germans, Dutch, Swiss, Canadians, Australians, Americans, Maltese and Welsh, Michael Denny had to admit that Meccano was cosmo-something-or-other. Pride of place, in my opinion, in Michael Edwards display must go to his Denis Dart Single Deck Bus which had an automatic gear-box driven by a centrifugal governor-type mechanism, opening doors and a remote control system allowing it to be put through its paces up and down the aisles. Although the main drive used a non Meccano motor, PDUs were employed for the steering and door mechanisms. Michael also presented a Bagatelle, a Meccanograph, a Mechanical Man, a Christmas Tree and a Steam Engine to a design that had driven a tin-plate works in South Wales, leading to the obvious question about the rumoured location of a production facility for Meccano following the closure of Binns Road. Colin Cohen, visiting from Cape Town, had built a Rod Sorting Machine. Ken reported seeing it in operation and being fascinated by its efficiency. Unfortunately it did not manage to sustain its operation as well as Ken’s Ball Roller and was languishing in the repair shop when I saw it. David Northcott had modelled a Bullock in Meccano. There is always at least one of these novelty models in the show. I remember an equally impressive fish a few years back. It certainly brings out the versatility of the system, and the ingenuity of experienced modellers. Simon Greatrex displayed a Mechanical Workshop driven by a Horizontal Steam Engine. He makes use of rubber pulleys as collars as these can be compressed for transport with not only less rattle but also less chance of bearings working loose during the journey. Michael Whiting had built the Church of St Lawrence, Castle Rising, in blue/gold parts. This is the church where the royal family worship during stays at Sandringham. The church was fitted up with a sound system playing most unseasonal, but appropriate, Christmas music. Chris Shute, well remembered from his days with MSS, and now Chairman of TIMS, attended on Sunday with one of his Matchbox Manipulators. James May, the television presenter, attended on Sunday. We must keep an eye on the schedules to see what he makes of Skegex. His team was in the hall for several hours, no doubt it will end up as a thirty second passing shot. Bobby Middlemass managed to drop in on the show on Saturday morning, combining it with a family event in Durham. Margaret Tattersfield arrived on Saturday afternoon, having spent much of the day concerned for her dog in the van in the heat of a sunny summer’s day. As usual the exhibitors were invited to cast their votes for the best models in the show. This year’s prize winners were:

1. Geoff Bennett: SRN4 Hovercraft 2. Alan Wenbourne: London Eye 3. Michel Breal: Bucket Excavator 4. Roger West: C Class London Bus 5. Guy Kind: Rhaetische Bahn loco.

Guy Kind’s Ratische Bahn Loco – evidently not going far

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AUCHTERARDER 2009

by

Angus Plumb A rather damp 18th July saw members of the Society, with enthusiasts of related hobbies gather at the Guides Hall in Auchterarder. The event had been organized by local resident, former kirk minister and current MSS member Jim Gregory as a fund raiser for Mission Aviation Fellowship, a charity that flies relief into otherwise inaccessible areas. Bert Hutchings had his new display of low loaders through the ages, a series of trucks in the various Binns Road colour schemes. He also had his Railway Crane that featured in Tom Purvis’ well known poster illustrating the boy dreaming of peace and Meccano if only enough people can be persuaded to buy Defence Bonds. There was speculation over the identity of the boy in the picture. Much Meccano literature features lads, dads and even a few mums and sisters, it would be interesting to know who these characters were. Bert was also displaying a copy of the Toy Story, an account of the life and times of Frank Hornby, a Spitfire, from a recent nostalgia orientated set, which was actually recognised by several visitors, and a Concorde also from a recent Marks and Sparks kit aimed at the executive toy market.

Bert Hutchings works on his display. Bobby Middlemas’ tram in Centre with Alan Blair’s marine steam engine in the foreground Alan Blair had left his 2-cylinder Marine Steam Engine in Bobby’s safe keeping as family commitments prevented his attendance in person. Alan McDonald showed his Empire State Building, from a recent set which he had purchased within sight of the prototype. His story of the subsequent encounter with airport customs is entertaining.

Bobby Middlemass, had his Oscillating Cylinder Steam Engine, a reliable working model that provides the mechanical fascination to hold the attention of visitors. He was also proud to show off his Glasgow Coronation Tram, in zinc/yellow, not authentic Glasgow, but brighter and more eye-catching than Paul Joachim’s original in red/green. Bobby has done good research on an original in the Transport Museum in Glasgow.

Jim Gregory had his Wings for Gods Word, a ‘Flying Boat’ type affair using aeroplanes as cars, in keeping with his charitable intentions. Angela Goodlet had obtained a 3mm gauge railway, a Chinese product, which Jim was not entirely enthusiastic over, but was an entertaining novelty. Whether there is any future for such a small scale remains to be seen, the availability of equipment is currently strictly limited and model building is not really feasible. Jim prefers 3-rail O gauge Hornby, for which stations, sheds and other accessories can be built in Meccano. I did suggest an exploration into Primus, which is compatible and designed for railway use. The construction system that was available in the 20’s and 30’s of the last century was made by the makers of the famous camping stoves. Sandy Taylor, of Scottish Garden Railways, who had been with us at Balado, was enjoying the drier conditions and level floor of the hall to display his G-gauge Railways. The stock is rather un-British, but displays some fine features to add to a realistic effect.

Part of Gordon Stewart’s fine display A feature of his display was a board on which were mounted a range of Meccano Steam, Clockwork and Electric Motors from various periods, including a couple of conversation pieces which may or may not have been authentic Binns Road products. Alistair Nicoll had a pair of Meccanographs, one to Konkoly’s design which had matched ratios on its table and arm gearing and another more freelance which did not always return to its starting point after one turn of the table. The reason probably has something to do with multiples of 7 as that is the ratio of the main drive, but it is going to take a mathematician to get to the root of the problem. Alistair was also showing his infra-red controlled Railway Maintenance Trolley, which fascinated at least one young visitor. He had the SM1 Motor Car Chassis and a couple of radio controlled models using recent parts.

Gordon Stewart had mounted a fine display. This is the first time I have seen him behind the tables and, from the standard of his work I hope it will not be the last. Gordon is one of the few members who travels further than I do to shows. He had two cranes of the Dockside type, one a modification of an Outfit 6 model, with more realistic legs and flanged wheels, the other a free-lance design. When I commented on his obvious understanding of crane mechanisms he said he had been employed as a crane driver on distillery development work on Speyside. He also showed a Big Wheel, also a book model but modified to use parts from different periods to form the cars based on Part No. 187 ‘Road Wheel’. Gordon had a couple of Military models from the Army Multikit and several mainly recent models.

John Hayes was running an O gauge layout featuring stock either built or modified by Jim Gregory. John is from Blantyre (Livingstone’s birthplace) where Jim served during part of his ministry. The contrast between this size of model and the 3mm gauge is well seen from platform level where the larger models can really capture the ambience of a real railway. I’m not sure what location he was using as a prototype as LNER, LMS and GWR boards were on display in the station forecourt. Les Stephen, a regular at Scone and a keen member of the Hornby Railway Society completed our show with part of his impressive collection of Meccano products including Hornby Railways, Hornby Dublo from the metal and plastic eras, Dinkys old and less so and last but by no means least a Shop Display Meccano Big Wheel and two Aeroplane Constructor models. Les certainly knows his stuff and can converse at length on any of these products, answering visitors’ questions fully. No report of the day would be complete without mention of the ladies in the kitchen area, not only did they serve the refreshment requirements of the exhibitors, it was their efforts that raised the large part of the contribution to the charity’s funds. Members who visited included Hamish Davidson and Desmond Smith, with his companion. Why did our varied display not attract more visitors? The weather certainly did not help, being more fitting for January than July. The hall is not exactly in the centre of what is, to be fair, not a bustling metropolis, I had to ask twice to get directions. Jim had put out notices to the local press, but perhaps a slightly more emphatic banner may have encouraged more visitors to enjoy a cup of coffee, a biscuit and a trip down memory lane or a voyage of discovery into the world of Hornby. I had a good day and will certainly be pleased to lend my support to any future ventures.

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ARITHMETICAL MECCANOGRAPHY

by

Alistair Nicoll

Quite commonly I take a Meccanograph (or two) along to exhibitions. I have built quite a number of Meccanographs over the years and have been quite disappointed often at the quality of the patterns produced. However, one that has been a faithful friend for many years is the one shown below. It is designed to do one rotation of the designing table, after which the motor is switched off by a micro switch. The machine is started by pressing the bell push which short circuits the micro-switch. The bell push is released when the activating rod, which rotates with the table, ceases to depress the micro-switch.

The Meccanograph

There has only been one drawback to this machine which has irritated me periodically, though no-one who has taken away a pattern has ever complained. The fault is that it does not draw a perfect pattern in one rotation of the designing table. The final lobe of the diagram is always too far from, or overlapping with, the first one.

Diagram showing one gap between lobes too large

The top view of the model shows the designing table on the right. The pen actuator in the middle, and the mechanism (two face plates with rods in) on the left that causes the pen actuator pivot point to move back and forward. A lobe on the diagram is made when the pen actuator table is moved forward by a rod inserted into one of the outside holes of the face plates. So why does the diagram not have an integer number of lobes? It seemed to me that the back and forward movement of the pen actuator table would have to occur an integer number of times during one revolution of the designing table.

The drive from the main shaft had a 57:1 reduction to the face plates and a 7 x 133:1 reduction to the designing table. The actuator table therefore moved forwards (133 x 7)/57 = 16.33 times for one revolution of the designer table. This is not an integer – hence my flawed mechanical artwork. The problem – how do I make this into an integer? Changing the 57:1 ratio for the face plate drive would cause very major reconstruction of the model. I did consider this because a 19:1 ratio there would give an integer, as 133/19=7. However I rejected it on the grounds that the number of lobes in the diagram would triple and, anyway, I wanted to avoid a major re-build. Another method would be to make the table drive a worm and 57 tooth gear rather than the worm and 133 tooth gear in the model plan. I tried this while changing the reduction from the main shaft to the table drive from 7:1 to 8:1. This gave a table actuator ratio of 8 x 57/57 = 8. It worked! I got 8 lobed diagrams - but - another problem manifested itself. The designing table now tended to move jerkily.

The drive to the designing table showing the arrangement of the ball bearings I therefore restored the 133 tooth gear for the designing table drive and changed the reduction between the main drive shaft and the shaft carrying the worm driving the designing table. I replaced the original 7:1 reduction with a 3:1 followed by either a 2:1 or a 1:1 ratio drive

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They were very small jerks, but even with braking to try to even them out, the effects were nevertheless evident, with lines on the diagram unevenly spaced. I should explain that the designing table rests on a composite ball bearing made up of two 6"circular flat plates, two 7½" circular strips and a large number of ⅜" steel balls. This makes for a very steady table but it does take a fair torque to turn it.

This will give diagrams that have either 133 x 6/57 = 14 lobes or 133 x 3/57 = 7 lobes – both integers. This should lead to symmetrical 14 and 7 lobed diagrams – and did! The composite diagram on the left shows this. It was done with two separate table rotations, the pen and the gear ratio to the designing table being changed between the first and the second.

AMONG THE MODEL BUILDERS

by

Alan Blair

SPREADING THE WORD Some weeks before the end of the last school term I received a phone call from the headmistress (let me call her Elsie for the purposes of this article – it is not her real name) of one of the primary schools in the area which I live. It was one of those situations where I knew in advance that she would be ringing me and what she would be saying and equally she knew what my reply would be. Elsie explained during her telephone call that the local education authority had for a number of years endeavoured to ensure that technology (the good old fashioned variety – not what is called technology these days) was included in the school curriculum for 9 and 10 year old pupils and while she had endeavoured to do this she had concluded that she was not very good at it and would I be able to help – to which I replied ‘of course’. I had not met Elsie, although I was aware of her outstanding reputation as a teacher, so we met in the school staff room and over a cup of coffee we talked things over and she also showed me the teaching aids that had been recommended by the local education authority to demonstrate this topic which were large quantities of empty yoghurt cartons, cardboard tubes from loo rolls, lollipop sticks and straws all of which were neatly stored in plastic stacking boxes!! I said ‘Elsie, I understand the problem that you have been having and I would be delighted to assist but, if I may, I will bring along some Meccano to help me.’ Elsie asked if I could talk about Pulleys and Gears’to which I replied ‘Why don’t I talk about Wheels, Pulleys and Gears’. On returning home, I needed to ring Jim Berrie about another matter and I told him what I had been up to and he very kindly offered to make up some simple Meccano mechanisms. Ian Souter also kindly lent me the MSS collection of ‘Play Meccano’. I made up some simple devices and that was it - game on. I turned up at the school after lunch on the agreed day with my bits and pieces to be eagerly met by some 18-20 boys and girls, 9 and 10 year olds, all as bright as buttons - they had clearly all been told that they were going to have a ‘lesson with a difference’. Elsie asked if she and the other teaching staff could also join in the fun. The ‘lesson with a difference’ (it lasted all afternoon!) went something like this:

WHEELS, PULLEYS AND GEARS

Let us first of all talk about wheels … we all know what a wheel is – it is round and goes round ….. etc, etc. Some wheels have tyres ( I held up a 2 ½ in pulley fitted with a tyre). Why do some wheels have tyres? (A forest of hands went up as quick as a flash, that was an easy question ) …… Some wheels do not have tyres …can you think of a vehicle that has wheels which do not have tyres? (That was a harder question and it took a little longer but they managed) ….. Right, I said, now that we have got going – everything that we can see must have been created or invented by someone …. so somebody must have invented the wheel … who do you think that was? …. he or she must have been a very clever person … who was it? … (No hands went up - that was a seriously difficult question) …. OK, I said, let us try and work this out …. What have you learned about in history? (A chorus of voices said – ‘The Romans’) ….. What did the Romans use for transport? (Another chorus of voices – ‘Chariots’)… Excellent, but chariots have wheels so the wheel must have been invented before the Romans. (By this time the children were completely hooked and all manner of suggestions were being made) … Who were the very clever people before the Romans? …. (The children eventually got it – the ancient Egyptians) …. And what did they build? … (The pyramids) ….. and how did they move those enormous blocks of stone that were used to build the pyramids? I had taken a brick and some 6in lengths of ½ in wooden dowelling with me and I showed them how easy it was to move a brick if it was placed on top of the wooden dowelling. I then went on to say that a wheel is simply a roller that has been cut into slices. I had made a simple trailer in Meccano using a flange plate and four 1in pulleys fitted with tyres and I plonked the brick on top – if you could have seen their faces – they were totally absorbed. I then moved on to pulleys. Pulleys are wheels which have a groove in the rim. I had made up a simple pulley arrangement incorporating a drive motor with a 2 in pulley driving another 2 in pulley. Questions. Which pulley is going faster? ….. How do I make one pulley go faster/slower than the other one? …… How do I make the driven pulley go in the other direction? ….. and so on. I then moved on to gears and awesome fun was had with the mechanisms that Jim had made. Before I knew it the school bell was sounding signalling the end of lessons for the day. I left the ‘play Meccano’ at the school and when I collected it at the end of term Elsie told me that the children had found the whole experience most instructive and fascinating and would I please come back next year!!

The children wrote me hugely touching letters thanking me for coming to their school and introducing them to old fashioned technology and I think many of them were going to be asking their parents to buy them some Meccano!!

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MECCANO ON THE INTERNET

While the Spanner forum has been immersed in – largely non-Meccano – triviality for the past few months, the notable addition to Meccano material on the internet has been a large number of photographs and at least one movie of Skegness. All of this appeared very quickly, either during, or immediately following the event and is well worth having a look at. The photographs in this edition of the Newsletter were taken by your correspondent at the event Angus Plumb and are not on the net. Our new Secretary, Douglas, Carson has provided a list of relevant sites which show exhibits from MSS:

http://my-meccano.co.uk/NEWS/35_news_3-5_07_09.html

http://www.nzmeccano.com/gallery2/main.php/v/25482

http://www.nzmeccano.com/gallery2/main.php/v/25518:

http://www.nzmeccano.com/gallery2/main.php/v/25521:

http://www.nzmeccano.com/gallery2/main.php/v/25786

http://www.nzmeccano.com/gallery2/main.php/v/25789

http://www.nzmeccano.com/gallery2/main.php/v/25792

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ELECTRONIC CONTACT ADDRESSESS

Officials of the Meccano Society of Scotland can be contacted by e-mail at the following addresses: Secretary:- secretary@meccanoscotland.org.uk Newsletter editor:- editor@meccanoscotland.org.uk Web master:- webmaster@meccanoscotland.org.uk

The Society’s web site address is:-

http://www.meccanoscotland.org.uk