Meccano Model Exhibition 1998
Report written by Chris Warrell for our November 1998 Newsletter
Saturday 17 October 1998
3rd Bromley Scouts Group Hall
Bromley
Our twentieth anniversary exhibition was a reasonably successful one, with enough models to fill all the available table space. The 3rd Bromley Scout Hall was the venue again.
It has good access from the road but, this year, we had the idiosyncrasies of Bromley Council to contend with when it came to parking outside the hall. However, this didn’t seem to upset too many people — there are some who are always upset of course!
It seems incredible that it was as long ago as 1979 that we held our first exhibition in the Sherard Hall, Eltham. Then we were able to muster all our fourteen members to attend with models, as well as guests from three other clubs.
This year nineteen members and a guest brought models. If all our current membership turned up there just wouldn’t be room, but a few more than we had would have been welcome, to say nothing of filling a few small gaps!
There were just the two dealers this time who were positioned on opposite sides of the hall. This seemed to work well — at least, I didn’t hear either of them complain.
Refreshments were provided, as before, by the Scouts for exhibitors and the public alike. We had 163 visitors to the exhibition. We’ve had a lot more in previous years (last year it was almost 200, and at our first exhibition we had 366!) but it didn’t spoil our enjoyment. It’s a bit of a lottery, really; you write to the same newspapers and local radio stations every year, place adverts in shop windows, but what more can you do? Actually, there is a What’s On guide for Bromley that I heard about too late for this year, but 1999 is another year.
There were a few enquiries about membership of SELMEC but, as yet, I haven’t received any completed forms.
A photographer came from the Kentish Times and took the photograph of Andrew Couzens with the Titanic. The usual corny caption, of course, but it’s better than nothing and it gives the club some additional publicity.
Cutting from the Bromley and Beckenham edition of the Kentish Times, 22nd October 1998
Models on Display
The following models were brought:
Jim Arthur — Samurai armour; Block-setting crane; Car chassis; Ferris wheel; Flak gun; 155mm field gun; Various engines.
Peter Bolwell — Drop stamp; Self winding clock.
Geoff Carter — Special Aero Constructor high wing cabin monoplane in cream and red; Roger le Roland’s 1898 Benz cyclecar, mainly in yellow and silver; Freebie (i.e. from our club auction in March) motorcycle.
Peter Clay — Farm tractor; Spirit of St. Louis monoplane upon Meccano showcard of the Eiffel Tower; Lansing Bagnall station platform tractor with two trailers; Motorised cross country vehicle; French Meccano ‘rescue car’ with working lights; Dad’s Army butcher’s van; Earth/lunar mechanism.
Andrew Couzens — Titanic with a few modifications to stern and funnels.
John Cowdery — Seaplane; Bedford lorry; Mobile crane.
Geoff Davison — Austrian mountain cable railway; Traction engine; Sports car; Army truck.
Ivor Ellard — Grabbing crane with five motors; Dump truck with three motors; Tracked loader with no less than four motors. All remote-controlled!
Jim Ellicott — Mobile crane and tractor with spreader beams.
George Foard — Dealer’s display Ferris wheel; ‘Bouncing ball’ machine.
John Gay — 1951 Dennis fire pump and escape.
Paul Heather — Giant walking dragline in red and green.
Les Maher — Dockyard crane with grab; Three pulley blocks; Roller bearing; Cranked luffing for level-luffing crane.
Francis Paine — Dealer’s Tower Bridge model; Tower crane; Large battleship; Traction engine; Beam engine; Eiffel Tower; Various historic Meccano sets.
Nigel Pope — Super Model steam engine; Flying helicopter; Five army models; Mogul truck; Dog; Lorry; Dune buggy; Floating narrow boat; Wharf; Three clocks; Two elastic band guns; Windmill; ‘Ask the professor’; Rock band; Three motorbikes.
David Smithers — ‘Decimal’ clock; Excavator with push button control; Funny mechanism.
Len Spink — ‘Stop me and buy one’ Wall’s ice cream van; Articulated lorry from set № 5; Meccano chassis from the Super Model Bentley.
Tim Surtell — Teacher and weightlifter; Chocolate vending machine.
Chris Warrell — Steam excavator based on Super Model № 1.9; Ferris wheel.
Eddie Oatley (guest) — 30 ton dry dock crane on a jetty, with luffing of the jib by twin screwed rods; Mint-condition Märklin set in red and green.
John Longbon and Mike Rhoades — Dealers.