NORTH WEST MECCANO GUILD
Clicking on many of the pictures enlarges them and provides extra information. The models are usually attributed to the builder.
The Guild is always interested in preventing good Meccano going to waste. If you
have any Meccano to re-
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Click “North West” for information about Meccano on display and Meccano related locations in the North West of England.
Virtual Meetings 2020
A Second Page
Two Sports Cars from Brian Elvidge.
To the left is a version of the classic 1937 No.4 Manual one, modified quite a lot by Bernard Périer and bit more by Brian (with heavy duty tyres). The prototype was probably the well known MGT Model.
Above is Brian’s variation of a1962 No. 3 Manual Model.
Dick Watson’s latest E-
To the left is a group of Primus Models.
Immediately below is the “Island Station” model 183, made from a No. 3 outfit.
Below the station are a “Coal Truck” model 113
and a “Heavy Goods Truck” model 116
Both are No. 2 Outfit Models.
The buffers on the two trucks are at different heights. This could be rectified with a few extra parts.
Primus was made by W. Butcher & Sons Ltd. Of Camera House London E.C. They presumably made beautiful polished wood cameras with brass fittings. When demand fell off, they diversified into making construction toys very similar to Meccano with many almost identical parts but with some wooden parts. These could be made with their existing machinery.
The bolts are slightly longer than contemporary Meccano ones, needed for the attachment of the wooden parts . However, it was necessary to use shorter Meccano ones in some of the corners (found in the Primus box) to construct the models. The illustrations in the manuals were not very helpful so that building them was not very easy.
Quality was not quite as good as Meccano, e.g. Angle Brackets were bent in slightly varying places and had to be carefully selected.
4 Holes were provided in the upper and lower planks of the Goods Wagon because they were originally deeply countersunk. This made them easily broken so that in most cases the inner holes had to be used.
The Trunnion (bearings) on the Goods Wagon are actually a gold colour, not green.
The catches that hold the hinged doors of the coal wagon are all the same hand. Ones of the other hand were not made,
Primus was made between 1913 and 1926 and parts are often found mixed with Meccano ones.
Bildico.
I also found most of a Bildico set mixed in with the Primus. Following on from Marks and Spencer’s successful attack on the gauge 00 train market, in 1954, they ventured into the constructional toys with Bildico. It was very similar to Meccano and, to some extent, parts are compatible. Hole spacing is ½” but they are slightly smaller. Meccano bolts will just go through but not rods. Bildico rods are 1/8” diameter and the nuts and bolts 5 BA. The model below is a modified version of one in the manual. It uses most of the parts available. Others included were other lengths of strip and pulleys similar to Meccano 1” ones.
Only one part number was allocated to bolts but illustrations show a good supply of long ones. In fact, these had to used when the extra length was not needed.
As you might expect, lots of nuts were missing. Fortunately, I have a supply of good quality ones. These are the only ones visible on the model.
Quite a lot of effort went into producing the manual.
It included some useful tips not found in Meccano ones.
A Bildico Model
Chris. Harris has built the 2005 “Space Center”.
The box lid can be seen to the right and its contents below.
It is quite a large set with over 200 nuts and bolts and 8 12½” Braced Girders, rather surprisingly, open ended ones.
The parts for the base and the bottom of the tower.
The bottom of the Tower Completed
The parts for the top of the tower.
The complete tower with an enlarged view of the top below.
The parts needed for the nose of the Rocket.
There appears to be one new special part as well as as two flexible plates curved in plan found in some other recent outfits.
Above
The parts for the bottom of the rocket including two Boilers without Ends, rolled to a larger radius than usual.
There are also four 5h x 4h Flexible Plates. If you can get enough of them, you
can complete some of the models in the first F -
To the left -
Above
The nose of the rocket, partially assembled.
Right
The Completed Rocket.
Chris. has now produced a You-
The Link is:
Ready for Take-
