MY Meccano
My first introduction to Meccano was when one of my uncles built me a simple trolley using a flanged plate and some 3" wheels with tyres. I was only three  at the time but I very impressed with being able to make toys.  One day while waiting for a bus at the stop in front of the newsagent/toyshop I saw he had a full window display of Meccano sets.  I simply drooled over the bigger sets but I settled for the one I thought I might be able to convince my parents to get for my birthday. It was just like the one in the picture below a number 2 set.  My wish was granted and I became the possessor of my first Meccano set on my 4th birthday in 1938.
Over the next few months I spent many hours building models (with the help of my father). My main models built were to do with "trains" which were my favourite toys although  we could not afford to have both trains and meccano. My aunt had given me an M1 Hornby train set however so I did have something. I remember making items like 1.41 railway truck and trying to adjust the wheels so that it would run on the Hornby track.
The  war came in 1939 and we moved to a new house and Meccano sets disappeared from the shelves of the toy shops because they were imported from England. However locally manufactured Buz Builders and Ezybuilt came onto the market in limited quantities so as I got older I was able to add parts from these as the parts were compatable. With the war over and prosperity returning I managed to secure a number 4 set for my birthday in 1947. It  was still the blue cross hatch type but it had the model 4.13 which I wanted to be able to build.
     I spent many hours building with this set and the extras from my older sets helped build bigger models than shown in the manuals. During 1948 My father's works rolled some steel strip 1/2" by about 1/16" from which we salvaged offcuts 11 1/2 " long. These were drilled by my grandfather to make about 20 "big strips". A later contract was to roll some perforated strips that were obviously meant for the Ezybuilt company as they were flat girders. We also obtained  about 20 offcuts of these cut to 11 1/2". I thought we could bend them up and make angle girders but when I tried with the simple tools I had, the steel broke so we left them as they were.
    In 1950 girls and cars took my main interest and the meccano was put away for a few years and ultimately disappeared. I always wondered what happened to it when I went looking for it in the mid 60's.
About 1963 I had been married a few years and I had a renewed interest in meccano so I went out and bought a number six set. It was from the red/green 1955-1961 series so It must have been old stock. I suplemented it with a #6A  from the same series and then a #7A also from the 1955-61 series. About 1967 I changed jobs for a doubling of salary. I could afford to upgrade to the #9 and eventuallty #10. I put in an order to buy a number 8A to build up to a #9 set but when the order was supplied I only got a #8X from the later 1962-69 series after the re-organisation of the set range.  It was a disappointment but I made use of it.
    Work kept me busy and away from home a lot so the Meccano was put aside. In 1976 I was sent to Scotland (with the family) to be part of the Australian Navy Submarine Project. Money was no object now so I went out and bought a #10 set in the first week of my posting. We were still living in two suites at the hotel at great expense to the Aust. Govt.

     We returned from the UK in 1978 and I was involved in another shipbuilding project that kept me away from home so I did not get much chance to build with the Meccano and When I moved again in 
1999 I had no where to store it so I disposed of it along with my #8 set much to my regret. I have now started collecting the sets again..
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Name: Barry
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elvaaevans@hotmail.com
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Last Update 16/09/08