The Justifier Fairground Ride
Built by Santiago Plicio in January 2012
Just when 2011 was bringing to an end what had already turned out to be my busiest year ever in terms of building and exhibiting new Meccano models, in mid-December I decided to cram in just one more.
Unfortunately, due a growing series of constructions and the seasonal Christmas tree taking more than their fair share of available space, one of the models had to make way. Despite such an injustice, I decided to dismantle The Eclipser, one of my most recent models that had only been exhibited just once at the Kempton Great Engines Museum.
The model’s design has two twin towers attached to a circular based made up of 24 flanged sector plates. These towers support a centrally attached rotating arm with matching large vessels that freely swinging at each end. The rotating arm is driven with a power-drive unit at 3–12V DC. A 6:1 gear box drives a large pulley engaging a pinion into a gear ring attached to the main rotating unit. The model can rotate its main arm at speed and in turn the passenger vessels at each end subject their riders to an exhilarating ‘heart in your mouth’ experience.
This fairground model’s features include a large base with a main entrance, a ticket kiosk, a bench and lights, but its main attraction is the form the ride takes in the shape of ‘Scales of Justice’. Its purpose is to give its riders hearts an ‘Injustice’ on a Scale not previously encountered before, and that for thrill seekers alone, is ample justification for its place at the fair.
‘The Justifier’ — where courage is weighed on a huge scale!