Canadian MeccaNotes 200303Thousand Islands Model Railroaders Show21 Half-Maltese Intermittent Drive...

CanadianMeccaNotes--- Issue #29 ---

March 2003

Cyclistin Ring

(see pages

14 & 3)

2 Canadian MeccaNotes March 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© Copyright 2003 C.M.A.M.A.S.and/or Individual Contributors.

Meccano and Erector are registered tradenames and are used throughout Canadian

MeccaNotes by kind permission ofMeccano Ltd..

North American subscribers to CanadianMeccaNotes are automatically membersof the Canadian Modeling Association forMeccano and Allied Systems (CMAMAS).

Canadian MeccaNotesThe “Canadian MeccaNotes” newsletter(ISSN 1207-2249) is published 4 times peryear (March, June, September and De-cember) by the Canadian Modeling Asso-ciation for Meccano & Allied Systems(CMAMAS).

“Written and produced by Meccano en-thusiasts for Meccano enthusiasts.”

Canadian Modeling Association forMeccano & Allied Systems (CMAMAS)130 Neptune Drive, Suite 1109Toronto, OntarioCANADA M6A 1X5

http://www.memeshadow.net/cmamas/

[email protected]

CMAMAS ExecutivePresident ... Colin Hoare, 18 Tweedle St.,Glen Williams, Ontario, Canada L7G 3S5,[email protected], (905)873-8261

Vice President ... Attila Szakonyi, 10Fendley Crt, Brampton, Ontario, Canada,L6Z 3H9, [email protected],(905)846-5287

Treasurer ... Marsha Brandston, 130 Nep-tune Drive, Suite 1109, Toronto, Ontario,Canada M6A 1X5,[email protected]

Secretary ... Colin Hinz, 148 HowlandAve., Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5R 3B5,[email protected], (416)516-8686

Editor/Webmaster ... David Williams, 3017- 111A Street, Edmonton, Alberta, CanadaT6J 3Y5, [email protected], (780)438-1197

Subscriptions(4 Issues Per Calendar Year)

o within North America: Canada - $30;U.S.A. - US$28. Make cheque or moneyorder payable to CMAMAS, mail to Trea-surer, address above.

o elsewhere: £35, US$35 or C$60; alsoavailable from MW Models, address onpage 27.

... continued on page 3

Editor’s NotesThis issue contains a mixed bag of features.

Many thanks to Colin Hoare,Ivor Setten, Don Redmond, JuanCarlos Rovetta, Jim Bobyn, Ri-chard Symonds and others forsupplying items for this issue.

The “new me” appears in thephoto on the right. I needed anew passport so it was time toreplace the old photo that I hadbeen using.

Starting with the March 2002issue, the club drew from the names of everyonewho submitted articles to the newsletter. Thewinner gets a prize in appreciation of theirefforts. The December 2002 winner was AndreTheberge. Perhaps you’ll win for the next issue?

Do you have a “Meccano” related license plate?Bill Bardutz’ plate from Saskatchewan promptsme to ask if others have similar plates. Send ina photo!

MW Models wrote to say that their displaymodels have gone up to Christies. The grandMeccano Auction is due to take place in earlyMay. The end of an era.

As always, the newletter is only as good as thecontributors. Your articles, photos, model plans,short news items, want, sales and swap ads arewanted. Items in machine readable form (e-mail, diskette) are preferred but everything isacceptable. If desired, your material can also beposted on our website. It’s a great idea todocument photos on the back using post-it

Canadian MeccaNotes 3March 2003

notes. If you’d like any part of your submissionsreturned, please say so; otherwise I will keepeverything.

Please note that I plan to publish the June 2003issue around June 6, 2002 so the final deadlineis May 24, 2003.

David Williams

Meccano Design Sets for2003

Shown on the front cover are the new “Design”sets that are coming out for 2003.

Three new sets launch the Design line with a“champagne” base color and eye-catching pack-aging. An extension of the multi-model sets,new flexible pieces with molecular memory al-low for more realistic models. This unique metalbends for building and springs back to it’soriginal shape when starting over.

Joe Attard hand-bentone of these newspring steel parts (thepart illustrated)through 180 degrees,and it sprang backnicely to a flat shape.

5700 Design 2 has 223parts with directionsfor 5 models like a helicopter, motorbike, go-kartand more. According to Remi Lane “The set onlycomes with 4 spring steel parts - no plate like theone illustrated, but just 2x7h & 2x5h strips.They can be bent up to a U-shape or even more,without being permanently bent. They can alsobe helically shaped, at least up to 90° for thelongest one. Quite interesting, I’m sure somemechanical applications, beyond simply aes-thetic ones, might be found with these parts -beginning with car suspensions.”

6700 Design 3 includes a 3-volt motor and 287parts to build ten different models. A motorcycle

with curved seat-ing, dune buggywith a streamlinedhardtop and bull-dozer are a coupleoptions.

7700 Design 4 has424 parts andbuilds 15 modelsincluding a sportscar, realistic robot,and racing car andhas a 6-volt motor.

Cyclist in Ring

Table of Contents

Cyclist in Ring 1Editor’s Notes 2Meccano Design Sets for 2003 3Presidential Perusings 4Mechantrix News 4Second Toronto One-Day Meccano Show 5Eric Taylor’s Giant Lorry-Mounted Crane

(Book Review) 5CMAMAS Sales Update 6Don Pearson (Obituary) 8Terry Stewart’s London RT Bus 9Cyclist in Ring 14Maltese Reduction Gear 15eBay® Excursions - Part 2 16Richard Symonds’ Tips & Treasures 19Proposed Changes to the Constitution 21Thousand Islands Model Railroaders Show21Half-Maltese Intermittent Drive 21Exacto Keeps Moving Ahead 23The “X Files” — of 1929 26The Peddler 26


Presidential PerusingsAs is usual at this time of year, I want to start mycomments by thanking everyone who has re-newed his or her subscription for 2003 – and forthose of you who have yet to do so, please sendyour payment in soon! We would hate to loseyou. I would also like to extend a warm welcometo subscribers from countries other than Canadaand the U. S., who, from now on, will be in a

position of either plac-ing their subscriptionorders directly with us,or continuing placingtheir orders through ourgood friend GeoffWright. This has comeabout as a result of theclosure of the MW Mod-els store in Henley-on-Thames.

With the news of theclosing of the Geoff’sstore, members of theInternational Society of

Meccanomen were invited to submit their memo-ries of visiting the store, with a view to publish-ing them in the May issue. If anyone has somespecific memories that they would like to con-tribute, and are not members of the I. S. M., wewould welcome their contributions for “Cana-dian MeccaNotes.”

Recently, I acquired a collection or pre-warMeccano in a home-made cabinet that yieldedsome interesting literature. The first owner hadsaved a letter, dated January 7th 1937, in whichhe had been notified that he was now a memberof the Meccano Lone Engineer’s Club. Therewere also three newsletters with the heading“Meccano Club News,” dated February, Apriland October 1937. Most of the news related tothe formation and activities of different clubsacross the country. There were a couple ofeditorial comments about the news events ofthe day, including the loss of Hindenberg. Anarticle on this material would make interestingreading, but I would like to know what addi-tional information is available. I wrote to one ofour subscribers who I look on as an “elderstatesman” in the Meccano world, but he didnot have information to add. If anyone else hasanything that they have on file, and are willing tosend me photocopies, I would be pleased to hearfrom them.

The International Society of Meccanomen ex-tended an invitation recently to all Meccanomenaround the world to be the official representativefor their part of the globe, and to supply news tothe magazine about upcoming events. I haveundertaken to act as the North American re-porter of Meccano (and Erector) news. If anyonehas any news that they would like to see pub-lished – notably dates and/or reports of shows –I will be delighted to get the information andforward it for publication.

On the topic of upcoming shows – I hope to seeas many of you as possible who live reasonablyclose to Toronto at the one-day show that wehave arranged for May 3rd. Details of the showcan be seen elsewhere in the magazine.

It is always a pleasure to welcome Meccanomenfrom overseas for a visit, and at Christmas Ientertained Terry Pettitt for a day. Terry livesjust outside Northampton in England, and hecame over to Canada to spend Christmas withhis daughter and son-in-law. Terry has been anactive member of the Midlands Meccano Guildfor many years, and is highly regarded as askilled modelbuilder.

The passing of a good friend is always a difficulttime, and the sudden death of Don Pearson,who was the victim of a sudden heart attack inJanuary, came as a shock for all of us who hadhad the pleasure of knowing him. C. M. A. M. A.S. was represented at his funeral by both CharlesPerez and myself (with others having attendedthe funeral home during the visitation period). Itwas clear, from the tributes that were paid tohim, that Don had made a very positive impacton the lives of many people – his family and hisworkmates, as well as his friends in the Meccanoworld. He will be missed.

Colin Hoare

Mechantrix NewsJohn Overeem send me an updated price list(dated November 2002) of his “Mechantrix”brand replica parts. This price list has beenscanned and has been posted on the CMAMASwebsite under “Sales & Wants”.

John is now manufacturing a wider variety ofparts than ever, e.g. single braced girders, wideface pinions, single, threaded & double-arm


Eric Taylor’s Giant Lorry-Mounted Crane (Book

Review)A “Constructor Quarterly”

Special PublicationThe latest Special Publication that the Editor of“Constructor Quarterly,” Robin Johnson, hasreleased is the fulfillment of a long-term projectthat has been in the works for several years. Theoriginal version of this crane was built by EricTaylor, in England, around 1970. It was the thirdand final of his supermodels: instructions for theprevious two models, the Level Luffing Craneand the Crawler Tractor, have already beenpublished by the Midlands Meccano Guild. TheGiant Lorry Mounted Crane did not receive thesame treatment for a variety of reasons, but nowit is available. Admittedly, the cost of the publi-cation is not cheap at £40.00 (plus an additional£4.00 for shipping), but there are some goodreasons for the avid builder of supermodels foradding this publication to his holdings.

For me, the main reason why I like the model isthat it is a classic supermodel – one that reliesextensively on mechanical features that is thefoundation of Meccano. Additionally, the teamof John Ozyer-Key, Rob Mitchell and Alan Par-tridge (plus Nigel Barker’s well-known photo-graphic skills) has produced a comprehensivedescription of the construction of the model,which they have backed up by clear diagramsand crystal-clear photographs. Furthermore, thismodel requires the least amount of non-Meccanoparts of any of the three Special Publicationsthat Robin has produced to date (and the mostimportant ones, the wooden discs for the wheels,can be purchased from Rob Mitchell, althoughadmittedly, for an additional £60.00). Finally,the electrics of the model, which all too often area deterrent for some Meccanomen, are verystraightforward.

Having said that, I do have one complaint – itwas disappointing to see a number of typo-graphical errors in the parts list. All were to dowith the use of the upper case characters wherethe numbers were used. Apart from that, how-ever, there is little reason to complain.

In essence, therefore, the time to buy this bookmight be just after you have been sniped out ofthat attractive lot on e-Bay, and the cash younow have available can still be used on Meccano.

Colin Hoare

Second Toronto One-DayMeccano Show

Saturday, May 3rd, 2003Important Announcement

The Executive of the C M. A. M. A. S. is pleasedto announce that it has arranged to hold a one-day Meccano show on Saturday May 3rd 2003.The Show will be held in a room in the restaurant“Le Biftheque.” It will run from 10:00 am to 6:00pm. After the Show has finished, we will havea dinner in an adjacent room in the restaurant.The cost of the dinner will be $30.00. We do,however, have to guarantee a minimum of 25people.

Any member of C. M. A. M. A. S. who brings amodel for display will be admitted free of charge.As in 2002, we have been given permission tocharge admission, so the cost has been set at$2.00 for adults and $1.00 for children undertwelve years of age. In addition to the displaymodels, members will be able to sell surplussets and/or parts to both other members and tothe public.

If you plan to attend this special event, and willbe staying for the dinner, please send a chequefor $30.00 (or multiples thereof, assuming youwill be bringing others with you) to MarshaBrandston at her home address, 130 NeptuneDrive Suite 1109, Toronto, Ontario M6A 1X5.

We will be contacting the local press in goodtime to promote the exhibition.

If you have any questions, please feel free tocontact Colin Hoare at 905-873-8261, or by e-mail at [email protected].

cranks, brass couplings, angle & flat girders, flatplates, dog clutches, socket couplings and metalflexible plates.

In addition, he’s now selling smaller boxed setsof parts and even a gear set.

Mechantrix can be cntacted at P.O. Box 542,Picture Butte, Alberta, CANADA T0K 1V0, phone:(403) 732-4974, fax: (403) 732-4974, e-mail:[email protected].

David Williams


CMAMAS Sales UpdateQuite a bit has happened since the last newslet-ter; I had thought this quarter’s article would beshorter, but instead it’s longer! For the most up-to-date and complete information on what’savailable and how to order it, the club website is,as always, your best resource. This columnsupplements and complements the website,providing news of interest to all club members,as well as highlighing the current offers forthose without web access.

BackordersSince the previous newsletter we’ve been ableto whittle away at the backorders somewhat,but we’ll have to once again ask for your pa-tience while we continue to work this out withour suppliers. It may be a consolation to thosestill waiting to know that our secretary is amongthose with parts on backorder ...

Spring 2003 Bulk OrderOnwards and forwards! In spite of the remain-ing backorders from last year’s bulk order, wewill not be stopped from proceeding with theSpring 2003 Bulk Order of repro parts. As men-tioned previously, the deadline for submittingorders is 15 April, 2003. Orders, accompaniedby correct payment, must be received by ourclub treasurer, Marsha Brandston, by that date.Orders arriving in Marsha’s mailbox on or after16 April, 2003 will be carried over to next year’sbulk order.

Based on our experience with the previous bulkorder, the shipping fee for orders submitted forthis year’s bulk order will be CA$15 to Canadianaddresses, and US$20 to USA addresses. By allmeans, you can order sets and other items alongwith your Spring 2003 repro order. In this case,the sets constitute the “critical mass”. Up to twosets will be covered in the above mentionedshipping fee. If you order three or more sets,they’ll have to be shipped as a separate parcel,and in this case the shipping fee will be CA$31/US$46 (CA$15 for the repro order plus CA$16for a 3-set order, resp. US$20+US$26). If youare in doubt about the shipping fee, pleasecontact our treasurer Marsha before submittingyour order.

Our secretary has been diligently working longhours preparing the new price lists, and at thetime of this writing, the last of the details arebeing finished up. As soon as they are ready, theprice lists will be made available on the club

website under “For Sale through CMAMAS”.Those without web access can request papercopies from our treasurer.

We ask that everyone placing repro orders beaware that even in the most favourable case itwill take quite a while before you hold your newparts in your hands. After the deadline has past,the orders must be tallied up, and in their sumsubmitted to the suppliers. We must then waitfor the consignments to arrive from the suppli-ers, unwrap and check them, then parcel themand ship the parcels to the club members, all thewhile keeping books on where we stand. Ifyou’ve never done it before, it’s hard to imaginejust how much time all this takes, and just howextremely tedious and tiresome it becomes.Also, we have no control over the shipmentschedule of the suppliers. For these reasons, werely on the patience and understanding of thoseof you who place orders. By the same token, weaim to make improvements this time around, forexample by using this column to keep you betterinformed, and by providing proper packing listsin the orders we ship to you.

The Future of Repro OrdersWe have stated several times now that we willonly be able to place one repro bulk order peryear, due to overloading of our volunteers. How-ever, thanks to the initiative of Juan CarlosRovetta of Exacto, it may become possible to domore after all, still within the limits of our avail-able resources. We are currently in the stage ofdiscussing possibilities and weighing variousarrangements against each other, so nothing isconcrete yet, but we will certainly keep youinformed through the website and the newslet-ter as events unfold.

Meccano SetsSome of you will have seen announcements ofthe new 2003 sets, called “Design 2”, “Design3” and “Design 4”, featuring molecular memorysteel strips and “new movements”. Althoughthere’s been a report from the Spanner list thatthe first of these sets is already available forpurchase in France, it’s still anyone’s guesswhen they’ll be available here. There’s also an asyet unconfirmed rumour of a further set in theSpecial Edition series (so far comprised of the“100th Anniversary” set #7080 and the “TrainSet” #0507), so 2003 promises to be a sus-penseful year. As further information becomesavailable, it will be posted on the club websiteand announced in the newsletter.


Still available are the “Train Set”s #0507, as wellas most of the sets from the Crazy Inventors,Future Master, and Multi-Model series. Also stillavailable are various junior and Yoocans sets.The discounted “Super Copter” sets are nowgone, and there’s only one Moon Trekker ($60)remaining. There are still some one-motor IR kitsfor $25 each, or $40 for two.

Meccano Spares and BooksStill available are new, unused Calais spares andvarious instruction books from the 1990’s. Someof Calais spares are now in short supply (indi-cated on the price list). When ordering theseparts, particularly if you order parts in lowsupply, please indicate alternate choices. If noalternates are indicated, and (some of) the partsyou order are depleted, alternates will be shippedat our discretion.

CMAMAS MerchandiseCMAMAS mugs are still available for CA$12/US$10, including shipping. Due to high de-mand, we’ve ordered a further batch ofsweatshirts, which can be purchased for CA$25/US$22, including shipping. As promised in theprevious newsletter, now for spring, and inplenty of time for the one-day show in Torontoon 3 May, 2003, we also have club t-shirts. Theprice of these is as follows: CA$15/US$13 forsizes L and XL, and CA$17/US$15 for size XXL,in all cases including shipping.

Ordering InfoComplete ordering information is always avail-able on the club website under the heading “ForSale through CMAMAS”. Those without webaccess can request paper copies of the variousprice lists from our club treasurer, MarshaBrandston, whose address can be found at thebeginning of each issue of the newsletter. Pleasenote that this is a slight change from the infor-mation given in the previous newsletter. We arehoping to simplify things by making Marsha bethe contact person for all club price lists.

To order, add the shipping charge to your total,and send a money order or cheque for the fullamount along with a paper copy of your order tothe club treasurer. If you wish, by all means sendyour order by e-mail in advance of sendingpayment, but we must insist that payment beaccompanied by a paper copy of the order. Thereason for this is that all too often when the orderis submitted by e-mail with the payment follow-ing on its own, there are discrepancies betweenthe two, and much time is lost working it out.

Shipping charges are as follows: For CMAMASmerchandise, the shipping charge is included inthe stated prices. For orders of sets, Calaisspares, and books, the shipping charge is CA$12/US$22 for orders to Canada or to the USA,respectively (CA$16/US$22 if your order includes3 or more sets). For Spring 2003 repro orders,the shipping charge is CA$15/US$26. For com-bined orders of repro parts and other itemsincluding up to two sets, the shipping chargeremains CA$15/US$26. For combined ordersincluding three or more sets, the shipping chargeis CA$31/US$46 (because, as stated above,such orders will have to be shipped in separateparcels). As you can all see, we try to make ourshipping charge structure as complicated aspossible. If in doubt, please feel free to contactMarsha.

Lynn Krause


Don Pearson (Obituary)One of the stalwarts of the Meccano frater-nity in the Toronto area, Don Pearson, passedaway suddenly in January at the far-too-young age of 54. Don had been a member ofthe Canadian Meccano group for almosttwo decades, and was an occasional con-tributor to “The Canadian Meccanoman’sNewsletter.” His principal involvement withthe magazine was a series of articles on thepre-war Meccano Electron parts, and howthey could be reproduced quite easily using

standard machinetools. Don, along withhis wife Theresa andhis son Mike, attendednearly all the HobbyShows, and onlymissed when ill health pre-vented him from beingpresent. He typicallybrought along a series ofsmaller models, ones thatprovided a hands-on op-portunity for the youngergeneration to experimentwith. The one exception to

this was the Meccano Display Fairground Modelhe acquired many years ago, which consisted ofa group of eight aircraft circling a central col-umn. He was finally persuaded to part with it –probably for a better price than he would havegot had he offered it on e-Bay! - by an avidcollector from the U. S.

Don was a strong family man, and was justifi-ably proud of his son Mike’s academic achieve-ments. He will also be remembered for his great

sense of humour, and usually had a stock offunny stories to entertain everyone when hearrived at the Hobby Show. He also delighted insending out humourous jokes and cartoons bye-mail.

To Don’s widow Theresa and his son Mike, weextend our deepest sympathy.


Terry Stewart’s LondonRT Bus

Rebuilt and described by IvorSetten

Introduction to the ModelI was recently perus-ing some back issuesof the CMN when, inthe Fall 1989 issue, Icame across a singlepicture of a LondonDouble Deck Bus builtby the late TerryStewart. There was anote to say that thiswas to be a CMN modelfeature but in all sub-sequent issues therewas no mention of thisrather fine model. Aquick call to Ed Barclay,who produced this par-ticular issue, soon re-vealed the problem. Edhad only taken a singleshot of the bus as Terryhad promised to com-plete the write-up giv-ing full building instruc-tions. As Terry dis-mantled the bus he took copious quantities ofpictures with the idea of choosing the best forthe article. In true Murphy’s Law tradition thepictures were either lost of destroyed by the

developer leaving Terry the only option but torebuild the bus. Unfortunately this never cameto be which is a great pity as very few, if any, ofTerry’s models were ever written up. Terry wasa very accomplished builder but mainly builtfrom plans which explains the lack of write-ups.In order to rectify the situation I decided toreconstruct the bus as best as possible using

the single picture as a guide. The only additionalinformation Ed could give was that the interiorwas fully fitted with seats, bulkheads and stair-way, the steering mechanism was operational

and that the offside, not seen in the picture,used at least one 12½” strip which curvedaround the rear, thus the offside rear wascurved to match the stairway. Ed also men-tioned that Terry had commented that themodel was very fiddly to put together.

The only modification I immediately decided tomake was with the entrance. In Terry’s origi-nal model the first step was just inside theplatform whereas in the London style this stepwould be turned round 90 degrees so that thefirst step would be directly into the lower deck.Apart from this modification the bus followsTerry’s design as much as possible.

As Terry predicted the model is very tricky toassemble and in following the forthcominginstructions it is essential to use the slotsexactly as described and to ensure that parts


are attached inside, or out-side each other as directed.I decided to use do mehead bolts and hexagonalnuts as these are slightlysmaller and better fit intotight corners.

During the building in-structions reference ismade to neerside andoffside, nearside being thecurbside and offside beingthe driver’s side. Bear inmind that this is model ofa British bus therefore thedriver sits on the oppositeside of the vehicle to thatof North America.

Introduction tothe RT

The RT is the classic RedDouble Decker of Londonfame. London has beenpainting its double deckers red since at least1910 but it was with the growth of tourism afterthe Second World War that the Red LondonDouble Deck Bus became synonymous withLondon.

The original RT was a pre-war design resultingfrom much experimentation on the older STLtype. The final result was the prototype, RT1,utilising an A.E.C. Regent Mark III chassis(Regent Three, hence RT) fitted with a Chiswickbuilt body which began operation in 1939. Therefollowed a build of a further 150 examples untilwar time stopped production. All of the first 151RTs had bodies built in London Transport’sworks at Chiswick.

During World War II London Transport had tomake do with whatever busses in could get fromthe few companies still allowed to producethem. These included a few B type from theBristol Tramways and Carriage Company, Gtype from Guy Motors and D type from Daimler.Once the war was over the RT building programbegan in earnest. Lessons learnt with the 151pre-war RTs were incorporated into an im-proved chassis design which was, once again,entrusted to A.E.C. who commenced produc-tion in 1947. One of the major improvementsconcerned rear end collisions which tended tobend the chassis frames. To overcome theproblem the chassis members were cut short

just behind the rear wheels.The rear panels and com-plete stairway unit wereconstructed as separateunits so that if damagedthey could be easily re-moved and replaced. Thisform of construction pro-tected the main chassismembers in the event ofrear on collisions. Severalbody makers were con-tracted and while the bod-ies were interchangeablewith the chassis there wereseveral different styles. Thebody makers were ParkRoyal, Weymann, P.R.V.,Saunders and Craven. TheCraven bodies were themost distinctive as eachwindow was slightlysmaller which results in anextra window on each side.

A.E.C. did not have thecapacity to complete chassis at the rate requiredby London Transport so Leyland Motors ofLancashire was contracted to produce a largenumber of chassis with the stipulation that theymust be capable of carrying the standard RTbody with-out modifi-c a t i o n s .Productionc o m -menced in1948 andthe buswith aL e y l a n dchassis be-c a m eknown asthe RTL. Allthe RTs andRTLs were7’6" widebut LeylandM o t o r salso pro-duced abatch of 8'wide bus-ses whichbecame the


RTW. In total there were 4,825RTs, 1,631 RTLs and 500 RTWsgiving a total of 6,456 busses builtto the same specifications and anadditional 500 just 6" wider. Withsuch a huge production run it’s nowonder that the RT became syn-onymous as the classic LondonBus.

The RT was an unqualified suc-cess an gave yeoman service andsome were still in service 30 yearslater. Even with such a successfulbus London Transport did not siton its hands and as early as 1948a new higher capacity bus wasbeing contemplated. 1956 saw thefirst RM which, after much experi-mentation, entered production andservice in 1959 and proved to be just as success-ful as the RT. Eventually there would be 2,760RMs in service but sadly this was the last bus tobe designed exclusively far London’s needs withChiswick heading the design team. For 50years, from the X type of 1909 to the RM of 1959London’s busses were designed specifically forLondon conditions, since then London has neverhad a bus equal to the RT or RM.

ChassisIllustrations 5, 6 and 7. As in the prototype thechassis members only extend just beyond therear wheels, the platform, stairway and rearpanelling being attached by extension parts.The chassis consists of a pair of compound 8"girders (5½” and 2½” Angle Girders buttedtogether and joined by a 2" Angle Girder) con-nected at their ends by 1½” Angle Girders. Thefront end girder must be attached by its holes,flange downward, on top of the compoundgirders. A 3½” Angle Girder is bolted by its slots,flange down facing to the rear.The flange of this girder must bebutted against the ends of thecompound girder so that thisflange is between the compoundgirder and the end 1½” AngleGirder. A 3" x 1½” Flat Plateserving as the entry platform isattached to the 3½” Angle Girder.This flat plate also carries on itsrear edge and extending out onehole, a 2½” Angle Girder flangeupwards.

The chassis sides are extended by two 1" x ½”Angle Brackets attached to the 5th holes of thecompound girder. A 3½” Angle Girder is boltedby its slots, flange upwards and facing forwardacross the chassis top, in the 4th holes from thefront. This girder must be located as far back onits slots as possible. Between this 3½” AngleGirder and the 1" x ½” Angle Brackets areattached 4½” Angle Girders and 4½” Strips. A7½” Strip fills the chassis centre and is attachedat its forward end by, on the underside, a 1½”Narrow Strip. A front bulkhead is representedby a 3½” Flat Girder attached to the inside of the3½” Angle Girder. The rear wheels are attachedby a ¾” Bolt to a Threaded Boss which is in turnattached to the chassis side.

SteeringIllustrations 5, 10 and 12. A Narrow DoubleBracket must be located between the first twoholes of the chassis side members. To achieve


this the bracketsmust be clampedin position bymeans of a 1"Narrow Strip andtwo modifiedNo.6 Washers.Illustration 10clearly shows theassembly.

The most impor-tant feature isthat the 1" Nar-row Strip must belocated as closeas possible to thebottom of theNarrow Double Bracket. Each wheel is a 1"Pulley without boss fitted with a 1" Motor Tire.Each wheel is locknutted to a Double Bracket bya 3/8" Bolt. This bolt also carries an outer ¾”Washer and an inner Washer. The nearsidewheel assembly is attached to the Narrow DoubleBracket by a Stud Bolt which passes through thelugs of both the narrow and regular doublebrackets. Also on the Stud Bolt and to the lowerlug of the Double Bracket on the wheel assemblyis locked a 1½” Narrow strip. The offside wheelassembly is attached in a similar manner, in-cluding the lower 1½” Narrow Strip, except thatthe attaching member is a 1 1/8" Bolt. This bolt

secures the 1½” Narrow Strip to the DoubleBracket and projects upward through the lug ofthe Narrow Double Bracket. Three Washers, anut and finally a Threaded Boss are added to theend of the bolt. A Multikit Steering Wheel issecured to a ¾” Bolt which is then locked intothe Threaded Boss. The ends of the two 1½”Narrow Strips are attached by a locknutted 2½”Narrow Strip to complete the steering mecha-nism.

Lower Deck SeatingIllustration 8. Each of the forward facing seatsis a 1½” Flat Girder attached to a 1½” AngleGirder. A ½” Reversed Angle Bracket attaches

each seat to alternateholes in the floor 4½”Strip. As in the proto-type longitudinal benchseats cover the wheelwells. The near side seatbeing a Girder Bracketattached to a pair of 2"Angle Girders assembledinto a stepped formatwhile the offside seat isa 1½” Flat Girder andthree 1½” Angle Girdersalso in a stepped format.

NearsideIllustration 1. Preparefour narrow strips in thefollowing manner. Two5½” Narrow Strips havetheir top two holes bentinto obtuse angles whichwill eventually be usedto hold the roof. A pair of


2½” Narrow Strips issimilarly formed. Ifthe builder is unwill-ing to bend thesestrips then 4½” and1½” Narrow Stripsand Obtuse AngleBrackets can be usedbut as these bracketsare wider than thestrips they tend to looktop heavy.

Commence by boltinga 2½” Angle Girderby its slot to the wheelside of the 3½” AngleGirder supporting theentry platform. A 2½”Strip is attached to thecab end flange of theside 4½” AngleGirder. The bolt hold-ing this strip also carries a facing 4½” Stripwhich spans the length of the girder. Under theend hole is bolted vertically one of the formed5½” Narrow Strips. The other formed 5½”Narrow Strip is bolted vertically from the middlehole of the 4½” Strip. A further 4½” Strip isbolted directly above the first and a compound6½” strip finishes the lower part of the side. A

2½” Curved Strip forms the wheel arch.

The tops of the vertical 2½” Angle Girder andStrip carry 1" Corner Brackets facing forwardand rearward. To the top edge of the 1" CornerBrackets is bolted an outside centrally located9½” Strip while on the inner side is a 9½” AngleGirder flange downwards. A second 9½” Strip

is bolted directly above thefirst. The formed 2½” NarrowStrips are vertically attachedto the 4th and 16th holes ofthe upper 9½” Strip. A rear-ward angled 2" Angle Girdertopped with an Obtuse AngleBracket completes the frontend while the rear has a verti-cal 2" Angle Girder also toppedwith an Obtuse Bracket.

... continued next issue


Cyclist in RingThis model was originally built by Jean-Max Esteve for the last CAM expo atBouffemont, France. Two pictures of itappeared on Guy Pouchet’s web site http://perso.club-internet.fr/pouchi/mekanonet/

and are shown onthe front coverwith a brightgreen ring.

Subsequent ly ,o t h e rM e c c a n o m e nhave made their ownversions of this model,e.g. John Evans inWales, Graham Jost inAustralia and Jim Pictonin B.C.. Jim kindly sentme some photos of hisversion; I used these toconstruct mine.

The model is relativelystraightforward to makeand serves as a gooddisplay model. The cy-clist will cycle endlesslyas the large flanged ringrotates in a circle.

Some of the key partsrequired are: 167b x 1,89 x 8, 27f x 11, 236 x 1,72 x 1

The 236 is the mainbase, upon which ismounted a motor of your

choice. Two 5.5" angle girders are anchoredupwards as the support for the quarter circle of#89’s, 4 of each side overlapped by 2 holes.

Use any motor that will fit under the #72 2.5 x2.5" flat plate and drive a #25 1/2" pinion. Themeshing #27 1.5" gear wheel drives anotherpinion which drives another gear wheel.

4 pairs of #27f multi-purpose gears mounted in#126 trunions / #51 flanged plates are used tobring the power to the top of the structure whereanother multi-purpose gear drives two moremounted on threaded pins. It’s nifty to use up somany multi-purpose gears in this manner andit’s a great example of why they’re so handy insome situations.

The #167b flanged ring hangs from the latter

two multi-purpose gears.

If you look at the photos closely, you’ll see thatI have used my one and only #51f (Flanged Plate1.5" x 2.5", flange along long edge) at the top ofthe quarter cicle holding up the ring mounts.Feel free to substitute something else! (I’m notsure what others used in this area.)

David Williams


Maltese Reduction GearCatchy Contrivances: Not-So-

Standard MechanismsContrivance n. act of contriving; deceitful prac-tice; invention; mechanical device (Concise Ox-ford Dictionary)

The Maltese or Geneva intermittent mechanismproduces a full stop in a driven shaft once eachrevolution. This variant on the same mechanismproduces a 2-to-1 reduction without locking thedriven shaft. One version has four lobes; theother has six lobes; but both produce the same2-to-1 reduction; and they do not easily act asstep-up drives.

Four-lobed mechanism: Four l in. corner brack-ets (133a) mounted by their corner holes on 1/2in. bolts, are spaced away from four holes in abush wheel (24) by stacks of washers. Thespaces between the corner brackets form twoslots at right angles. Running in these slots, twothreaded pins (115) are mounted on a double-arm crank (62b) at exactly the same distancefrom the crank handle on which the double-armcrank is mounted. The crank handle is mountedin trunnions, one hole lower than thebearings for the rod carrying the bushwheel (which are flat trunnionsmounted on short angle girders).When the double-arm crank is ro-tated, the pins carry the corner brack-ets around. This drive may not bereversible unless the spacing of thebush wheel above the double-armcrank is carefully adjusted.

Six-lobed variant: Mount six 1 in.triangular plates (77) on half-inchbolts, followed by a collar (59), and

overlapping corner holes of six corner brackets,the latter arranged concave edge inward so theyform a circle. Three alternate bolts projectthrough the slots of a 2 1/2 in. triangular plate(76). This plate is mounted by its center hole ona rod socket (179) carried on a rod, which in turnis journalled in two fishplates laid over the upperslots of two more triangular plates (76). Thedriving member of this version is a 6-hole bushwheel (24b) carrying three threaded pins. Thisdriving member is supported so the topmostthreaded pin exactly faces the center (the rodsocket) of the driven member. This version mayalso be non-reversible, the threaded pins snag-ging on inner points of the lin. triangular plates.

Parts required: 4-lobed: 9f x 2, 19 x 2, 24 x 1, 52x 1, 59 x 2, 62b x 1, 77 x 4, 115 x 2, 126 x 2, 126ax 2

6-lobed: 9d x 1, 10 x 2, 16 x 1, 16a x 1, 48a x 1,52 x 1, 59 x 6, 62 x 2, 76 x 3, 77 x 6, 115 x 3, 126x 2, 133a x 6, 147b (Allen head) x 2, 179 x 1,washers

Don Redmond

Mechanism by Hubert Hogle


eBay® Excursions - Part2

In my previous article our readers were intro-duced to eBay, and now we shall examine thispopular internet-based auction house in moredetail, from a user perspective. How shouldeBay be used effectively by Meccano enthusi-asts? Are there good buys or even bargains to befound? Let’s look at some suggestions andobservations based on a few years of experiencewith eBay and Meccano. The best advice forusers of any auction is to “BE PREPARED” (likewe were supposed to be as Boy Scouts!) byknowing the merchandise and its market val-ues. For Meccano enthusiaststhis is relatively easy, because wehave access (by email and snailmail) to a few new and used partsdealers in the UK/USA/Canada, andto several makers of reproductionparts. These are listed as “deal-ers” on the web site of the Interna-tional Society of Meccanomen(http://www.internationalmeccanomen.org.uk/).By studying price lists from these sources andusing them as references, we can estimate thevalue of parts lots that are advertised on eBay.

For other merchandise such as modern outfitsfor builders, older outfits and rare parts forcollectors, and literature (instruction books, leaf-lets, catalogues, etc.) for all enthusiasts, the UKMeccano dealers (and even CMAMAS itself)provide some useful value information becausethey often sell these items as well as parts.

And eBay itself is a good source of market valueinformation, because if you monitor it over sev-eral weeks, a wide variety of builder and collec-tor materials will be sold. Selling prices on eBaywill show what certain bidders are willing to payfor certain things at that moment. Howeverthese may not represent long-term or typicalmarket values. More will be said later about“real world” versus eBay prices. Now let’sassume you have taken the time (and it does taketime!) to research dealer and eBay prices forparts and other items of interest, and to PRE-PARE yourself for combat on eBay. Next youshould be sure you know how eBay works. Visitthe site (http://www.ebay.com/), register as abidder (follow the instructions on the “WelcomeNew Users” page), search for “Meccano” itemsfor sale, and try making a bid on an interestinglot.

Be aware that unlike a regular live auction, eBayacts for you – it automatically raises the price insmall increments, only using a bidder’s maxi-mum price if necessary to outbid another bidder.In this way you can’t leave money on the table.For example if you enter a maximum bid of $10on a lot for which nobody else bids more than$5, eBay will not spend all your $10, it will only“make the next necessary raise” and you willwin the lot for $5.50.

Follow the bid prices on interesting lots for a fewdays and see how the action sometimes devel-ops in the final minute, for the most desirableitems. Use the “refresh” command to updateyour screen every few seconds at the end of anauction, and sometimes you will see prices jump

several times and by largeamounts. Practice bidding ona few lots with small raisesand “nibbles” on existing pricesuntil you get the feel of it andare ready to compete for real.

When you find something youwould really like to own, con-

sider this important suggestion – use your pre-vious research to establish a comfortable maxi-mum price you are willing to pay. Without thislimit in mind, you risk being carried away with“bidding frenzy” in the final moments, as in anyauction. And always limit your bids to what youcan afford to pay, including mailing costs andpossible Customs charges for imported mer-chandise. Meccano can be heavy and expensiveto ship, and mailing costs from overseas (mostMeccano sellers are in England) can exceed thevalue of small lots. This must be factored intothe buying decision, and will sometimes restrictbidding to items offered by Canadian or USsellers.

Basically there are three styles of bidding oneBay:

1. Bid often with small “raises” until the end ofthe auction, to keep edging up to your pre-established maximum price, and hopefully winthe lot before your limit is reached;

2. Bid once with your maximum price, and thenwait to see if anyone else beats you;

3. Bid your absolute maximum at the very lastmoment, and hope that nobody else has time toraise your bid.

Experienced eBay users report that they havethe most success with the final, last-momentmaximum bid. As long as the bid is higher than


the previous leader’s maximum, and is madewithin a few seconds of the end of the auction,it can effectively be the “last raise” in the gameand nobody else can react fast enough to top thebid. Of course you don’t know what the leader’smaximum bid is, and you may have to top thecurrent price by a large margin to become theleader and winner.

Realistically it is difficult to time and execute alast-moment bid without bidding at least 10-15seconds before the auction expires. Even theinternet is not instantaneous, and the clock-watchers must allow several seconds for the bidto be processed by eBay. But computer pro-grams called “sniper software” can be used toautomatically send in last-moment bids, so the bid-der does not have to beeven watching eBay. Themost aggressive and fre-quent eBay buyers, whoare sometimes dealers orserious (and wealthy!) col-lectors, use sniper softwareor sniper buying services.These “snipers” enter thelot numbers and maximumbids into the program, andthen just sit back and waitto see the outcome. Theydon’t always win, becausea higher bid can alwaysshow up at the end. Thesniper software can onlybid up to the maximum entered by its user.

Another bidding strategy for someone who des-perately wants an eBay lot is to throw caution tothe wind and bid much higher than its value toensure winning the auction. In theory, as longas every other bidder is being careful to not bidmuch more than the item is worth, this canwork. In fact there are a couple of eBay Meccanobuyers who apparently DEPEND on all the otherbidders being reasonable people who won’t bidmuch higher than established values. This wayit is safe for them to bid double or triple what anitem is worth, because they win and only pay asmall increment (the eBay minimum “raise”)above the previous high (and reasonable) bid.But this aggressive strategy can backfire, and itdoes. Consider what happens if two or morebidders use this method. The competition be-tween outlandishly high bids results in the itembeing won by somebody, but at a crazy pricethat is far above market value. In a recent case

a 1930s No. 3 instruction manual in good con-dition, realistically worth about $30 CDN, soldfor $150 CDN because two bidders placed “mustwin” bids at the end. There was probably somemoaning by the winner, and a huge sigh of reliefby the loser! This is why eBay selling pricessometimes do not reflect the “real world” andlong-term market values.

Now that we have you started or at least inter-ested in trying eBay, let’s review some otherobservations and hints about using this internetauction. Strangely enough, fuzzy dark picturesof random piles of Meccano parts usually obtainhigher prices than clear bright pictures of thesame parts nicely arranged. We can only as-

sume that the lure of theunknown treasure, perhapsburied under the rusty as-sortment, is stronger thancommon sense. Usuallywhat you see is slightly bet-ter than what you will get.But the wise eBayer looksvery closely at pictures ofassorted parts, to find un-usual or even rare items thatthe casual shopper maymiss. A recent find in asmall lot of common 1950sparts that sold for $20 CDNwas a 1940s Meccano oilbottle with its original cork,a rare and vintage additionto a fine collection in West-

ern Canada. This rare bottle was clearly visibleto those who looked closely at the picture, butthere were few bidders who saw it or recognisedit as valuable. One sharp-eyed UK buyer of a $20pile of dimly photographed parts was the onlyone to notice the unique shape of 2 small greyshafting standards from the 1920s, sticking outof the corners of the picture. This picture wascertainly worth 1000 words. Again, know yourmerchandise, and look closely at the eBay list-ings.

The lot title doesn’t always reveal the contents,especially if the seller is not a Meccano enthusi-ast, so it pays to examine the pictures and thedescription of each lot. Sometimes the title iswrong and the item can be better (or worse)than described. Sometimes there is no picture,only a brief (and potentially suggestive) line oftext, such as “20 pounds of silver-coloured andbrass parts in old oak box”. Other times apicture may not show everything included in the


lot, and “miscellaneous parts not shown” mayin fact be valuable or unusual items. The authoronce paid $10 for what was listed as a few1950s parts, but actually received several other1930s parts and a working WW1-era electricmotor, which were simply mentioned as “ex-tras”. Play detective! To clarify the listing, askquestions or arrange a phone call to discuss thecontents. Another purchase by a veteran eBayerwas based on a phone description of “lots oflong bent pieces measuring 18.5 and 24.5inches” which were not shown in the eBaypicture. You can imagine what they turned outto be, and in unused condition too!

Good value on eBay doesn’t always lurk in darkpictures or hidden extras, often it is right in frontof you. I hesitate to create more competitors bymentioning this, but I will reveal the best bargainright now on eBay – the 1990s numbered out-fits. In terms of the dollar value, number andusefulness of parts as well as making funmotorised models with METAL, you just can’tbeat a 1993 No. 4, 5 or 6 outfit. These commonsets can be purchased (if poorly advertised withfuzzy pictures) from US sellers for as little as $25CDN plus another $20 for mailing. Prices can bemuch higher – a properly-photographed andunused No. 6 outfit recently sold for $300 CDN,more than it is worth, so don’t overbid becausethere are lots of these outfits on the market. Theparts value in an almost-complete No. 4 outfitcan easily exceed $125, while a No. 6outfit can be worth over $250 in parts.Other mid-1990s large outfits (such asthe Master Builder set with its 500+metal parts) also offer good value, andcan be purchased for as little as $60including shipping in its useful Meccanored storage suitcase. And, these mod-ern parts are easily found to “top up” incompleteoutfits, or to expand them for making biggermodels.

Are you hooked yet? To whet your appetite (orperhaps scare you off?) we can look at somerecent eBay sales of interesting Meccano items,appealing to all Meccano enthusiasts:

1. The Meccano Powerdrive 6 Speed Motor inexcellent condition, sold for $65 CDN. This is abargain price, since these useful light-duty mo-tors typically sell for over $80, with the marketprice moving up.

2. The Märklin (for Meccano) EU 1072 Motor inexcellent condition in original box, sold for $250CDN. Serious modellers apparently like this

rugged motor with its counter-rotating shafts.Last fall this type of motor in used condition soldfor $90 CDN.

3. A 1980s Calais factory sealed bag of 6 part#136 handrail supports sold for $36 CDN, whileits companion bag of 6 part #136A handrailcouplings sold for $47 CDN. All original Meccanobrass parts continue to show relatively high andincreasing prices. Meccano France is makingfew brass parts, but these parts are now madeby reproduction sources and are usually verygood quality.

4. A group of 10 used part #63 brass couplingssold for $56 CDN; steady prices for a useful part.

5. Ten kilograms (22 pounds weight) of well-used and common parts (strips, flanged plates,flexible plates, pulley wheels, etc.) from the1950-70 era sold for $55 CDN plus postage fromEngland, which would restrict this lot to a UKbuyer. Used and common parts (good candi-dates for straightening, cleaning and re-paint-ing) seem to have a constant value of about $3to $5 per pound weight (recommended fleamarket prices), and can be good sources for bulkbuilding materials after refinishing.

6. Two used part #143 circular girders in 1960sred sold for $20 CDN each, still affordable. Thecompanion part #118 hub discs (in 1970s blue,excellent condition) sold for $31 CDN each,these are starting to get expensive.

And, edging into collector territory:7. An unusual part #152 doublepulley block (without hoisting tab)in 1920s dark green and in goodcondition sold for $42 CDN, a fairprice for a rare part that was onlymade for 2 years, and was changed

to the “with tab” version in early 1929.

8. A 1930s Aeroplane Constructor No. 1 outfitbox (only the box) in good condition with a nicelid decal sold for $245 CDN. Prices for completeboxed Aeroplane outfits continue to edge intothe high triple digits.

9. A 1918ish instruction manual of 136 pages ingood condition, and very rare since it was printedin CHINESE, sold for $340 CDN. Unusual andold Meccano literature in nice condition contin-ues to set new price records.

10. A 1930s vintage No. 1 oilcan (round bodytype) in good condition with its screw top soldfor $625 CDN. A very rare collectible at a veryrare price, but just the thing to oil those noisy


clockwork motors with a bit of class!

11. A sharp-eyed collector spotted a treasure ina lot advertised simply as “Three vintageMeccano tins”, and for the princely sum of $133CDN took home a very rare 1911 Royal Meccanooutfit tin box, in very good condition. Lookclosely at other listings and you may find asimilar beauty.

12. A 1951 re-strung No. 7 outfit in almost-unused condition sold for $525 CDN, only 33times its original price in Canada.

13. The famous part #167 geared roller bearingin 1930s red and green, without box but in goodcondition, sold for $1250 CDN. An original boxwould have probably increased this price by50%.

14. A 1974 unused No. 9 outfit in its originalwooden box complete with foam inserts sold for$1025 CDN, but delivery costs from Australiahad to be added. Other mint unused No. 9outfits have recently sold for $1800 and even$4100 (ouch!), depending on date and condi-tion. The super expensive set was one of the lastdark blue and yellow outfits delivered by BinnsRoad in 1979, in a dark wood triple-layer box,with all contents still shrink-wrapped.

15. The builder’s dream No. 10 outfit, an un-usual 1968 version with yellow and black partsin a 4-drawer No. 10 cabinet, in gently usedcondition, sold for $3100 CDN. Other gentlyused No. 10 outfits have recently sold for similarprices, so these outfits may have reached avalue plateau for the time being.

16. Finally, a real collector’s dream was a late1920s dealer parts cabinet with glass top, ingood condition and well-stocked with nickel andearly coloured parts, a few in original boxes.This rare cabinet with its display of factory-freshparts under the glass top (a lovely sight indeed!)sold for $3900 CDN and has found a good homewith an established US collector. We hope hewill share some pictures with us in the nearfuture!

This concludes our second look at eBay, withmore details of how it works and how to use it.Perhaps some of you will now venture to try thisinternational auction site and at least explore thewide range of Meccano that is available. In thenext instalment of eBay Excursions we willcontinue to explore some of the finer points andprovide interesting examples of what you canfind through the internet.

James Bobyn

Richard Symonds’ Tips &Treasures

On the right, see the diagram of Richard’s “jig”for making useful parts from Meccano junk.“This little tool had made hundreds of parts fromMeccano junk.”

Below is a Gabriel Erector Ferris Wheel.


The other photos show Erector Hudson trains,on 1st page -Erector Hudson Industrial Loco-motive & Erector Hudson Single Truck FlatTrailer. On the 2nd page see Erector HudsonWrecking DerrickDouble Truck,Erector Hudson In-dustrial Locomo-tive with Trailer &Erector HudsonWrecking Derrick.


Proposed Changes to theConstitution

The Executive has proposed the followingchanges to the Constitution. These changes willbe put to a vote at the Meccano Show to be heldon Saturday, May 3rd 2003. If any memberwould like to comment on the changes, they areasked to contact the President. The proposedchanges are highlighted and in bold italic letter-ing.

ARTICLE IV. ADMINISTRATION

The administration of the Association shall bevested in the Executive Board, consisting of sixmembers. The said officers being: the President,the Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Editorof Club publications, and Parts & Sets Manager,who shall be elected in a manner prescribed bythe Club bylaws, and shall hold office for aperiod of two years. The President, Treasurer,and Parts & Sets Manager shall vacate theirpositions in odd-numbered years, and the bal-ance of the Committee in even-number years.

5. ELECTION OF OFFICERS

Section 1. At the Annual General Meeting inodd-numbered years, there shall be elected:President, Treasurer, and Parts & Sets Man-ager. The election shall proceed in the followingorder: (1) President (2) Treasurer (3) Parts &Sets Manager. At the Annual General Meetingin even-numbered years, there shall be elected:Vice-President, Secretary, and Editor of Clubpublications. The election shall proceed in thefollowing order: (1) Vice-President (2) Secretary(3) Editor of Club publications.

6. DUTIES OF OFFICERS.

Add new Section 6, to read as follows:

Section 6. Parts & Sets Manager shall be re-sponsible for the ordering of new sets and partsfrom sources that he/she may deem appropri-ate. He/she shall coordinate the distribution ofsaid parts or sets to the members who haveplaced orders.

Old Section 6 will now become Section 7 to read:

Section 7. At the end of a Committee member’sterm of office, the individual concerned shallturn over to the Club all documents and othermaterials pertaining to the Association withinthirty (30) days of leaving office.

Thousand Islands ModelRailroaders Show

Gananoque, Ontario — August9-10, 2003

CMAMAS members have been invited again toexhibit at the Thousand Islands Model Railroad-ers show in Gananoque, Ontario on August 9-10, 2003.

Gananoque is a picturesque Town on the St.Lawrence River. Each summer it is destinationfor thousands of tourists who take in the boattours of the Thousand Islands, live theatre andother attractions.

Each summer Gananoque holds its Festival ofthe Islands, a ten day extravaganza of concerts,parades and events for young and old. TheThousand Islands Model Railroaders will holdtheir 6th annual show on the opening weekendof the festival. This is one of the best modelrailroad shows around with numerous layoutsfrom both sides of the border and a steady flowof visitors. This is the third year that our mem-bers have participated and our displays alwaysdraw attention.

If you are interested in exhibiting, please contactHubert Hogle, 245 John St, Napanee ON K7R1R8; Tel: (613) 354-2607; [email protected]

Half-Maltese IntermittentDrive

Catchy Contrivances: Not-So-Standard Mechanisms

Contrivance n. act of contriving; deceitful prac-tice; invention; mechanical device (Concise Ox-ford Dictionary)

The “Maltese cross” or “Geneva” mechanism isnamed for its resemblance to the eight-pointedcross. Its driven member has four slots at rightangles; between the slots, the outer edges of thedisc are concave. The mechanism was usedwhere the driven member must completely stopafter every motion. One example was in movieprojectors, where the film must stop completely24 times a second so successive frames can beprojected.


This Meccano mechanism is not a true “Maltesecross” but resembles a half-cross. The drivenmember turns rapidly, stops, and is locked dur-ing half of each turn of the driving member.

The driving member is a faceplate (p/n 109)carrying four 1 inch corner brackets (133a) andthree fishplates (10) arranged to leave a slotwide enough for a long threaded pin (115a) toslide in. The slot extends so that the threadedpin when at the bottom of the slot is exactly atthe centre of the faceplate. On a half-inch (12mm) bolt (p/n 111a) mount a corner bracket byits corner hole; three washers; another cornerbracket, two more washers and a thinwasher. Arrange the two corner brack-ets “back to back” so that one freearm of each is in line with the otherbracket. Into those lined-up tip holesinsert a 3/8 in. (9 mm) bolt, with threewashers between the brackets; add afishplate (10) by its slotted hole, anda washer and nut. Insert the half-inchbolt into an inner hole of the faceplate,and add a washer and nut. Line upthe round hole of the fishplate withthe outer end of a slot in the faceplate,spaced away by washers, and boltfirmly. Repeat this process with twomore corner brackets arranged as amirror image of the first assembly.The free wings of the corner bracketsshould then leave a slot, directly abovea slot in the faceplate, and just wide enough topermit a rod to slide between the brackets. In thefaceplate slot away from the brackets, mount afishplate by its slot, and two washers, on a 5/16in. (8 mm) bolt (111b) so that the free inner endof the fishplate slides under the corner bracket,and barely touches a trial rod in the boss of thefaceplate.

Mount the faceplate assembly on the end of acrank handle carried in two flat trunnions (126a)mounted above the faceplate. (The illustrationshows the baseplate flanges upward; if theflanges are downward, mount these flat trun-nions on 3 hole angle girders.)

On the boss side of a bush wheel (24) mount along threaded pin (115a) and a short threadedpin (115) in diametrically opposite holes. Ensurethat the pins project through the wheel onlyenough to tighten a nut on each. Mount thisbush wheel on a 2 1/2 in. (60 mm) rod carried intwo trunnions bolted to the baseplate. Note thatthis rod will be one hole lower than the crank

handle. Shim the bush wheel with washers sothe long threaded pin projects into the slot in thefaceplate assembly, directly in line with thecrank handle and just clearing the boss of thefaceplate. The tip of the short threaded pinshould be closest to the baseplate, and shouldproject past the outermost corner brackets. Onthe free end of this rod mount a short arm crank(62d) or other suitable “pointer”, lining it up withthe long threaded pin on the bush wheel.

When the crank handle is turned, the driven rodwill remain stationary until the leading edge of acorner bracket strikes the short pin. The rod will

then begin to turn. As the short pin comes clearof the corner bracket, after one quarter-turn, theother bracket assembly will catch the long pinand carry its around to its original position. Atthat point the long pin will be in the slot betweenthe brackets, and the rod will be locked againstturning while the faceplate turns another half-revolution.

Parts required: 9f x 2, 16a x 1, 19g x 1, 24 x 1,52 x 1, 62d x 1, 109 x 1, 111a x 2, 111c x 2, 115x 1, 126 x 2, 126a x 2

Don Redmond

Mechanism by Hubert Hogle

Editor’s notes: see the back cover for an enlarge-ment of the rotating wheel. The distance be-tween the endpoints of the threaded pins is acrucial measurements, you have to use threadedpins of particular lengths to acheive the properdistance. The back cover also shows other ver-sions of this mechanism.


Exacto Keeps MovingAhead

During the past months Exacto has been intro-ducing new products and services that widenthe scope of their offer for thebenefit of Meccano enthusiastsall over the world. From the pointof view of Juan Carlos Rovetta,present Managing Director ofExacto, “there is much to be doneyet in the development of ourparamount hobby and for thebenefit and pleasure of so many“adult boys” all over the world.”What follows is a review of the main highlights.

Blue & Gold on non-Exacto partsCMAMAS members are already acquainted withthis new version of the classical finish. Issue 26of “Canadian MeccaNotes” included an ampledescription of its development and characteris-tics. The CMAMAS membership, as well asenthusiasts all over the world, gavea generous response to this newoffer.

Many Meccano enthusiasts con-sulted about their non-Exacto parts,and the decision was taken to pro-vide the service of giving the newblue & gold finish to any part that is not in theExacto range. This is not a full refurbishing,nothing can be done if the part is structurallydamaged since work is done only on the finish.The parts are treated individually, carefullystripped to the bare metal and given the fullfinishing process leaving them as if new. All thisshould be great news for those seeking theirblue & gold big sets, like 10’s and L’s. Sincethese big sets may have some 50 to 70 of suchnon- Exacto blue & gold parts, then the cost offinishing them falls into a quite affordable rangeconsidering the value of the whole set.

Exacto Ignis Electric GearedMotors

Maybe those participating in Spanner have hadthe chance to read some comments on thesemotors. Paolo Caravani (Italy) has even qualifiedthem as “jewels”, generous and passionate as

Italians usually are. But now let’s get to the hardfacts. Three motors compose the range. Thephotograph shows models MR4 and MR8, Theyare provided as a set, including an adapter plate,fasteners, cables (not shown in the photo) andExacto N° 255 couplings in the bigger sizes with8mm (5/16") shafts. Each one has a nominalpower output that can cover almost every needfor a Meccano constructor, from a small modelto the wildest and bigger ones. Since they aregeared motors, the output speed (RPM’s) mustbe defined upon ordering the set. Their technicalcharacteristics are the following:

MR4 SETnominal power: 1,20W (similar to MARXMILLIPERM)nominal voltage and current: 12V DC; 100mArange of speeds: 15 - 50 - 100 - 200 RPM4mm diameter shaft mounted on bronzebushings, acetal resin gears

MR8 SETnominal power: 4,80Wnominal voltage and current: 12V DC; 400mArange of speeds: 9 - 18 - 47 - 78 - 258 - 330 -1400 RPM8mm diameter shaft mounted on bronzebushings, steel gearssuitable for Exacto 8mm (5/16") systemset includes N° 255 coupling (8mm to 4mm)

MR5 SETnominal power: 33.60W (12% more powerthan MARX HECTOPERM)nominal voltage and current: 24V DC; 1,4Arange of speeds: 0,3 - 1,2 - 5 - 21 - 90 - 380 -1600 RPM8mm diameter shaft mounted on bronzebushings, steel gearssuitable for Exacto 8mm (5/16") system, setincludes N° 255 coupling (8mm to 4mm)


Exacto Reproduction 1929Vertical Steam Engine

In the June 2002 “Canadian MeccaNotes” Exactoofficially stated: “we seem to be the only survi-vors among Binns Road´s licensees. We do feeluneasy when we are mistaken for manufactur-ers of reproductions or imitations. Hey, we arethe real stuff! We strive to keep up a tradition,and are particularly keen on improving andevolving.” Interestingly enough, even contra-dictory as it may seem, Exacto is explicitlyoffering a reproduction now, though not a simpleone.

The engine is 100% identical to the originalcounterpart, both functionally and dimension-ally. This is so to the point that Exacto offersboth the complete motor and the spares, in casethe happy owner of an original piece needs torepair any broken or deteriorated item. Of course,Exacto can do such repairs too, and the sameskilled craftsmen responsible for these repro-ductions would be refurbishing the original en-gines.

The only difference is obvious: the imitationrivets, inspection doors and water-level indica-tor are missing, since these decorative detailswould have meant a considerable increase inthe cost of the engine. All the rest is there: thecontrol lever allowing for forward / neutral /reverse operation, the fine-pitch 76 teeth gearand 26 teeth pinion, the safety valve, the gaugecock, the lamp, the superheating of the livesteam, and the thrill of having the engine run-

ning and puffing gently at 600 / 650 RPM undera 2 kg/cm2 (28psi) working pressure. The joywill last some 20 minutes, until the methanol iscompletely burnt-out and continuing with thefun calls for refilling the lamp and the boiler.

Exacto SetsDuring 2002 Exacto started to produce and sellits well-known version of the classical CraneSet, which met a more-than-reasonable com-mercial success and reached every corner of theMeccano world.

Now the stakes are on a modern version of theN°4 set, 1976 composition. The photo illus-trates the set, which can be provided in Liverpoolred / green or in Exacto blue / yellow / grey livery.The box was carefully designed so that the partscan withstand even the most careless postalhandling. All the parts are firmly positionedinside polyester + EVA rubber sandwich trays,and small items such as fasteners and bracketsare contained inside cardboard-and-tin cylindri-cal boxes. Sets N° 1, 2 and 3 can be delivered inthe same packaging.

The first sets are being delivered with a compli-mentary model book, a surplus of the golden“Meccano Industria Argentina” age. In a way,this is a piece of history adding value to the set.

New Members in the ExactoFamily of Helical Gears

There are two new members in the Exactofamily of helical gears, as shown in the photo.They are Z60 and Z48 (i.e., 60 and 48 teeth).These gears add greater possibilities to therange, with transmission ratios from 1:1 to 1:5between parallel or orthogonal shafts. More-over, Z12, Z24, Z36, Z48 and Z60 share a most


practical property: they all mesh at hole distanceor at half-hole distance. See table below fordetailed information.

CMAMAS Members BuyingExacto Products

CMAMAS members are well aware of the enor-mous efforts that the members of the CMAMASexecutive do, donating their time in order toprocess bulk orders which allow for consider-able cost reductions. Such tremendous effortshave led to the rational decision of concentratingbulk orders and processing only per year, clos-ing date April 15th. However, as this is beingwritten Exacto is working out an special agree-ment with CMAMAS which will make it possiblefor any CMAMAS member to place orders anytime during the year and get an special discounton the Exacto price list. The orders will be

received and authorized by CMAMAS, who willcollect payments too. Exacto will process suchorders individually, in the shortest time allowedfor by the availability of parts or colours. Priceswill be certainly higher than those obtainedthrough bulk orders. But CMAMAS membersthat are not willing to wait for the yearly bulkorder will enjoy the lowest possible prices forExacto parts and sets through this special ben-efit. Detailed information on this special agree-ment may be available soon through the usualchannels.

Juan Carlos Rovetta


The PeddlerFOR SALE: Meccano Collection. The base of thiscollection is a lightly used blue & yellow No. 10Set, extensively supplemented with extra parts(e.g. there are forty 197’s, and plenty of 2" & 3"Pulleys plus tyres). Approximately 20% of thecollection is 1950’s red & green, with mostFlexible & Strip Plates having round end holes.The collection is stored in a No. 10 Cabinet plusa Husky® 5-drawer Tool Cabinet. Brassware isabout what you would find in a No. 10 Set, otherthan extra Collars and Gears. There are alsothree recent unopened sets: No. 2, No. 3 and261. Motors: Norm LaCroix 24-volt, E15R, Temsi,Crane, No. 1 Clockwork (2), Magic (2), plus aquality transformer. There is a medium sizeErector collection as well, including a CraneGrab. Literature: 92 “M. Ms.” between Novem-ber 1946 & November 1956 (a couple of com-plete years), 8 issues between November 1961& September 1963, “The CanadianMeccanoman’s Newsletter Issues 17-48, Cana-dian Meccano News Nos. 1, 3, 4, and “CanadianMeccaNotes” Nos. 1-8, plus several CanadianModelPlans. Manuals include a 7/8, Set 10Leaflets (30), and Temsi Sets 1, 2, 5. MeccanoConstructors Guide. Price $4,000.00. Buyer tocollect (Toronto area). Contact Colin Hoare formore information.

The “X Files” — of 1929For some years I have puzzled over a Meccanoset I got from a gentleman in Toronto who wasconsiderably older than I. The set is in a blackcarton with orange lining, and bears a Liverpoolpacking slip rubber-stamped “1X 8 28 41” — set1X, date August 1928, inspector 41. On thecover, the set number 1X is on a roundel pastedinto the circle for the set number in the mainlabel. The contents of the set are from the firstcolour period of Meccano, dark red/green, andinclude a 4V reversing electric motor in dark red(DMS 2033) stamped “Manufactured byMeccano Ltd. Liverpool England”, and a dark redreversing clockwork motor (DMS 2114). Themystery was that “X” series sets were from theMeccano Company in Elizabeth, New Jersey,which by 1929 had been bought by A.C. Gilbert;and that this set contained a great deal morethan any known “set 1”: four 3 in. pulleys, eightwindmill sails, two circular girders, four archi-traves (corner gussets), both large and smallflanged wheels, four sector plates, braced gird-ers in four lengths, eight couplings, four 57-tooth gears, and much more. It appeared in factto be what Binns Road had in a No. 6 set of 1928,or possibly a “special order” set with addedparts.

Bert Love provided the answer, in ConstructorQuarterly No. 12 of June 1991, in his “NostalgicNotes” article on the 1929 revision by Gilbert ofthe Meccano line in the U.S.A.. He showed anillustration of a “Sample of the ‘X’ outfits shownin the earlier 1929 New Jersey Meccano book-let” — a set almost identical to mine, with setnumber 2X in the roundel on the lid. The lid labelis nearly identical to that on my set, a boy witha hammerhead crane model, save that the boy’sarms are in a slightly different position. Eventhat could be artist’s license. Since the set in theCQ illustration is said to be “earlier” 1929, myset must, with a 1928 packing date, be “earlier”still.

Binns Road must have agreed to some schemewhereby they would provide “X” sets, packed assuch, for sale in the U.S.A.. An August 1928packing date is consistent with sets destined forChristmas 1928/early 1929 sale in the States. Atthat date, Gilbert’s changes for the New Jeseryfactory would not have taken place. New Jerseystock must have been paid in even as Gilbertchanged things — hence Love notes that “bothstyles of Meccano sets [Binns Road and Gilbert]were on sale in the same country in the same

year!”

The question remains, was the set shipped fromNew Jersey to Toronto and sold by the Meccanooffice of the time, or by a Meccano dealer; or wasit purchased in the United States and brought toToronto? Or could it have been shipped directlyfrom Liverpool to Toronto? As the originalpurchase cannot now be traced, a mysteryremains. But at least I can says that I have “thebiggest No. 1 Meccano set in the world”!

Why these sets were sold with affixed numberswhich by any comparison with Meccano setselsewhere or of any other time, were surpris-ingly small, is still unfathomable. Gilbert mar-keted series of sets with strange numbers —from 0 to 70 in 1929, and then his hybrid setsnumbered 1, 3, 5, 110 to 150 — but the “X” sets(not to be confused with “Meccano-X” whichwas completely different) have still not beenfully explained.

Don Redmond


Model Plans and CanadianMeccaNotes Back Issues

Can be obtained from:

o Colin Hoare (address on page 2), via MoneyOrder or Cheque.

o outside North America: MW Models(address below) sells 2002 and earlier issues.

MW Models4 Greys Road, Henley-on-Thames, Oxton,England RG9 1RY, phone: 0491 572436,FAX: 0491 571175,[email protected]

http://www.mwmodels.co.uk/

Credit cards are accepted!

MECCANO & ERECTORParts, Sets & Literature

Old, New, Used, RestoredSend $2.00 (U.S. or CDN)New Parts List w/Prices

*** SPECIAL TO MEMBERS ***

Remote Control Unitswith 2 Motors: US $50.00

ALSOMaster Builder Sets: US $100.00

(Shipping Extra)Discounts on 1990's sets;Call or e-mail for details.

LOU BOSELLI19 Payson Rd.

Cornwall-on-HudsonN.Y. 12520 U.S.A.

(845) [email protected]

http://www.memeshadow.net/cmamas/meccano/Lou_Boselli/

FOR SALE: Meccano Collection. This collectionhas not been assembled around any particularset. It is largely medium red and green, is lightlyused, and would cost around £5000.00 basedon current Frizinghall prices. Highlights in-clude: six AC/DC motors (including 3 x 110v, oneE20R, and one long plate motor in red), 238Angle Girders, 84 Pinions (28 non-standardones), 36 Bevel Gears, c. 1700 Brass Nuts &Bolts, and an equal number of zinc, 8 BrakeDrums with Sprockets. An Excel Spreadsheet ofthe complete listing is available on request.Price $2,500.00. Location: Hamilton area. Con-tact Colin Hoare for more information.

WANTED: Stabiland Stokys parts.Samuel F. Chow,7466 - 13th Av-enue, Burnaby, BCV3N 4K4, 1-604-5 2 5 - 7 8 5 5 ,[email protected].

FOR SALE: Meccano parts: yellow/blue, Red/green, gears, motors and windups, manualsand complete sets l973 vintage, sets 3 to 6.Send for price lists or your wants. Earl Pitts, 26Dyer Court, Cambridge, ON N3C 4B8. (519)658-2086 or [email protected]


Left - Exacto’sreproduction

1929 MeccanoSteam Engine,

right - large sizehelical gears.

GenevaMechanisms

Canadian MeccaNotes 200303Thousand Islands Model Railroaders Show21 Half-Maltese Intermittent Drive...

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