Canadian MeccaNotes · Napanee, Ontario, Canada, K7R 1R8, [email protected], (613)532-3672 Vice President... Attila Szakonyi, ... Toronto, Ontario, Canada M2R 1K7, [email protected],

Canadian MeccaNotesCanadian MeccaNotesCanadian MeccaNotesCanadian MeccaNotesCanadian MeccaNotesIssue #72 • December 2013Issue #72 • December 2013Issue #72 • December 2013Issue #72 • December 2013Issue #72 • December 2013

2 Canadian MeccaNotes2 Canadian MeccaNotes2 Canadian MeccaNotes2 Canadian MeccaNotes2 Canadian MeccaNotes December 2013December 2013December 2013December 2013December 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o within North America: Canada - $45; U.S.A.- US$54. Make cheque or money order payableto CMAMAS, mail to Treasurer.o elsewhere: £38, US$65 or C$63o payment via PayPal is available, contactColin Hoare for details

© Copyright 2013-14 C.M.A.M.A.S. Copyright 2013-14 C.M.A.M.A.S. Copyright 2013-14 C.M.A.M.A.S. Copyright 2013-14 C.M.A.M.A.S. Copyright 2013-14 C.M.A.M.A.S.and/or Individual Contributors.and/or Individual Contributors.and/or Individual Contributors.and/or Individual Contributors.and/or Individual Contributors.

Meccano and Erector are registered tradenames and are used in Canadian

MeccaNotes by kind permission of MeccanoLtd..

North American subscribers to CanadianMeccaNotes are automatically members of

the Canadian Modeling Association forMeccano and Allied Systems (CMAMAS).

Canadian MeccaNotesCanadian MeccaNotesCanadian MeccaNotesCanadian MeccaNotesCanadian MeccaNotesThe “Canadian MeccaNotes” newsletter (ISSN1207-2249) is published 4 times per year(March, June, September and December) bythe Canadian Modeling Association for Meccano& Allied Systems (CMAMAS).

“Written and produced by Meccanoenthusiasts for Meccano enthusiasts.”

Canadian Modeling Association forMeccano & Allied Systems (CMAMAS)

http://www.cmamas.cahttp://www.cmamas.cahttp://www.cmamas.cahttp://www.cmamas.cahttp://www.cmamas.ca

CMAMAS ExecutiveCMAMAS ExecutiveCMAMAS ExecutiveCMAMAS ExecutiveCMAMAS ExecutivePresident ... Hubert Hogle, 245 John Street,Napanee, Ontario, Canada, K7R 1R8,[email protected], (613)532-3672Vice President ... Attila Szakonyi,10 Fendley Crt, Brampton, Ontario, Canada,L6Z 3H9, [email protected],(905)846-5287Treasurer ... Mike Sobanski,26 Superior Ave., Toronto, Ontario, CanadaM8V 2M6, [email protected] ... Colin Hoare, 18 Tweedle St.,Glen Williams, Ontario, Canada L7G 3S5,[email protected], (647) 226-5006Newsletter Editor/Webmaster ...D a v i dWilliams, 3017 - 111A Street, Edmonton,Alberta, Canada T6J 3Y5, [email protected],(780)438-1197Parts & Sets Manager ... Dave Duncan,55 Lurgan Drive, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaM2R 1K7, [email protected],(416)733-8670

Table of ContentsTable of ContentsTable of ContentsTable of ContentsTable of Contents

Editor’s Notes 3Upcoming Meccano Shows 2014 3Presidential Perusings 42013 Meccanoman of the Year 5Product Report 5Fall Meccano Show Reports 6The Skid 11Double Trip Hammer 20Crane 22Canadian Toy Collectors (CTC) Show 24An Eclectic Lot 26

December 2013December 2013December 2013December 2013December 2013 Canadian MeccaNotes 3Canadian MeccaNotes 3Canadian MeccaNotes 3Canadian MeccaNotes 3Canadian MeccaNotes 3

Upcoming Meccano ShowsUpcoming Meccano ShowsUpcoming Meccano ShowsUpcoming Meccano ShowsUpcoming Meccano Shows20142014201420142014

The Ottawa Train Expo is stillalive and well but somewhatreduced in size. They havepartnered with Bytown RailwaySociety and moved to the Ernst& Young Centre, 4899 UplandsDr., Ottawa. This location, whichis near the airport, is only 30,000s.f. (Previous years were at theCarleton Fieldhouse which is48,000 s.f.). We have been offered a smaller space

but they may be able to give us more when theyknow who is coming.The show is to be held earlier, April 26 - 27, 2014. Other dates to add to your calendar1. Kingston Rail-O-Rama, March 8-9, 20142. Georgetown sometime during March 2014 break(Mar. 9-17)3. Hamilton Museum or Steam Technology, May25-26, 20144. Milton Steam-Era, Aug. 29-Sep. 1, 2014Hubert Hogle, [email protected]

Editor’s NotesEditor’s NotesEditor’s NotesEditor’s NotesEditor’s NotesThis last issue of 2013 includes new model plansand showcases many of the fall shows. Thanks toEd Barclay, Glynn Bates, DaveDuncan, Colin Hoare and oth-ers for supplying items for thisissue.Next Issue DeadlineNext Issue DeadlineNext Issue DeadlineNext Issue DeadlineNext Issue Deadline

We plan to publish the March2014 issue in late February2014; the final deadline is Feb-ruary 7.David Williams


Presidential PerusingsPresidential PerusingsPresidential PerusingsPresidential PerusingsPresidential PerusingsIt was my intention to get my final column underthis header written on December 23rd, but unfor-tunately, Mother Nature had other ideas. A viciousfreezing rainstorm swept into Ontario on theevening of December 22nd, and continued untilwell into December 23rd. The devastation wasenormous, with hundreds of trees being reduced tolittle more than kindling as branch after branchcame crashing down under the weight of the ice onthe tree limbs. Electrical power came and whenfrom around 9:00 p.m. on Saturday night, andwent out for good at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday.From that point on, it was amatter of waiting to see whenwe would be restored to thegrid. Virtually everyone wasin the same boat, so it wasdefinitely not going to be aquick fix. In our case, wewere faced with the situationthat the power line connect-ing the house to the nearest telegraph pole to thehouse passed through the branches of a birch tree.My wife and I set about removing all the branchesthat might present a problem - and, just as we gotthe last one out of the way, the power mastattached to the house broke away from the brack-ets that held it in place. As a result, we were nowfaced with the problem that this had to be repairedby a certified electrician before we could be hookedup again. The electrician came on Friday after-noon, and power was finally restored on SundayDecember 29th - just about a full week after thelights went out. The rest of the residents on thestreet were better off in that they got power onThursday. We were lucky in that we had gas andwater, so we kept the house from freezing becauseof the one gas fire we had in the family room. Theparaffin lamps we purchased at auction a fewyears ago provided light at night, so essentially wewent back to the days of our ancestors when thiswas the only way to read in the evening.Now back to Meccano: the last few months hasseen a remarkable change in the world of Meccano

-and, more specifically - in Canada. From aCMAMAS standpoint, we now have a new Presidentin Hubert Hogle, who, I am confident, will bring afresh approach to promoting our hobby. Thismeans that yours truly is writing his last Presiden-tial Perusings - at least, under that banner. I will,however, be more than happy to contribute aregular column, but under another heading. It willseem rather strange, however, not to contributesuch a column under that heading, as I have doneit for almost two decades.The other, and far more significant change, hasbeen in the ownership of Meccano. For the firsttime ever, a Canadian Company, Spin Master, hasbecome the owner Meccano. We have alreadyseen some important developments that haveenabled CMAMAS members to make a significantcontribution. It started with a contact from LawrenceRabie, whose brother Anton is one of the threeindividuals who own Spin Master. Lawrence be-came involved as his skills reside in the PublicRelations & Marketing side of a business operation.Lawrence set about making contact with some ofthe more active members of CMAMAS (as well asa few Meccanomen in the U. K.), and we had atelephone conference in November to discuss whatcontributions we could make. For a start, it hadbeen hoped that CMAMAS members could demon-strate modelbuilding in local stores in December,to try and promote Christmas sales, This had beendone at least once before during the era whenLundby were the distributors in Canada, but sadlytime was not on our side, and it did not materialise.However there is always December 2014!Nevertheless, the future for Meccano looks morepromising than it has for quite some time. Theplans are that the construction of new modelsneeds to be linked to their operation by remotemeans via an i-pad. This will certainly tie in withthe modern trend. Let us hope that this will leadto a revival in interest in the hobby.One sad aspect of this change in ownership is thefact that our close relationship with the supplier ofMeccano over the past several years, Borgfeldt,has come to an end as of December 31st. While it


was a transition that the Executive expected, ourcollaboration with all the Borgfeldt staff, and MerleTubman in particular, has come to an end. DavidDuncan and I definitely feel that the relationship issomething that deserves both praise and remem-bering. Our thanks to Borgfeldt - we will missworking with them.Colin Hoare

2013 Meccanoman of the2013 Meccanoman of the2013 Meccanoman of the2013 Meccanoman of the2013 Meccanoman of theYearYearYearYearYear

Doug ArmstrongDoug ArmstrongDoug ArmstrongDoug ArmstrongDoug ArmstrongWhenever Doug Armstrong participates in aMeccano Exhibition, it can be expected that a largespace needs to be set aside for whatever models hewill bring. Whether the show is on Ottawa, inKingston, or somewhere in the Greater TorontoArea, Doug can be guaranteed to display severalsupermodels of his own design. Lately, for ex-ample, two of his most memorable have been oneof the largest Ferris Wheels ever built, and anequally large Tower Crane, the size of which occa-sionally has to be limited because the ceiling of theroom in which it being shown is not high enough.His Ferris Wheel is a classic example of what mightbe considered in some quarters of the Meccanoworld as a G. R. O. P. E. model, where the abbre-viation stands for Get Rid Of Parts Easily. Althoughthe base is a Metallus 49H x 49H Flat Plate, thechairs of the wheel are made up in part from a pairof 11H x 5H Flanged Plates (yes, those good old52’s that were found in all but the very smallestsets), plus some 11H Perforated Strips. The 11Hand 5H Braced Girders might be a bit of a luxury,since there are twenty-four such chairs in themodel, but what a way to use up the other, morecommon, parts!Doug has been a candidate for Meccanoman of theYear on previous occasions, but it was not until thisyear that he was finally - and deservedly - declaredthe winner. Congratulations to Doug on his suc-cess. We look forward to more ginormous modelsin the years to come.

Product ReportProduct ReportProduct ReportProduct ReportProduct ReportIt has been a pivotal year for our club in 2013. Withmany new additions to our parts inventory, andseveral new and ambitious members, we have hada successful year. The set 10a from last year setoff a wave of momentum within our club that hasbeen a catalyst for creativityand tremendous growth. Oursuppliers (Metallus, Ashok, andyes Exacto) for reproductionparts have never been happier.There may be a slight increasein price to some of the parts in2014. However there is somebad news along with some goodthat all Meccanomen fromaround the world will have toembrace going forward. TheMetallus factory is shutting down at the end of thisyear. The remaining stock will be sold off next yearand this will mark the end of an era of somefascinating modern Meccano-compatible parts. Wehave been fortunate in that we have managed tostockpile quantities of the reproduction parts for usto enjoy over the next several years. I mustrecognize Jean Claude Demalsy (a.k.a. SantaClaude) for his dedication to this program. Thisman deserves the Meccano equivalent of a NobelPrize. Now the good news, Spin Master is the newowner of the Meccano Brand. This Canadian toygiant has made it clear that it will do whatever ittakes to make Meccano a household name onceagain. All the Meccano societies are on board tohelp make this happen.In summary, I want to thank everyone for theircontinued support for the hobby and input that hasgiven me new tools to do my job for the club. I wishyou all the best in 2014.David Duncan, CMAMAS, [email protected]


Fall MeccanoFall MeccanoFall MeccanoFall MeccanoFall MeccanoShow ReportsShow ReportsShow ReportsShow ReportsShow Reports

Between September and No-vember, there were threeMeccano Shows that were well-supported by members. Thefirst was the Milton Steam EraShow over the Labour Day week-end, the second the “Last Blast”at the Simcoe County museum,and the final one at the HelsonGallery in the Georgetown Cul-tural Centre. We also had asmall display at the CanadianToy Collectors Society show.Listed below are some of themodels that caught this writer’sattention. It is by no means all-inclusive, so my apologies toanyone that was left out.

MiltonMiltonMiltonMiltonMiltonMilton was, as always, a most enjoyableevent. Three days when we not only wereable to display our models, but also towander round and revel in the atmosphereof an old-time agricultural show. Plenty ofideas to be had for new models from thearray of traction engines, vintage cars andtrucks, as well as stationary steam engines.

In terms of attendance by CMAMAS mem-bers, the best day of the show was SaturdayAugust 31st, when no less than sixteen mem-bers were present. As always, our regularattendee from south of the border, Lou Boselli,brought several models, as always. One ofnote was the Set. 10 4-4-0 Railway Locomo-tive that is based Schools Class that was oneof the jewels of the Southern Railway in the1930’s. Lou has done a fine job, and created


his version in pristine silver, blueand yellow.Attila presented his version of“Tom Thumb” - it is always goodto see a rebuild of a model thathad been written up in our ownmagazine, as well as the classicmotor chassis, plus an array ofaircraft of different sizes, in-cluding the TinTin Float Plane.His Rope-making machine alsoattracted interest, as always.Bill Gibson entertained visitorswith his Meccanograph, basedon an Andreas Konkoly original-it really does produce someexcellent patterns.Brent Simpson had also em-barked on a CMAMAS model -the Road Grader originally de-signed by Rick Collette. Brentapparently soon gave up on thewritten instructions (I do tryBrent!) and rebuilt it to his own specifications.Brilliant, as always.It was good to see Earl Pitts and Glenn Beney backat a show. Earl had his Motor Cycle Display Stand(originally by Mike Cotterill) and Blaw Knox Bull-dozer (a Keith Cameron original) as part of hisdisplay as well as one of Bernard Perier’s Cyclist ina Ring (well, in this case, it was outside the ring).Another model based on a Keith Cameron originalwas the small Demolition Derby model by EdBarclay. In addition, Ed had a coin in the slot ballgame to entertain the younger member of theaudienceGlynn Bates is perhaps one of the most prolificmodelbuilders in the club, and he had an array ofdifferent vehicles, notably the Bugatti Racing Car,as well as models built from the most recent kit toones constructed from parts that came from theblue and gold era. There was also a Dalek inamong his models as well.As for Doug Armstrong’s models - what can one

say? Certainly call ing themsupermodels does not do them jus-tice. Two cranes and one FerrisWheel - total value of the parts mustrun in the thousands of dollars, butone never counts the cost when itcomes to buying parts, does one?When Hubert Hogle attends a show,R2D2 just has to come with him,otherwise he dare not show his face!The kids all delight in playing withthe model, even if one or two of them


stretch the mechanisms to the limit, and runningrepairs are necessary.Art Stokman’s Eiffel Tower continues to grow insize. He must own more nickel Meccano thananyone else, and he is putting it to good use inconstructing this model, which will surely becomea challenge to assemble from its modular unitswhen it is completed, simply because of its sheersize.

GeorgetownGeorgetownGeorgetownGeorgetownGeorgetownJohn Wapshott - nine different aircraft, mostly

build from prewar Aeroplane Sets ‘O.’ Therewas also a TinTin Seaplane and oneMeccano-like plane. He also displayed arare Erector Brik set as well as a GilbertTool Chest.Lou Boselli, Set 10 Schools Locomotive inyellow & blue plus the turntable Sound Kitfrom 1958 Erector Amusement Park Set.He also brought the Ferris Wheel Set model,

plus two other recent kits, the Heli-copter and the Excavator.Glynn Bates - the most activemodelbuilder - brought along all four2013 Kits fully built -the Jeep, theHelicopter, the lorry-mounted cranewith extendable jib. He also suppliedhis elegant Bugatti sports car as wellas the prewar standard motor chassismodel.


Ed Barclay - the Dodgem Car model, the Roll-a Ballmodel, the smaller version of the Gears Demon-stration Model and Demolition Derby model (basedon the late Keith Cameron’s model of The Skaters.)He also provided an array of the models that thestudents build at the classes he provides for localschools.Hubert Hogle - R2D2, always a crowd pleaser, andthe Eiffel Tower that was originally build by LenWaltham. He also brought his Caterpillar model,and the usual array of demonstration mechanismunits.Doug Armstrong - The Giant Ferris Wheel with its24 cars - a great way to use up 48 5½ x 2½” FlangePlates as well as 96 5½” Strips. Also his magnifi-cent Tower Crane, the base of which was modular,fortunately, as he could not get all the tower unitsin place because the ceiling was not high enough.Eric Eisen brought his usual collection of smallmodels that offered the “Hands-on” Experience forthe younger members of the community who camealong.


Colin Hinz brought a Konkoly model that was published as a CanadianModelPlan. David Duncan provided the Mississippi Sternwheeler inblue that has proved popular at shows as well as a Peugeot van.Attila had his Twin Beam Pumping Engine, his Starburst Meccano-Limited display model, his Oil Rig Pump plus his Concorde aircraft,along with his version of the Tin-Tin Float Plane as well as severalother aircraft. Between Attila and this writer, there were six SopwithCamel planes on display.The main event as far as everyone was concerned was the opportunityto meet with Lawrence Rabie, brother of one of the co-owners of SpinMaster. Lawrence is handling the publicity side of the business. Hewas accompanied by several family members - all female. At least twoof the girls were thoroughly impressed with what could be built withMeccano.Colin HoarePhotos by Glynn Bates


The SkidThe SkidThe SkidThe SkidThe SkidIntroductionIntroductionIntroductionIntroductionIntroduction

The Skid ride, often called The Swirl, was intro-duced in the late 1920’s and for the next 40 yearsor so was one of the major rides with the travelingfairs.

The Skid was one of the most powerful midwaymachines, and certainly the noisiest. A coveredmachine, with a centre pay box, the Skid had verylarge, heavy cars which could seat at least fourriders. The cars were free to pivot at their frontend, and each car came with a brake pedal thatoperated the swing. By firmly depressing thepedal, a large wooden block came into contactwith the steel floor which caused the car to swingback. Upon releasing the pedal the car swung backand if the riders threw their weight to the right thereturn swing was exaggerated. The cars wereequipped with steel caster wheels which, whenrunning on a usually bumpy steel plate floor,created a very noisy clattering sound.The major rides usually had their machinery

mounted on a centre truck around which the ridewas assembled. The Skid was different in thatthere was no centre truck, so heavy units such asthe motor and cars needed a crane to lift them fromthe carrying trailers and position them for assem-bly. Most often the crane would be a temporary

affair attached to the front of the hauling tractor.Woe betide the showman whose crane was notworking. I have seen instances of a gang of eightmen manhandling the motor unit with the crewboss complaining that “this is torture” - it certainlywas!

BaseBaseBaseBaseBaseIllustration 3. The octagonal base is formed from9½” Angle Girders attached to a 6" Circular Plate.As shown in the illustration, 7½” Angle Girders arebolted to the 9½” Angle Girders and bracing 7½”and 2½” Angle Girders are added. The 2" Strips atthe inner ends of the 9½” Angle Girders are totransform the girder slots to holes. This will assistin lining up the turntable. The bolt in the outer end


of the 2" Strip is a 3/8" Bolt which also carries astack of six Fishplates located on the top surface ofthe 6" Circular Plate (Illustration 9). 4½” AngleGirders are bolted between the 9th holes of the

radial Angle Girders (illustration 6). 7½” Flat Gird-ers are bolted to the outer 7½” Angle Girders(illustration 8) and along their top edge are at-tached 2" Angle Girders, slots facing inward be-tween holes 1 and 4 and holes 13 to 15. A central1½” Angle Girder is also attached. The ends of the7½” Flat Girders are joined by a slightly curved

1½” Flat Girder. Note that the 7½” Flat Girders arespaced from the respective Angle Girder at holes 7and 9 by a pair of Washers (illustration 7). This isrequired due to the outer curve of the Sector Plate.

PlatformPlatformPlatformPlatformPlatformIllustrations 4 and 5. The platform is a ring ofSector Plates extended by 2½”x1½” Flexible Plates.A ring of 4" Curved Strips bolted to the penultimatehole on the underside of the Flexible Plates andFishplates on the top side are added for strength-


ening. The platform is attached to the base bymeans of a ½” Reversed Angle Bracket boltedbetween the middle hole of the 4½” Angle Girder(illustrations 6 and 7) and the middle 3-hole endhole of every 4th Sector Plate. This Sector Plate isalso bolted to the outer 1½” Angle Girder.

TurntableTurntableTurntableTurntableTurntableIllustrations 10 to 13. In order to construct thecheese wheel for the turntable, it is essential touse a Strip Curving Machine in order to properlyform the Rack Strips. Three 3½” Rack Strips andone 6½” Rack Strip will have to be suitably curvedand bolted to the perimeter of a Circular Girder. It


will be found that these Rack Strips fit exactlyaround the Circular Girder, and can be bolted bytheir end holes, except for one pair. Each jointbetween the Rack Strips is reinforced by means ofa stacked pair of 2½” Narrow Strips (illustrations10 and 11). The next step is to create a 40-holecurved strip. This is achieved by curving pairs of9½” and 2½” Strips and bolting them together as

shown in illustration 10. This 40-hole curved stripis attached to, and spaced from by a Plastic Spacerand three Washers, the cheese wheel by means of11/8" Bolts. This is shown in illustration 11. Pleasenote that in illustration 10 this curved strip is

shown attached by ¾” Bolts. This method ofattachment MUST BE IGNORED as it is a previousdesign which I abandoned. I neglected to changethe image! Please accept my apologies. Thecheese wheel is held in place by means of eightsets of roller assemblies (illustration 13). Theconstruction can be followed from the illustration.These eight units are attached to the 6" CircularPlate by means of Threaded Bosses (illustrations10 and 12). The Circular Girder runs in the grooves

of the ½” Pulleys, and must be located in positionbefore the Threaded Bosses are tightened up.Fishplates are added to the tops of the roller unitsand two opposite pairs are connected by a 2" Strip(illustration 10). These 2" Strips carry a DoubleBracket, lugs downward, in the centre hole. A 1½”Axle Rod is passed through the lugs of one of theDouble Brackets. On its outer end this axle carries


a 10-tooth Pinion which engages with the cheesewheel. On the inner end of this axle a 60-toothGear is secured. The other Double Bracket holdsa second 10-tooth Pinion held in position by a LongStud Bolt. This pinion is not used as a drivingmember but is added solely for balancing pur-poses. A 6" Flat Ring is attached to theFishplates located at the top of the rollerunits (illustrations 11 and 15). Around the40-hole curved strip, along with the pro-jecting ends of the 11/8" Bolts is a seriesof ½” Bolts facing outward. These boltsshould be spaced in pairs with one hole

between each bolt. The next pairbeing two holes removed. Illus-trations 11, 12 and 18 show themethod.

Motor and DrivingMotor and DrivingMotor and DrivingMotor and DrivingMotor and DrivingMechanismMechanismMechanismMechanismMechanism

Illustration 15 shows the modelequipped with the standardMeccano 6-volt motor mountedon a 2½” x 1½” Flat Plate. Themotor unit is spaced from the 6"Circular Plate by three 1½”x1½”Flat Plates. Running this model isat the uppermost limit of thestandard Meccano motor, so it

would be advisable to use a substitute. Illustra-tions 16 and 17 show a much more powerful 12-volt motor also mounted on a 2½” x 1½” FlatPlate. The illustrations show the construction ofthe motor units. Operator’s Booth and Skirt Four3½” x ½” Double Angle Strips are bolted to the 6"

Flat Ring (Illustra-tion 18) and a 6"Circular Plate isbolted to the toplugs. The lowerthree holes of theDouble AngleStrips hold 5½” x1½” FlexiblePlates curvedaround the struc-ture, while the top

holes hold 5½” Strips similarly curved. The platesand strips are overlapped by one hole. A skirt isconstructed by attaching 2" Flat Girders around a7½” Circular Strip (illustration 19). This skirt isattached to the operator’s booth, and spaced fromit by a Plastic Spacer and two Washers, by AngleBrackets (illustration 20). 2" Angle Girders formingsteps are attached to the 2" Flat Girders by AngleBrackets (illustration 20). This central unit shouldnow be attached to the base. Locate the Threadedbosses (illustration 12) onto the Fishplates (illus-tration 9) and use 3/8" Bolts to hold the unit firmlyin place.


Fish and CarsFish and CarsFish and CarsFish and CarsFish and CarsThe construction of the fish and cars can befollowed from illustrations 21 and 22. In actualpractice the wheels on the cars are of the castortype: on the scale of the model, however, castorsare not practical. The fish is locknutted to theprojecting bolts on the 40-hole curved strip. The

cars are locknutted to the ends of the fish. A shortelastic band attached as shown in illustration 23pulls the car back after it swings to the left. Theactual ride utilizes very powerful springs to achievethis action. Also the ride incorporated a verystrong steel cable secured between each fish. Alength of cord represents this cable (illustrations

23, 24 and 25). In order to make the cars swing,a 1½” Narrow Strip acting as a retarder is attachedto the platform Sector Plates (illustration 27).Illustration 24 shows a top view of the entireassembly.

Sides and RoofSides and RoofSides and RoofSides and RoofSides and RoofBolt 7½” Strips to the centre holes of the curved1½” Flat Girders (illustrations 1, 20 and 26). Theroof trusses which are attached to the side 7½”Strips and the centre 6" Circular Plate by AngleBrackets are constructed from 9½” Strips bracedby 2½” and 3½” Narrow Strips. 2½” Stripsconnect the ends. 4½” Strips space the trusses.Illustrations 2 and 25 show the construction. Thetop is a ring of Fishplates attached by AngleBrackets. Four 7½” Braced Girders are attached toalternate spaces between the upright 7½” Stripsby means of Obtuse Angle Brackets opened out to157.5 degrees. The other spaces are occupied bysteps. A 1" x ½” Double Angle Strip is bolted to theframe (illustration 26). A 7½” Angle Girder isbolted to the lugs of this Double Angle Strip and thestep is a 7½” Flat Girder. 5½” x 1½” FlexiblePlates are bolted around the tops of the vertical7½” Strips. These plates are decorated on their



tops by 2½” Curved Strips, 1" Triangular Platesand ¾” Washers and on their bottoms by 5½”Curved Strips. 2½” x 1½” decorative TriangularPlates are added to the uprights.Ed Barclay



Double Trip HammerDouble Trip HammerDouble Trip HammerDouble Trip HammerDouble Trip HammerThis model represents the type of machine foundin old metal working factories. These machinesemployed very heavy hammers which would beused to shape the hot metal. The hammers aretripped by means of a cam mechanism and are anexcellent example of a 1st class lever.An elastic band connects the 1" and 2" Pulleys.This band is crossed thus reversing the direction ofmotion. Always turn the crank CLOCKWISE other-wise the cams will jam.Ed Barclay



CraneCraneCraneCraneCraneNotes:- The turntable requires careful construction. Two3/8" Bolts are attached to the middle 4th and 6thholes of the centre 4½” x 2½” Flat Plate and facedownwards. The two nuts also act as spacersraising the 2" Pulley holding a 2" Axle from thebase. Slip the axle through the centre hole of thebase and lock two additional nuts to the 3/8" Bolts.A Bush Wheel also carrying two spacing nuts islocated and FREE to revolve on the 2" Axle. ThisBush Wheel is above the base plate. Attach this

Bush Wheel to the superstruc-ture by a pair of additional nuts.Push a 1" Pulley firmly down-ward and lock it onto the 2"Axle.- The grab is a pair of 2½”Curved Strips locknutted to-gether. A pair of ½” ReversedAngle Brackets act as jaws. ABolt located in one of thesebrackets assists in gripping theload. In the actual crane fric-tion caused by the weight of


the load would hold the material in place.- Note the two locking nuts securing the pivots forthe fixed pulleys at the jib head and at the top ofthe superstructure.Ed Barclay


Canadian Toy CollectorsCanadian Toy CollectorsCanadian Toy CollectorsCanadian Toy CollectorsCanadian Toy Collectors(CTC) Show(CTC) Show(CTC) Show(CTC) Show(CTC) Show

Mississaugua, October 20, 2013Mississaugua, October 20, 2013Mississaugua, October 20, 2013Mississaugua, October 20, 2013Mississaugua, October 20, 2013Photos by Glynn Bates



An Eclectic LotAn Eclectic LotAn Eclectic LotAn Eclectic LotAn Eclectic LotIt matters not one iota what I decide to build, Ialways find that I don’t have enough of a certainpart. This situationprobably applies toalmost all model build-ers. This time I wasrebuilding myDodgem Cars modelwhen I ran out of 1"Angle Girders. A quickcheck on the eBay siterevealed a lot of 50such parts ending thatday with no bids - yet!I placed my bid and won thelot for a very reasonable$13. As combined winninglots reduces shipping costs Ichecked this seller’s otherlots, all of which were formodern parts, and noticedone lot of 100 Collars. Asmy supply of Collars wasrapidly diminishing I bid andwon these parts. I fully ex-pected the Collars to be all ofmodern manufacture but uponreceipt I was greatly surprised.This was a really eclectic lotspanning the entire lifetimeof the Collar -and there were115 in the lot.I no longer consider myself acollector as I find building farmore rewarding, however, theold collectors eye is alwaysopen. I immediately spottedsome pre-war markings and sosorted the Collars into specificvariations. Among all the usualcommon types there were somereally nice surprises. First of allevery Collar had a Grub Screwand that was a bonus in itself.There were 4 of the long type

69b, a single short one, 69c -and one little beauty for myfreaks collection. Sorting theCollars revealed four of the 4-hole type - very useful in modelbuilding. The really interestingones were:A - The very first type whichwas tapped with a 5BA threadand the set screw was included.B - Very early single tappedwith sharp edges. Quite a fewof these.C - Single tapped with cham-fered edges and a very neat“Meccano” marking around theedge. I just liked this one as itwas a very pleasing design.D - Single tapped with“Meccano” on the face. I always thought that thismarking was mid to late 1930’s, however, beingsingle tapped dates this one to pre-1927.E - Double Tapped marked “Fabrique enAngleterre”. I have quite a few of these singletapped but this is the first one that I have seendouble tapped. Very faint marking and hard tophotograph.F - Single tapped, plated and magnetic, obviouslyan iron based alloy. It is tapped with the correct 5/32BSW. I have no idea where this one fits into thescheme of things. A guess would be that it isanother of those strange anomalies producedduring the 1914/18 period when brass was in shortsupply for everything except munitions.All in all a veryi n te res t i nglot.Ed Barclay



Georgetown

Documents

Canadian MeccaNotes · Napanee, Ontario, Canada, K7R 1R8, [email protected], (613)532-3672 Vice President... Attila Szakonyi, ... Toronto, Ontario, Canada M2R 1K7, [email protected],