Canadian MeccaNotes June 2005 - Canadian Modeling Association

Canadian
MeccaNotes
--- Issue #38 ---
June 2005
Moose Jaw 2005
See page 6.
2
Canadian MeccaNotes
Editor’s Notes
This issue contains a good variety of features.
Many thanks to Hubert Hogle, Bill Bardutz, Frank
Curry, Sam Chow, Colin Hoare, Emile Amirault,
Lloyd Schneider, Don Redmond and others for
supplying items for this issue.
One contributor to each Canadian MeccaNotes
issue gets a prize in appreciation
of their efforts. The March 2005
winner was Donald Morton.
Perhaps you’ll win for the next
issue? Starting this year, the
prize has changed to be one of
the new CMAMAS flashlights.
As noted last year, part of the
CMAMAS website is now password protected. For example to
see the meetings of minutes you
now need this id/password:
cmember/Sprocket2.
As always, the newletter is only as good as the
contributors. Your articles, photos, model plans,
short news items, want, sales and swap ads are
wanted. Items in machine readable form (e-mail,
CDROM) are preferred but everything is acceptable. If you scan photos, please scan them at a
minimum resolution of 150 dpi. If desired, your
... continued on page 3
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(4 Issues Per Calendar Year)
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o within North America: Canada - $35; U.S.A.
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- US$30. Make cheque or money order payable
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to CMAMAS, mail to Treasurer, address above.
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o elsewhere: £26, US$44 or C$58; also
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available from MW Models, address on page
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27.
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© Copyright 2005
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C.M.A.M.A.S. and/or Individual
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Contributors.
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Meccano and Erector are registered trade
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names
and are used throughout Canadian
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MeccaNotes
by kind permission of Meccano
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Ltd..
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North American subscribers to Canadian
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MeccaNotes are automatically members of
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the Canadian Modeling Association for
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Meccano
and Allied Systems (CMAMAS).
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The “Canadian MeccaNotes” newsletter
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ciation for Meccano & Allied Systems
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(CMAMAS).
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siasts for Meccano enthusiasts.”
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Canadian Modeling Association for
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Meccano & Allied Systems (CMAMAS)
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130 Neptune Drive, Suite 1109
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Toronto, Ontario
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CANADA M6A 1X5
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http://www.memeshadow.net/
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cmamas/
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President ... Colin Hoare, 18 Tweedle St.,
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Glen Williams, Ontario, Canada L7G 3S5,
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[email protected], (905)873-8261
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Vice President ... Attila Szakonyi,
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10 Fendley Crt, Brampton, Ontario, Canada,
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L6Z 3H9, [email protected],
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(905)846-5287
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Treasurer ... Marsha Brandston,
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130 Neptune Drive, Suite 1109, Toronto,
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Ontario, Canada M6A 1X5,
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[email protected]
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Secretary ... Frank Curry, 8 Windham
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Drive, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M2K 1X8,
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[email protected], (416)221-3093
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Newsletter Editor/Webmaster ... David
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Williams, 3017 - 111A Street, Edmonton,
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Alberta, Canada T6J 3Y5, [email protected],
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(780)438-1197
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Parts & Sets Manager (Interim) ...
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Dave Duncan, 55 Lurgan Drive, Toronto,
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Ontario, Canada M2R 1K7,
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[email protected], (416)353-0848
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Canadian
MeccaNotes
CMAMAS Executive
June 2005
Table of Contents
Moose Jaw 2005
1
Editor’s Notes
2
Airplane Parts
3
Torque Amplifier
3
Presidential Perusings
4
Upcoming Exhibitions in Central Canada
4
Obituary: Manfred Hammer
5
The Moose Jaw Hobby Show and Swap Meet
2005
6
Jet Planes Ride From 1952
7
Mr. Airhead
9
Meccano Magazine in German
14
Memories of visits to Henley-on-Thames 15
Stayner Show 2005
16
Toronto Toy, Train and Doll Collectors’ Show17
New Sets for 2005
18
My Best Christmas Present Ever
22
BCMC Notes March 5th Meeting at Samuel
Chow’s House
24
Sam and Linda Visit Edmonton
24
Wild Rose Antique Show, Edmonton
25
Erector Contest for USA Residents
26
Borgfeldt (Canada) Ltd.
26
The Peddler
27
Notice to Members
28
Two Additional Shows
28
Two Models from Saskatchewan
28
Canadian MeccaNotes
Airplane Parts
At the Toronto toy show last month I talked to Alan
P. Lines, who has acquired a large stock of original
airplane parts for sale. He is at present in England,
but will be in Canada again later in the summer.
Prices range from $1.25 for a straight strut to $10
for a main wing section, or $20 for an undercarriage piece.
He can be reached at
<[email protected]>.
Don Redmond
Torque Amplifier
I just added a page to my web site with pictures
of six different torque amplifier designs. My
favourite appers below. To see pictures of the
others (and higher resolution versions) go to:
http://meccano.us/differential_analyzers/
robinson_da/torque_amp.html
P.S. Don’t confuse torque converter (as used in an
automatic transmission) with torque amplifier.
The amplifier is just that - it take in an input with
minute torque capability and provides an output
that exactly follows the input but with greatly
amplified torque (1000-10000 times). The main
use of this type of amplifier was in the differential
analyzers, but the original version invented by
Nieman around 1927 was actually used for power
steering in a car.
Tim Robinson, California
material can also be posted on
our website. If you’d like any part
of your submissions returned,
please say so; otherwise I will
keep everything.
Please note that we plan to publish the September 2005 issue
around September 15, 2005; the
final deadline is August 27, 2005.
David Williams
3
4
Canadian MeccaNotes
Presidential Perusings
The Canadian Meccano scene received attention
in two other Meccano publications recently - one
positive, and the other…well, let’s say the comment made was incorrect, at least in my opinion.
Many of our subscribers to “Canadian
MeccaNotes” also purchase other magazine subscriptions, mostly ones that
emanate from the U. K. In
an ideal world i.e. one in
which we all have plenty of
money, it would be terrific if
we could support all the
privately published magazines that deal with the
hobby. Sadly, I suspect that
financial constraints force
most of us to limit our subscriptions to four or five at
most - if that many. One that appears three times
a year is “The International Meccanoman,” and it
has a strong worldwide circulation. Thanks to Jim
Bobyn from Montreal, the display at “The Toy
Shoppe” in Toronto was given a full page spread
in the May issue of the magazine. Publicity like
that, about what is achieved in Canada is always
appreciated.
The best magazine that is published in the southern hemisphere is the New Zealand Federation of
Meccano Modellers Magazine. This magazine
appears more frequently - six times a year - than
any other in the world, and is of the highest quality.
In a recent Editorial, there was a classification of
modelers from around the world: we in North
America were accorded the classification of being
collectors and not builders. While we do have, or
had, collectors in our numbers, I have to take issue
with this opinion. Obviously, the writer has never
attended “The Hobby Show!” Here, we consistently get around 30 members or more coming to
Toronto for the three-day show, and the number
of models on display is usually close to one
hundred. Many of them are being shown for the
first time, and we always see a fine combination
of models built from instructions and those that are
entirely new. Personally, I would have thought
that the part of the world where you would find the
highest proportion of collectors would be Australia: I recall the comment of one of our members
who stated that, from what he observed, to be
considered as having status among the Australian
Meccano community, you needed at least five Set
Number Tens.
June 2005
Upcoming Exhibitions in
Central Canada
The next big show that will take place in central
Ontario will be held at the Museum of Science and
Technology in Hamilton. The weekend that has
been selected this year is July 23rd - 24th. As in
2004, we will be sharing the weekend with the
Niagara Steamers (at least on the Sunday), and we
will hopefully have as strong a turnout as last year.
We will be displaying in the same shaded area and hopefully the wind will not be the problem that
it was twelve months ago!
While it is unfortunate that the weekend is during
the high season, which will mean that the cost of
hotel rooms will be at their priciest, we will avoid
the unexpected competition that we encountered
last year, when the City of Hamilton decided to
introduce its First Annual Water Festival - something that was done long after the commitment
was made by the Museum to invite C. M. A. M. A.
S. to exhibit.
The Hobby Show will take place November 4th to
November 6th this year. We have received notification from the organizers of “The Hobby Show”
that could affect our participation, if not necessarily this year, then at some point in the future. Until
now, we have always exhibited at no charge to the
group. As of 2005, this will be coming to an end.
Recently, a letter arrived in the mail from the
organizers entitled “An open letter to all Hobby
Clubs and Associations.” When such a missive
arrives, you will know that, like as not, it contains
bad news. That news is that, from now on, we
will have to pay for any tables that we use, as well
as any electrical outlets. A rough estimate of the
cost of renting these items for the three-day show,
based on the prices provided by the companies
that supply these items, OPS (for the tables) and
Showtech Power & Lighting, would indicate that
this would cost us in the region of $800.00 for our
70' x 20' booth. We would have to put our models
on bare tables, because the cost of putting skirting
on the tables is an extra $10.00 per table. Displaying on bare tables is not much of a problem, in my
view, but we would also have to dispense with the
barriers. Furthermore, we would also be restricted to a maximum of forty-two three-day
passes (some of which can be converted to three
one-day passes on the day before the show starts).
It goes without saying that the Executive will be
discussing this at length, and will look at whatever
options are available to cover these costs e.g.
charging a participation fee (as was done in the
June 2005
early years when we exhibited), seeking financial
sponsorship, finding out if we can acquire the loan
of enough tables to eliminate that expense (although this would also entail also finding enough
willing hands with strong backs who could commit to putting up the tables on the Thursday and
taking them down again on Sunday evening). Rest
assured, everything that needs to be done to
Obituary: Manfred
Hammer
One of the most prolific modelbuilders in Canada,
and a long-time member of C. M. A. M. A. S.,
Manfred Hammer, passed away in early December 2004.
Manfred’s
modelbuilding skills were
deservedly recognized in
1994, when he was received the “Canadian
Meccanoman of the Year”
award. Manfred rarely
missed The Hobby Show
in November, and he could
always be counted on to
arrive with several models, mostly large, and
mostly
built
with
Meccano. Manfred did
not, however, restrict himself to just one construction system: other than
Meccano, he was probably the most skilled
builder in Canada when it
came to models assembled using the Fischer
Technik system - and he
was not above bringing
models built of Lego either! Manfred was always one of the first to
arrive - and stayed
throughout the three-day show. He would happily
appear as early as he could on Thursday from his
home in Pefferlaw (about 80km from Toronto), set
himself up where his models could be seen to
maximum effect, and rare was the model that
malfunctioned. Most of the models he built were
from instructions published in current magazines,
although in the majority of cases, Manfred would
adapt them to ensure that their efficiency and
Canadian MeccaNotes
5
ensure our continued presence, as inexpensively
as possible, will be investigated.
Incidentally, as an added incentive for people to
attend the November show, the collection of
Meccano and FischerTechnik that belonged to our
late colleague, Manfred Hammer, will be on offer
at the show - further details to follow in the
September magazine.
reliability would be improved. Having said that, he
also designed some models himself, and plans for
several, notably the Whirligig, as well as a couple
of railroad freight cars were published, either in the
“Canadian MeccaNotes” in March 1996, or in its
predecessor.
Manfred’s final appearance at “The Hobby
Show” was in 2003. His
pièce de resistance at this
event was a version of the
model originally designed
by Jack Partridge in England, called a Ping Pong
Colliery Complex, which
he constructed in yellow,
blue and silver. Ironically,
Ron Kurtz from Ottawa
had independently built the
same model in green and
red! It was a delight to see
the two models operating
almost side by side! According to Ron, it was
Manfred’s intention to
bring the “Constructor
Quarterly” Special Model
Coal Loader and Unloader
to the 2004 Show, but his
deteriorating health prevented him from even starting the model, let alone
attend the Show itself.
Manfred was a very private individual, but one
who enjoyed the company of his fellow enthusiasts at the International Centre every November,
where he was happy to exchange ideas. He was
always quite willing to volunteer to stand guard,
as it were, over the entire display whilst everyone
else left for the Meccano dinner on the Saturday
night. Both he and his outstanding models will be
sorely missed.
6
Canadian MeccaNotes
June 2005
The Moose Jaw
Hobby Show and
Swap Meet 2005
The Moose Jaw Hobby show and swap
meet took place on April 1st and 2nd
Though our group is small we did fill
seven tables,
It was good to see John Overeem and his
wife Judith again. John had his usual
complement of parts, sets, gears and
pulleys, perforated plates, big ones’ angle
girders of all lengths and a really nice model of a
Meccano aeroplane, painted in a pleasing combination of cream and red. It really looked great. He
also brought along the model of Keith Cameron’s
Krazy Klock. It did have a “bug” in it that caused
it to stop rather frequently, but by the end of the
show, through the efforts of all we had it running
as Meccano men like to say, “flawlessly”, In
addition he had his usual array of Meccano sets
plus several Calais sets.
Ed Finch had his usual collection of farm related
machinery. Especially he has the early model of the
galvanized tin Massey Harris combine. It too is a
superb model with many details and working
parts. The auger that empties the grain tank
actually dribbles out a stream of wheat. The
header can be raised and lowered. The cylinder
rotates as do the straw walkers, This year Ed
brought along his tractor pull equipment. He had
the “track” which is set on the table. It is about ten
feet long with lowsides so that the tractors do not
slide off. He also has the load or trailer with the
shifting weight. This slides the weight forward as
the tractor pulls it ahead and this in turn increases
the drag or power required to pull it until the tractor
either spins out or it kills the engine. It works very
well. Ed had 2 tractors, I would call them
heavyweights with their weight and powerful
motors they were able to pull the weight up to
the end with no difficulty. I had one tractor
using only standard Meccano parts because
of it not being heavy enough it was bearly able
to pull the weighted trailer.
This year I had a grandson accompany me to
the show. He also brought along the model
of the Renault race car. It was he who kept
a steady stream of varying designs coming off
the Meccano graph. I also had a Meccano
model aeroplane, a tri motor which was
originally missing several parts. The most
difficult thing was in trying to match the paint
colour. I also had a Meccano model of the Gold
Digger which had a supply of sweets and tinfoil
covered chocolate loonies, It had a steady stream
of young and old trying their luck. In addition to
that I had my tower pendulum clock, the bubble
blower and Keith Cameron’s snowman.
Bill Bardutz, Box 242, Regina, Sask., S4P 226
June 2005
Jet Planes Ride From
1952
The Jet Planes were developed by Maxwells in
1952 for North East England showman John
Hoadley. The ride owed its popularity to the fact
that each plane could be steered up and down by
the rider using a joy stick. The ride came in various
liveries usually reflecting the then current rage
whether it be jets planes or space ships. Photo 1
shows the ride in New Brighton in 1980. Photo 2
shows one of the Jet Planes on John Studt’s Jets
1987.
Canadian MeccaNotes
7
vehicle but is OK for a stationary application. It has
an unusual (for Meccano) H configured gear lever
(shift), however this configuration was widely
used for many years in automobiles. I converted
the gearbox to a 4 speed and no reverse with the
thought that visitors to the CMAMAS display
might like to drive a Meccano 4-on-the-floor. If it
could drive the Jet Planes, that might provide the
momentum for smooth gear shifts. It turned out
that the momentum is not quite enough to keep the
model turning during a gear shift. I may add a
secondary drive under the rotating element to
provide some simulated momentum. The modified model gear box is shown in photo 3.
The complete model is shown in photo 4. The up
and down motion of jet planes is reproduced in the
model by using the two outputs from the PN740
Meccano Remote Control with two Calais type
motors. In the model, riders are loaded/unloaded
A design for a constant mesh 3 speed and reverse
gear box appeared in the 1930 edition of the
Meccano Book of New Models. The same design
was published in the Suggestions Section of MM
as model (162). I do not have the date of the
magazine. The gear box is rather bulky for a
one at a time with the individual jet plane in the
lower position. Photo 5 shows an under-age and
unhappy rider being removed. The motors, power
supply, and gear assembly, are mounted on a
Geared Roller Bearing, PN167. Although the
original Jet Plane Ride had eight arms, and
resembled its predecessor the Octopus, I could
only manage to squeeze in four. I faked the
autonomy of the other two arms by a simple mono
filament fishing wire and pulley system. Hopefully
not everyone will notice it. The up and down
mechanism is shown in photo 6.
The model is rotated by an E20R motor driving the
GRB via a driving band, primary gearbox, sprocket
and chain, secondary (4 speed) gearbox, and
driveshaft. The motor and drive system are shown
in photo 7. The long driveshaft keeps the gear shift
8
Canadian MeccaNotes
out of range of the jet planes, thus avoiding life
threatening injury to the riders. The motor needed
the full 20 volts DC to drive the roundabout at a
realistic speed. This was provided by a newly
acquired “Compact Switching Power Supply”
with an input range of 100-240 volts AC, and an
output range of 5-24 volts DC at 4.3-1.5 amps.
This is available from Efston Science in Toronto
(Product No. PSSMV7U).
While the gear shift works quite well, I am not sure
that it is ready for the rigours of a three day
show, and so I may just keep it on the inside of
the display for operation only by skilled technicians from CMAMAS.
Frank Curry
June 2005
June 2005
Mr. Airhead
Mr. Airhead has an empty head. He has no guts.
You can see right through him. He acts with his
feet. When he encounters an obstacle, he backs
away. He has all the qualities required to be Prime
Minister.
Mr. Airhead is a walking robot which lifts its feet
½” and steps forward 1½” with each step. He
walks with a realistic but mechanical gait. The
entire walking mechanism is in his feet.
Canadian MeccaNotes
9
I would caution anyone starting to build this model
that it requires careful adjustment and minor
mutilation of parts.
First the mutilation business. You will need a 7/8"
axle rod. You will also need to file slotted holes in
the one end holes of each of two 2" strips extending
outwards. You will also need three narrow 19
tooth gears (1/8" rather than ¼” face). These are
available from Ashok as p/n 25u or you can cut a
slice off an ordinary 19 tooth gear.
The idea for this model originated 30 years ago
when I built the feet only using 5½” slotted strips
as guides in place of the 5½” axle rods in the
current version. At the time I couldn’t figure how
to connect a body. Small Meccano motors did not
exist then, so driving it was a problem. Twelve
years ago, I rebuilt the model adding movements
to connect the body and fitting in, with great
difficulty, a small motor and battery pack. It
worked but occasionally jammed, usually at a
show with everyone watching. Colin Hoare has
been urging me ever since to write it up. I felt it
10
Canadian MeccaNotes
June 2005
which are bolted two 2" strips (the kind
with an extra hole). These 2" strips
sandwich a fishplate at each end. This
creates, in effect, a 3" strip with a centre
hole. The walking movement causes this
strip to rotate around the centre hole
slightly which movement is transferred to
the 6½” axle and upper body movements.
Immediately back of this, there a second
similar 3" built-up strip fastened tightly on
a long bolt which is loosely threaded into
a threaded double arm crank. This strip
is slightly above the first one so as not to
clash with it and is free to rotate slightly.
needed improvement first.
Fortunately, in the 1990s, Meccano came out with
a handy 6 volt motor with a 19:1 bolt-on plastic
gearbox which I have used in the current version.
It works smoothly and with a 6 volt power supply
walks at a gait of one step per second.
The construction of the head should be obvious.
The top and bottom are 3½” circular girders with
transparent flexible plates wrapped around. The
nose is a handrail coupling on an obtuse narrow
angle bracket. The eyes are 1" pulleys on obtuse
angle brackets. The head is mounted on two 1½”
strips fastened to a rod socket sitting on the end
of a 6½” axle which goes up through the body.
This axle rotates slightly during walking causing
the head to turn back and forth.
The construction of the body also should be fairly
obvious. A 5½” hub disc forms the base and 5½”
circular girder the top with 3 sets of 2½” transparent flexible plates wrapped around.
The arms are each made of three 5½”x2½”
flexible plates mounted by cranks on 5" axles
which pass through the slotted holes in the circular
girder. I use a rubber washer as a slip clutch.
The arms are driven by 19 tooth pinions at the inner
end of the axles. These axles fit into the ends of
a coupling which is mounted on a rod socket which
in turn is mounted on a 1" axle in another rod socket
bolted on the back of the circular girder. The
vertical 6½” axle has a 50 tooth contrate meshing
with the 19 tooth pinions which causes the arms
to swing back and forth while walking. The arm
movements are 90° out of phase with the walking
which is realistic.
The 6½” axle has a coupling near the bottom to
The base of the body consists of two
channel brackets with a 1½”x1½” flanged
plate bolted on top. The bottoms of the
channel brackets are not directly bolted to the hub
disc but are held in place by two 1½”x1½” flat
plates, one outside the hub disc and one inside the
flanges of the channel brackets which sandwich
the channel brackets onto the hub disc. There are
5 bolts passing through, none of them in the holes
of the hub disc. This rather odd mounting is
necessary to permit the axles in the legs to pass
between the spokes of the hub disc.
The structure of each leg consists of two 8" axles.
At the bottom of each is a short coupling. The leg
consists of three 5½”x2½” flexible plates fastened
to the rear axle by collars. At the top, the 8" axles
pass through short couplings on 1" axles in the
sides of the channel brackets and then through the
ends of the 3" built-up strips. The effect of this is
arrangement to keep the body level and erect while
permitting the legs to move back and forth. The
two sets of 8" axles form a parallelogram much like
that on the robot in the 1950s No. 8 manual.
Each foot consists of a shell and an inner truck.
Each shell is assembled on a 5½”x2½” flanged
June 2005
plate. A 5½”x2½” flat plate on the outer side is
bolted to the flanged plate at the centre hole only
separated by two washers. 2½”x2½” flat plates
are bolted at each end of the flanged plates one
hole in from the sides. On the inner side of the foot
is a 5½”x1½” flat plate bolted to the flanged plate
at the centre hole only. There are four 2" angle
brackets on the inside of each corner with the
slotted holes facing inwards. Each foot is a mirror
image of the other with slight modification of the
left foot to accommodate the switch & battery
pack.
Each foot contains a truck which slides back and
forth a total of 1" on two 5½” axle rods fastened
to the inside of the 5½” X 2½” flanged plates by
handrail supports. Each handrail support must
have a washer separating it from the flanged plate
in order to let the truck clear. The 5½” axle rods
must be straight and smooth or the trucks will jam.
I recommend using drill steel and cutting each one
a bit short to make assembly easier.
Right foot
The truck in the right foot contains the motor with
a 19:1 plastic gearbox bolted to it. The truck
consists of two 2½” X 3½” flat plates held together
with two 1½” X 1½” flanged plates and a 1½”
double angle strips as shown. The DAS is a bit
wider than the flanged plates and it is necessary
to add a 1½” perforated strip as a shim under one
side of the flanged plates to even them out. The
truck slides on four angle brackets mounted on
3½” strips as shown. Two of the angle brackets
slide on the round holes and two on the slotted
holes. This makes binding less likely. To allow an
axle rod to pass through, it is necessary to use
double washers with the nut on the outside.
The gearbox has a 15 tooth pinion on its output
shaft, with the collar out. The motor is bolted to
Canadian MeccaNotes
11
the upper 1½” X 1½” flanged plate. The 15 tooth
pinion drives a 50 tooth contrate mounted on a 2"
axle. The outer end of this axle carries a narrow
19 tooth pinion.
The walking mechanism consists of two 57 tooth
gears each with a wheel disc bolted to the face,
separated by a washer. The wheel discs contact
the floor lifting the foot up ½” with each half step.
The 57 tooth gears mesh with a 19 tooth narrow
pinion mounted on a 2" axle between them. The
discs must be carefully aligned with each other.
The truck is driven back and forth by a “crankshaft” made from two couplings as shown. The
two couplings are connected by the 7/8" piece of
axle rod. A short axle is needed in order to allow
them to clear the contrate. The “connecting rod”
is the 2" strip, the outer end of which has the slotted
hole filed in it. Use narrow washers in the
12
Canadian MeccaNotes
June 2005
Left foot
The truck of the left foot is simpler and made from
two 2½”x2½” flat plates held together with a
1½”x1½” flanged plate and a 1½” double bent
strip. The truck slides on four angle brackets
bolted to 3" strips as shown.
The legs are fastened together with two couplings.
These must be carefully aligned with each other
and also aligned so that they point in the opposite
direction to each “crankshaft”. The ½” offset of the
two “cranks” plus the ½” offset in the coupling
joining the feet gives the robot its 1½” total step,
while the offset of the coupling joining the feet lifts
each foot ½”. In all couplings, I have used set
screws rather than grub screws so that the
couplings can be tightened firmly on the axles.
Switch and battery
“crankshaft”, since it just barely clears the contrate.
The “crankshaft” must be carefully aligned so that
its outer end points opposite to the wheel discs.
Since each leg lifts ½” during each step it is
necessary to compensate by adjusting the length
of the legs. This is done by a push rod (3½” axle)
which passes through a hole in the 2½”x5½”
flanged plate at the top and a handrail support
mounted on the end 2½”x2½” flat plate at the
bottom. (Use a smooth axle and take a rat tail file
to the handrail support if necessary to make sure
the push rod slides freely.) The sliding action is
driven by a collar on the rod connected to the
slotted end of the 2" connecting rod by a shoulder
bolt. The 2" connecting rod is hinged on a pivot bolt
mounted on a 1" corner bracket and a
1"x1½” corner bracket (found in many sets
distributed since 1990) bolted to a 1½”
angle bracket as shown in the picture.
These parts must be carefully assembled as
shown with no bolts in the centre two holes
of the 1½” angle brackets where they
would clash with the collar.
The push rod has a coupling on top outside
the foot which has a 1½” axle going back
down through the flanged plate. This is
necessary to keep the axle from twisting.
Make sure this push rod slides freely and
keep your rat tail file handy. The 8" axle rods
which form the legs have short couplings
on the bottom and are bolted to this coupling using ½” bolts tightened so as to
allow the joint to pivot.
Various options are open to you as to how to wire
and control the robot. There is just room to get four
AA batteries and a reversing switch in the left foot.
If you wish to take a short cut you could use a
regular 6 volt external battery box to control the
robot remotely.
I used a 6½” axle running from front to back in the
left foot with a collar on each end. This moves a
small DPDT Radio Shack switch which reverses
the motor if the left foot bumps into anything front
or back. Be sure to use a switch with a neutral
position so you can shut it off. I also used 2 Radio
Shack battery holders. The Meccano battery
holder, unfortunately, does not fit. I mounted these
between two 1½”x1" double bent strips bolted in
the centre hole to the end plate, with an elastic
band to hold them in. Other options include using
4 smaller AAA batteries which would be easier to
fit in. The robot will run on two AA batteries but
June 2005
is somewhat slow.
Ed Barclay remarked when he saw the earlier
version of this model, “there is a lot of geometry
in there”. I would caution again that the feet are
very compact with tight clearances and must be
aligned carefully. You will need a set of surgical
forceps and a lot of patience. If you have problems,
please e-mail me at [email protected] or call
613-354-2607. If you need some 5½” drill steel
rods for the sliders of feel queasy about mutilating
the 2" strips, e-mail me and I will send you a set.
If you want to see my completed model, I will have
him at the Stayner, Hamilton and November
shows.
Hubert Hogle
Canadian MeccaNotes
13
14
Canadian MeccaNotes
June 2005
Meccano Magazine in German
Here are 4 sample pages from the September 1931 issue.
June 2005
Memories of visits to
Henley-on-Thames
Following the announcement in late summer of
2002 that Geoff Wright would be closing his store
in Henley-on-Thames, the International Society of
Meccanomen invited members to submit articles
recalling memories of their visits to Henley As far
as I recall, no articles were forthcoming. This,
therefore, is the article that I should have submitted, had I been able to meet the deadline.
It is to my eternal regret that, during my last trip
to England in July 2002, I was unable to find the
time to go and see Geoff, his wife Elizabeth and the
store itself. I have lost count of the times that I have
made a “pilgrimage” to Henley-on-Thames to visit
MW Models on those occasions that I have
returned to the country of my birth. My first visits
were when the store was located on Reading
Road: to get to Henley from my mother’s home in
Hampshire entailed travelling by train, since usually I had purchased a BritRail pass. The convoluted journey required me to take five separate
trains! Changes at Southampton, Winchester,
Basingstoke and finally Twyford were all necessary before I got on the diesel train to Henley. That
final leg of the excursion was almost like traveling
by bus, as the ticket collector came down the aisles
with the same type of ticket-issuing machine that
used to be seen on many British buses.
On arrival at Henley, it only required a short walk
to get to the store - as I recall, it was a shorter trip
when the store moved to Greys Road, in the centre
of Henley. What a joy it was to enter the store. This
was particularly true once Geoff had relocated to
the centre of Henley, as the first thing to catch your
eye was an array of large working models in the
windows to enjoy.
In latter years, getting to Henley was done by rental
car. Trips were, therefore, much easier to complete. On one occasion, I had gone to visit an old
university colleague in Girvan, Scotland. An early
departure was obviously necessary, and since I
was passing through Lockerbie, a visit to the
memorial of the Pan Am flight was called for en
route. Even so, the trip to Henley was competed
via the Motorways in a single day, although by the
time I arrived the store was closed A hotel room
was soon found, however, and a splendid evening
was spent exploring the history of this wonderful
old city.
Whenever I saw Geoff, there was lots to discuss:
the international distribution of “Canadian
Canadian MeccaNotes
15
MeccaNotes” was handled at M W Models, with
yours truly representing the magazine itself, and
the ironing out of any problems had to be resolved.
That was the business side of things: the pleasure
side was obviously the purchase of parts for my
personal collection, and to see what ‘goodies’
there were currently available in Geoff’s “Lots
Lists.” For those who do not recall this feature of
Geoff’s store, Geoff would have on offer hard-tofind and obsolete parts at a set price, in good
condition, and there was fierce competition to
acquire many of these items once the lists were
published. Being an overseas subscriber was a
disadvantage, as most of the time the home
market buyers got them first - although, to be fair
to Geoff, he did mail out the Lots Lists to overseas
clients ahead of those in Britain. Going to the store
itself eliminated that disadvantage, of course. One
might almost call the Lots List a precursor of e-Bay
(and, in fact, it was the arrival of e-Bay that led to
its demise). In addition, new ModelPlans, as well
as obsolete literature were also available - and
acquired.
One was never allowed to leave the store without
signing the Visitors Book: I am sure that my name
must be there at least fifteen times, and I am just
as sure that there are other enthusiasts from
around the world whose names have appeared
more frequently than that.
The most expensive single purchase that I made
at M W Models? That would have to be a replica
Geared Roller Bearing, shortly after Geoff first
arranged to have some manufactured. It had to be
carefully packed away in the suitcase to bring it
back to Canada, as the previous year, my Meccano
parts had fallen foul of the (albeit primitive, by
modern standards) metal detection machine at
Heathrow Airport. When my briefcase was held
up against the detection machine, the needle
suddenly swung violently all the way over to the
end of the scale. Fortunately, the member of staff
who was checking my hand luggage was an older
man, one who remembered Meccano from his
youth.
Among the trips I made was one to what is now
referred to as the Henley gathering - so long ago,
it must be admitted, that neither Geoff’s parts sale
of a pound weight of Meccano for a pound sterling,
nor the more recent breakfast meetings were part
of the proceedings. I even took a model to exhibit
of a small locomotive with me on that trip. In
typical (Colin) tradition, it was only 80% complete
come departure time from Canada, but there were
still two weeks prior to the show. Believe it or not,
16
Canadian MeccaNotes
although all the parts necessary were to hand, I ran
out of Nuts and Bolts! A panic call to Geoff, and
a supply was mailed to me at my mother’s home.
As a result, the engine (which was completed on
time) was named “Coals to Newcastle.” The
plans for this model do exist, but have still not been
published, although hopefully they will appear in
print in the not too distant future.
The final visit took place in February 2002. This
was the time that when my multiple acquisitions
from the memorable auction in late summer the
previous year had been processed over a thirteenhour period at my sister’s house (see “The September 2001 Eastbourne Auction Rooms Meccano
Sale” in the June 2002 issue). A detour to Henley
was necessary early next morning, prior to heading on to Heathrow, as I was flying back to
Canada. All the blue and gold parts
were taken to see if Geoff was interested - he did take them all (they were
in a very large transparent plastic
bag), albeit very reluctantly. Elizabeth commented that he could use
some of it in the bus that he was
building in those colours - but I have
no idea if he has.
Another trip to England is scheduled
for August of this year. The timing is
not good for the Henley gathering,
unfortunately: I will miss making visiting that particular part of England.
Colin Hoare
June 2005
Stayner Show 2005
CMAMAS members, Don Redmond, Hubert Hogle,
Attila Szakonyi and Charles Perez joined Manfred
Leimgardt at the Stayner Toy show on June 5 at
Stayner arena, an hour north of Toronto. Manfred
had a great mobile display of Meccano and other
toys while the others filled five tables with a veriety
of models. Crowds were light as the weather was
warm and the show competed with nearby Wasaga
Beach.
Hubert Hogle
June 2005
Toronto Toy, Train and
Doll Collectors’ Show
Instead of holding our own one-day show this
year, the Executive decided to sign up with Doug
Jarvis and Frank Steele, who organize the Toronto
Toy, Train and Doll Collectors’ Show. We therefore went back to the International Centre for as
one-day show on Sunday, April 24th. The attendance by C. M. A. M. A. S. members was slightly
lower than last year, but those who attended had
a good time, and we were pleased to welcome a
couple of new exhibitors.
The two newcomers were Dave Duncan, our
recently-appointed interim Spares and Sets Manager, and someone who has been a subscriber for
quite a few years, but who decided that it was time
he joined the ranks of exhibitors himself, Les
Waltham.
Dave has obviously been quite busy prior to the
show, as he brought at least four very attractive
models. They were the U. S. Convertible Car, built
from the Set 8 instructions, a Fork Lift Truck, a
Steam Shovel and a Double Decker Bus. All were
originally from instruction manuals, but had received some enhancements to improve their appeal.
The Set. 10 Eiffel tower model is one that brings
its own challenges, particularly with respect to
difficulty of transportation. Tony Parmee, the Set.
10 modeller par excellence in England, has rebuilt
it, and his write-up contains recommendations on
how to get it to and from exhibitions safely.
Whether Les Waltham used his suggestions or not
I do not know, but the version he brought was
certainly eye-catching. He had selected the blue
and gold Strip Plates for the plating, and medium
green for the Girders and Strips. The lifts ran
smoothly, which was probably the most important thing, and it, along with Hubert Hogle’s
Blocksetting Crane, were the two models that
could be seen from almost anywhere in the
Exhibition Hall, and were admired throughout the
show.
The person who traveled the greatest distance to
join us was Ottawa resident Ron Kurtz. Ron’s
Case tractor is still operating smoothly, and was
admired throughout the six hours that the show
ran, and he brought another model along that, to
my knowledge, has never been attempted before
in North America. In fact, apart from the original
version, the only other person to rebuild it from the
somewhat condensed instructions that appeared
Canadian MeccaNotes
17
in one of the early issues of “Constructor Quarterly” lives in England. The model in question was
Colin Cohen’s Sleeping Meccanoman. This is
definitely not a model for the fainthearted, but we
have seen proof of Ron’s talented skills before (e.g.
the Ping Pong Ball Colliery Complex), and Ron rose
to the occasion once again. The model ran fairly
smoothly throughout the show (but sadly did not
perform for this writer at the lecture given by Sir
Harry Kroto at the Art Gallery of Ontario three
weeks later -definitely a model that needs its
owner to keep it going). Ron has kindly agreed to
contribute an article that will cover the areas that
need further description for an upcoming issue of
“MeccaNotes.”
Where would we be without Hubert Hogle and
Don Redmond at these shows? Their regular
commitment to drive from Kingston to be with us
could well be construed as putting many of our
Toronto-based members to shame. Hubert brought
his Pinyon Blocksetting Crane for another airing,
as mentioned before, plus his huge Ferris Wheel
made from plastic Meccano, and a selection of his
intriguing mechanisms. Don decided that it was
the time to display many of his Erector models: in
the more complex category were his Fire Engine
and Rocket, and then there was the Outhouse, the
roof of which was built using the hood from the
White Truck model. He also displayed an EZY-built
Windmill, and his sole Meccano contribution was
a ball made of Road Wheel centres. Don said it
was “something out of nothing.”
Lloyd Schneider returned to the fold, having finished (as I understand it) the renovations to his
house - hopefully to make more room for his
Meccano. At any rate, his Set. 10 Cargo Ship was
his dominant model, plus he supplied a choice
selection of smaller trucks and other models.
Two other members of the Executive were in
attendance - the Vice-President Attila Szakonyi
and the Secretary Frank Curry.
In Frank’s case, he provided the partially complete
1952 Jet Plane Fairground Ride - the final version
hopefully will be ready for the July show in
Hamilton.
Attila supplied the Twin Beam Pumping Engine in
pristine yellow and silver - it does run so quietly plus the Mississippi Sternwheeler, a Car Chassis
and the Motor Cycle and sidecar as described by
Andreas Konkoly. Daughter Erica also had something to display - the Remote Control Four Wheel
Drive Design 4 Jeep.
18
Canadian MeccaNotes
June 2005
Last, but by no means least, Charles Perez had two
of the Crazy Inventors models on show, these
being the Clock and the Airship. The Clock was
fascinating to watch in operation.
It should also be mentioned that Manfred Leimgardt
was at the show, but he had his own personal
booth, where he was selling model train and other
supplies. He did have a smaller Blocksetting Crane
on display, which he was also offering to sell, for
the right price.
One of the advantages of attending this show is the
opportunity to see if any of the dealers had any
Meccano on offer. Well, they did, but the prices
were, by and large, considered to be way out of
line. At the really high end, for a mere $1,400.00
(as I recall) one could purchase a No. 2 Car Set built
up as a model - yes, it was a beauty, but it was too
much for any of us. There were other small sets
available, but nothing that set the pulses racing.
One of our regular members did, however, buy the
two small red and green sets that were up for
purchase, declaring that he could never resist
adding parts of this colour to his collection.
Colin Hoare
New Sets for 2005
Catalogue for 2005
The CMAMAS can now supply copies of the new
48-page Meccano 2005 Catalogue to members.
The cost is $5 plus $2 shipping.
In addition, the following new sets have been
added to the CMAMAS online website under “For
Sale by CMAMAS”. As usual, postage is extra.
Speed Play
Meccano Speed Play is a new construction system
that uses interlocking plastic parts connected by
special fasteners, a type of expanding plug. You
can mix new and traditional parts. The sets come
with a “power drill” that double as a motor and
some sort of programmable electronic module.
More details are at http://www.speed-play.net furthermore, you can download music and programmable movements from this website.
858901 . . . T - Rex . . . . . . . $ 115.00
Special Edition Sets
830517
830518
830521
830522
. . . Concorde . . . . . . . $ 75.00
. . . Small Eiffel Tower . . . 35.00
. . . Space Centre . . . . . 105.00
. . . Small Big Ben . . . . . 35.00
Design
843700 . . . Design Advanced . . . $ 35.00
848701 . . . R/C Truck w/9.6v battery &
charger . . . $ 160.00
854901 . . . Motorbike . . . . . . . $ 35.00
857901 . . . Helicopter . . . . . . . 65.00
859901 . . . Intelligent Robot . . . 180.00
Multiple Model Sets
833501 . . . 5 model set . . . . . . $ 35.00
836515 . . . 15 model set . . . . . $ 60.00
June 2005
Canadian MeccaNotes
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20
Canadian MeccaNotes
June 2005
June 2005
Canadian MeccaNotes
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22
Canadian MeccaNotes
My Best Christmas
Present Ever
Like most people living in this fair country I am
blessed with many Christmas memories. There
was mom’s turkey with all the trimmings that
needed three tables to hold everything, anticipating what I would get for Christmas, waiting and
waiting as everybody I knew came to our house for
Christmas dinner and then leaving all the excitement to go to church Christmas Eve for the annual
presentation of the Christmas story.
I used to think this time was so
special they closed the school for a
whole week. Christmas couldn’t all
happen in just that one week. I
remember pondering the Eaton’s
catalogue for months before the
special day to find just the one
special toy I needed for Christmas.
Then checking time and again to be
sure it was still there, in the catalogue. My brother did the same
thing. We never did understand
how something moved from a picture in the catalogue to a neatly
wrapped present under the magic
tree, a spindly evergreen that was
picked and cut from our back yard
the first day after school closed. Is it any wonder
that I used to worry about running out of Christmas
Trees? The tree couldn’t be taken into the big room
directly; it had to be left out in the summer kitchen
to let the snow melt off. But when the time came
putting those colourful electric lights on was a
challenge. There was always one light that didn’t
work and the whole set was off. My brother was
taller so he got to put the angel on the very top
branch.
I remember my first Christmas on the farm. It was
December 25th! It all started in the early fall with
a family visit to a distant relative in the big city one
Sunday afternoon. A big kid lived there. He had
everything a boy could want. I was attracted with
my brother to a big box filled with green and red
metal pieces all full of holes. There were big black
wheels, tiny gold wheels and a book full of pictures
of cars, trucks, bridges and cranes that could be
built from these metal pieces. We soon discovered
the metal pieces could be put together with the little
black nuts and bolts that filled a box about the size
of my two hands. Dinner had to wait till we
finished building a truck. We followed the instructions line by line; “take two part no. 8, 12½” angle
June 2005
girders and bolt together with two, part no. 9d,
2½” angle girders to make the frame attach two,
part no. 5, 2½” strips to part no. 52a to form the
roof”. Then there it was, a fully functioning truck
with four wheels that turned and a box that
dumped. We had built a working model of a dump
truck, from nothing, just like Mr. Ford built his first
model A.
That night in bed I dreamed it was Christmas
morning. There under the magic tree with the
electric lights I found a red box full of green and red
parts and yes for sure one hundred
nuts and bolts in a box as big as my
two hands. Now I could build
anything and make it work just like
the big machines dad worked with
on the farm. The farm… Oh that did
it, I could hear dad calling from
down stairs, “Its chore time”. My
dream was over!
Everything soon returned to normal till one special day. It was
September 25, on the way home
from school my brother stood on
his tiptoes and stretched to reach a
big package in the mailbox. “It’s
here, it’s here”, he called. “The
Eaton’s catalogue has arrived.”
The trek up the lane was long and
the book was so heavy we took turns carrying it.
Mom was waiting at the door. “Eaton’s is here”,
we shouted in unison. Mom just smiled, knowing
there would be many hours of peace and quiet
from now till Christmas. There were so many
wonderful things to see. I remember circling about
twenty really neat things for my wish list but just
in case Santa couldn’t bring everything, I highlighted one special thing. It was the picture of a
red box. The lid was set off to one side and I could
see the green and red metal parts and the book of
things to build. This toy was called MECCANO.
My brother circled a picture of a steam engine for
his Christmas wish.
Christmas seemed so far away, I almost couldn’t
imagine it would ever come. I showed mom and
dad the picture many times as did my brother. Is
it any surprise then that we both got the toy we
wanted for Christmas. A green and red Meccano
No. 4 set was my special toy that year and for years
after my wish for Christmas was to get the next
bigger set in the series so I could build bigger and
better models. I always hoped that one day I would
get the biggest set in the series, a No. 10 set in a
huge brown box made of wood. That spring it was
June 2005
great fun going to the toy store in the big city with
all my loose change to buy that one special part
which would make my model operate like the real
thing. I never did get the mysterious No. 10
Meccano set as a kid, however, in my second
childhood some forty years later I started collecting Meccano as a hobby. Now my basement has
lots of red boxes with green and red metal parts.
Yes, I do have more than one No. 10 set in brown
boxes made of wood! Model building and exhibiting models at the Hobby Show and various other
functions is a favourite past time. It is great
meeting other “Meccano Nuts” and sharing memories of a Christmas long ago.
Lloyd Schneider
Canadian MeccaNotes
23
24
Canadian MeccaNotes
June 2005
BCMC Notes March 5th
Meeting at Samuel
Chow’s House
I had a small meeting at my place on March 5th,
2005. Fred Bird brought a 5 ton Kenworth truck
he is currently working on. I showed some small
mechanisms I built and also I had a Landmarks of
the World set, Designer 4 set and several Stokys
sets which Alan Partidge and myself were showing to the other members.
Members present were Alan Partidge, Reg Partidge,
Chris Robertson, Bob Newsham, Dave Long, Gary
Davis, Fred Bird, Jim Picton, Linda and Myself
(Samuel Chow). Neil Dulson and Al Barton were
Sick and wished they were there. Across the line
in Bellingham Washington, there is a good assortment of current sets for sale. I drove down next
day and picked up a steam boat three model set.
The next meeting is in May but the date is
undecided because Neil is recovering from his
operation.
Samuel Chow <[email protected]>
Sam and Linda Visit
Edmonton
Sam and Linda Chow stopped by Edmonton last
month and came for a visit. Pictured are Linda and
myself on the left and Sam and myself on the right.
David Williams
June 2005
Wild Rose Antique
Show, Edmonton
Saturday, April 16 & Sunday,
April 17, 2005
As regular as clockwork, Brian Lillie (shown
below) has been displaying his wares at the Wild
Rose Antique Show & Sale in Edmonton. This
annual event has been held for many years. Brian
specializes in Meccano, die-cast cars, etc. and
makes the trip from Victoria with a vehicle full of
goodies.
In addition, Ron Bodnar (on the right) display and
sells at the same show. Ron collects Meccano,
metal trucks and lots of other stuff and uses the
show to enhance his collection. He’s shown here
with some of his metal trucks.
Canadian MeccaNotes
25
26
Canadian MeccaNotes
Some of Brian Lillie's Goodies
June 2005
enough to be developed into a saleable Erector
Set).
If your set is selected as the “Design of 2006”, you
will also win a trip for 4 to France to visit the Eiffel
Tower in Paris and take an Erector factory tour in
Calais, France.
2 more lucky designers will win a runner-up prize
of the Landmarks of the World Erector Set worth
$110!
See http://www.erector-sets.com for full details.
Borgfeldt (Canada) Ltd.
Erector Contest for
USA Residents
Create a new Erector model and it could be
made into an actual Erector Set in 2006! Plus
the winner also receives a trip for 4 to France!
Eligibility requirements: You must be 6 to 17
years of age by the Deadline to enter this
Contest. Only legal United States residents
are eligible to enter.
To enter, design and build
a new Erector model
from existing Erector set
pieces. Mail a picture of
your creation to us along with a completed
entry form.
Contest entries must be received by September 30, 2005.
A panel of experts from Erector and Boys’ Life
will judge entries based on creativity, ingenuity and feasibility (the model must be practical
June 2005
The Peddler
FOR SALE: Meccano collection for sale: featuring
complete Outfit No. 10 in blue/zinc/UK yellow (no
cabinet.) Also includes a good selection of motors
and other complete boxed French and English
sets, thousands of loose parts (many unused), and
a number of obsolete prewar pieces. Detailed
inventory of this collection is available upon request. Items not available for separate sale - only
as a complete lot. The collection is located in
Regina. Serious inquiries only, please. Phone:
Kevin Karasin @ 306-586-6419; email:
[email protected]
Canadian MeccaNotes
27
FOR SALE: 1991
French Meccano
#10 set. U.S.
Export version has “Erector”
logo on top
drawer.
5drawer cabinet,
3100 parts, all
manuals. Condition: unused in
original carton. Price: $3500 U.S. firm. Will not
ship - must be picked up. Lou Boselli, 19 Payson
Rd., Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY 12520 USA, 845534-2863 or e-mail [email protected]
FOR SALE: Meccano parts: yellow/blue, Red/
green, gears, motors and windups, manuals and
complete sets l973 vintage, sets 3 to 6. Send for
price lists or your wants. Earl Pitts, 26 Dyer Court,
Cambridge, ON N3C 4B8. (519) 658-2086 or email [email protected]
MECCANO & ERECTOR
Parts, Sets & Literature
Old, New, Used, Restored
Send $2.00 (U.S. or CDN)
New Parts List w/Prices
*** SPECIAL TO MEMBERS ***
Remote Control Units
with 2 Motors: US $50.00
ALSO
Master Builder Sets: US $100.00
(Shipping Extra)
Discounts on 1990's sets;
Call or e-mail for details.
Model Plans and Canadian
MeccaNotes Back Issues
Can be obtained from:
o Colin Hoare (address on page 2), via Money
Order or Cheque.
o outside North America: MW Mailorder
(address below) sells Canadian Model Plans.
LOU BOSELLI
19 Payson Rd.
Cornwall-on-Hudson
N.Y. 12520 U.S.A.
(845) 534-2863
[email protected]
http://www.memeshadow.net/cmamas/
meccano/Lou_Boselli/
MW Mail Order
Mail Order: PO Box 4650, Henley-on-Thames,
England RG9 1YP, phone +44 1491 572 436,
fax +44 1491 572 451,
http://www.meccanomailorder.co.uk,
[email protected]. Credit cards
are accepted!
28
Canadian MeccaNotes
June 2005
Two Models
from
Saskatchewan
Emile Amirault supplied photos of these two models.
One is a steam power plant,
the clockwork motor is a F1
large Stokys motor. The
other is a beam engine.
Two
Additional
Shows
CMAMAS members will exhibit at the Thousand Islands
Model Railroaders show in
Gananoque on August 13-14,
2005. The show is at the
Gananoque Recreation Centre, 600 King St. E., from 10
a.m. to 4 p.m. For more
information
check
www.festivaloftheislands.com
or contact Hubert Hogle (613)
5 3 2 - 3 6 7 2 ;
[email protected];
Notice to Members
This year’s bulk parts order price list will be ready
for mid-July. These will be posted on our website
as soon as they are ready. Those who have
requested a printed list should receive them soon
after. The deadline for the ordering of parts will
be Aug 31. Also an inventory of parts that are
available for the clubs stock will also be posted,
and sent. These are on a first come basis.
Frank Steele’s Railfest 2005
will be held at the Smiths Falls
Railway Museum on August
27-28, 2005. The museum is
located in the railway station,
built in 1914 and carefully
restored in 1983. Vendors,
train layouts and Meccano
exhibits will be in the station
and baggage room and spread
onto the platforms, an outdoor tent and 4 cabooses. For
further information check
www.antiquetoys.ca or contact
Hubert
Hogle,
[email protected] (613) 5323672.