Page 2
From the editor
After the anniversary week another job needed to be done. The Anniversary Book needed attention and a lot needed to be done. Gradually it became clear that in association with Hans Kuijl about 2 weeks work were needed before we could bring it to the printer. An annoying effect became clearer and clearer, and by that I mean that ‘Meccano Nieuws’ came under pressure. In other words it were tropical days. When I write this little text it is beyond 23:30 o’clock in the meantime. Tomorrow it goes to the printer, so hang in there.
About the content I can inform you that a number of gatherings are behind us, but that will become clear to you. An important part of this issue is a report of the anniversary. For many of you it will give some insight how that week was. Look for yourself.
I will end now to complete this MN, but I wish you fun while reading.
Also I want to wish you a nice December and a prosperous and healthy 2018.
Your editor
Charles Spierdijk
(Translation: Bea Brouwer)
Page 5
Mechelen 2017
Text and photos: Charles Spierdijk
(Translation: Bea Brouwer)
The first gathering in Belgium was a fact. As generally known in the meantime, this gathering takes place at the ‘Speelgoedmuseum’ [Toy Museum, BB]. In my case we need to get up very early, to arrive around ten o’clock. First we greet the present members and exchange the news. Then it time for some coffee. Next it is time to walk around to see the models, with the purpose to trace new models or specialties. Besides the shown models a number of new project come into the picture, like a number of small compositions of a crane under construction. Moreover I cannot tell you anything about it, at the insistence of the constructor. But you can be assured that next year more clarity will be given. Also some material is shown of a less known brand. An article about it will be written. We notice that the visitors of the museum think that it is a private gathering and make no effort at all to come and look. It is a petty, because on Saturdays there are lots of visitors in the museum.
With an extra notice at the entrance of the room (for example: “come on in, open for all museum visitors”) we can perhaps persuade the hesitating visitors to come in.
For the Guild members who did not visit the gathering in Mechelen is this last information perhaps a reason to also come to Mechelen. Visitors for the Meccano gathering have free access to the museum after notification at the cash register. As you can see, also some photos have been placed.
Left Top The harbour crane of Temse is from Jan Bressinck.
Left Bottom and Middle This Motor from the sidecar class was built by Henri Goovaerts.
Right Top Het harbour crane of Geert Vanhove.
Right Bottom A locomotive on a tableau from Mr. J. Hankenne.
At this model of Gilbert Ghyselbrecht an identical coil (see photo) an important role while running.
You also find a number of photos on the back of this MN edition
Pages 6-7
The Meccanowoman you always wanted to meet:
Ans van Heeswijk-Tielemans
Interview: Hans Kuijl, photos: Charles Spierdijk.
(Translation: Bea Brouwer)
INTRODUCTION
Walking city dweller
Through the nice church village Nijnsel I have arrived at the Lieshoutsedijk and I was greeted by the soft snoring sound of the electronic lawnmower turning around the lawn and doing its deservingly job. I parked my car on the driveway and walked to the house, at least the entrance I thought was the entrance. But… it gave an entrance to that beautiful, recently mowed lawn and I, as a city dweller, dared not to walk on it. Fortunately my Meccano-hostess brought a solution (the intended interviewed is the first Meccanowoman in this range). She came to me with a friendly greeting and before we knew it we were drinking coffee with husband Christ, with an enormous piece of apple pie.
MECCANO
UNIMOG dump truck
I have the honour and the pleasure, dear reader of our favourite magazine, to introduce you to Ans van Heeswijk-Tielemans, membership number 2826. In the meantime well known for her beautiful modelled UNIMOG dump truck, see the Anniversary Book §5.2.19. UNIMOG stands for UNIversal MOtor Gerät, now produced under the name Mercedes-Benz.
The interest for Mecccano started at an older age. Her brother-in-law was busy with it for some time already and Ans was fascinated by the technical possibilities of the mechanical toy. It was beautiful to see what could be built with this long lasting material.
First simple constructions
Becoming a member of the Meccano Guild was a logical thing to do. Ans started with some construction boxes of the French Meccano. Later there was built with some boxes of Märklin-Metall. Simple constructions and mechanisms, that went reasonable well. Trying to improve the models and to embellish them. The process of building, taking it down and changing has been started. In the beginning she has built mainly small models.
Larger models in red/green
Larger models with more complex constructions and mechanisms followed. Later she has built other nice models, of which many in the red/green period. To come with it… a bit reserved. Mostly she thought they were not good enough, or she had a high standard of demands about her models.
She lacked the construction experience, but she was eager to learn. She has a preference for dynamic smooth turning models, which are neatly finished. Preferably she uses axles of Märklin; these are straight and nicely finished. She uses almost always brass washers to protect the perforated plates and –strips for paint damage. During the summer Ans does not build much, because of all kinds of other pursuits that needs to be done.
Instructive
During the winter ans has more time to build. She visits the Meccano gatherings with some regularity. Meeting people with the same hobby and exchange ideas is fun and instructive. It is fascinating to see on exhibitions how ingenious the models often are constructed.
Everybody has his own preferences for models to be built and a lot of builders develop their own style. Construction the UNIMOG I had to find out a number of things and delve into the Ackermann-principle in car engineering. How can I show this in the steering gear and the rear axle of the Meccano truck? Which scale, dimensions of the wheels, motor and reduction will I use, etc.? How can you build a smooth running differential with Meccano parts?
Challenge
It is a challenge to achieve this in a miniature model. Building a good turning differential in such a model is a good exercise and it is done in several ways. I have tried to build a personal image of the truck with Meccano parts. Member with more experience have given me good instructions. They have helped me with making special parts that I needed sometimes.
LIFE
Ans was born in the fifties in Gemert, Noord-Brabant. She is the youngest daughter from a family of five children. Her two older brothers have, so says Ans, technical talents. In their spare time they have restored and refurbished old cars and motors. With Meccano they never played. Ans always has had the interest for technique.
Order and discipline
She has followed, as also her sisters, elementary school at the nuns of the Nazareth School in Gemert. A separate girls school with order and discipline. In her youth years tinkering with different materials, dolls were not her thing.
The secondary education taken in Veghel, and several jobs during the holidays. In that period also made a lot of embroidery on fine-meshed embroidery linen. Embroidery patterns of Thea Gouverneur are favourite. The embroidery always have the theme ‘wild plants, flowers and birds’. The last design of Thea that I have made: ‘1065 Bird cage 45x100cm’. It was a nice, but secure and time-consuming job. In that period I started to focus more and more to the real perennials. “Our own garden improved by that”.
Married to Christ and live in Eerde. Worked with pleasure at the Fioretti College in Veghel at the computer department. In her spare time always busy with making all kinds of things. Working with needle and thread, the sowing machine, embroidery, tinkering with wood, thread, copper.
A lot of moving parts
A wooden crane truck made by a lot of moving parts according to the blueprint and executed in parts of blank plywood. With two growing suns, for 25 years, we have lived in Eerde with pleasure. In 2012 we moved to Sint Oedenrode. In the new house gotten a hobby room of her own and a very nice one according to your interviewer.
In the summer we pay a lot of attention to the many perennials in the garden. Last summer made a beautiful tour in England (Kent). Visited a lot of famous gardens in that area.
Meccano ladies
It is always very nice to talk to the ladies. To pay interest in what they are doing. They are very important to the guild and to me.
A lot of respect for all their efforts for the guild. Some new female members are more than welcome. Now we are in the minority.
Going to the Meccano room
We take the stars to the basement. In a wide hall stands a cupboard with some nice models. Lots of space, a wide working table, bookcases and chests of drawers. A wooden chest of drawers for Meccano parts.
All the drawers are classified with trays, where the loose parts are kept sorted. There are two new cabinets built on size short after the move. The storage system for Meccano and other items had improved by that.
Over the years her collection grew with Meccano of different production-periods, obvious recognized at the different colours. Further the collection exists from: Märklin Metall, Trix, Merkur.
This year she started to refurbish Meccano. When the material is too much damaged, clean it and spray it with Motip primer, and –paint in the wanted Meccano colour. This is done with good weather, preferably outside.
The last years collecting divers old manuals of: Meccano, Trix, Märklin Metall, Temsi and Merkur, but also ‘The Meccano System-Hornby Companion’ series 2 and 6 and other manuals. My family likes my hobby and follows it with interest.
Alternative leisure activity
Next to my passion for Meccano, perennials and needlework I love various music styles. Other activities are swimming, reading and games. I like Sudoku and chess too.
Ans, thank you for this interview.
Pages 8-9
Sassenheim 2017
Text: Charles Spierdijk, photos: Charles Spierdijk and Jan de Goede.
(Translation: Bea Brouwer)
For the second time we were guests at the nursing home ‘Bernardus’. At 08:30 o’clock the hall opened for the participants and that was not a minute too soon. The participants were immediately gathered to help with the table plan, so everything was in its place in no time. After that everybody received their table space as needed. The reported members decorated their spot soon and the first visitors arrived. The use of reporting the coming with models resulted in the fact that all the available tables were occupied. Still there was one member that had not reported that he was coming, but came anyway. Luck was on his side, because yesterday evening someone had cancelled.
Another point that can be improved, is the premature packing and leaving. Precisely because we are guests in a nursing home, we should all stay until the given time. The residents are mostly later in the afternoon able to attend the exhibition and enjoy the models.
This time there were again some members who left much earlier than was indicated.
All in all a successful gathering. For the members who were not able to come, the photos give you an impression.
Left The crane of Bertus.
Right The crane of Andries.
Left For the left Robot the right one was demolished. Both belong to the family Valkema.
Left Bottom The model carrousel of Henri Goovaerts.
Right Small model of Rene Muijen if I am not mistaken.
A collection of small models.
The walking beast of Huib van Wijngaarden.
Left Middle The prototype of the Volkswagen.
Right Middle A small Tronico model of Andries.
Top The micro models of Bea.
Bottom A bending machine of Wil van de Camp.
Top This models is from a brand that produces tricycles.
Bottom The slot machine is also from Gert Joren.
Pages 10-11
Schrauber-meeting Bebra 5-8 October 2017
Text and photos: Geert Vanhove.
(Translation: Bea Brouwer)
This year the gathering of the ‘Freundeskreis Metallbaukasten’ took place in Hotel Sonnenblick in Bebra, central Germany nearby Kassel. Also this time dozens of European lovers of Meccano, Märklin Metall and many other metal construction systems have spent a special nice and educational four days with each other. From breakfast to the late hours there was the opportunity to get to know each other and exchange any kind of information. A number of ladies traveling along choose to explore the surroundings and enjoyed also the accommodation of the hotel.
Our Meccano photographer on the spot, tried to get clear images of it all. Sea captain Willy Dewulf came from Marseille on a cargo ship (photo 1).
While unloading the ship he told a sailor’s story about a gigantic light giving whale (photo 2) that sprouted from the phantasy of Axel and Moritz Köppe.
An adventurous aviator came with one of the first pioneers planes (photo 3) to the gathering. He needed to twirl some rounds above the airport because it turned out to be very busy there.
The cause of it was a collision with an antique vehicle (photo 4).
Constructor Georg Eiermann declared however that the front- and rear bumper of the vehicle were connected with the spring motor, that made the four-wheeler drive forward and backward again and again (photo 5).
Several rail vehicles were deployed to go to the exposition room.
The steam locomotive of Dieter Bode (photo 6) was not as fast as the electrical one of Guy Kind (photo 7). Gert Udke saw the both locomotives rushing towards him, so he had to speed up the finishing of the ‘Müngstener Brücke’ (photo 8) so the trains could drive across the bridge (photo 9).
In urban environment a transfer was made to trams of Urs Flammer from Switzerland (photo 10). Urs also exhibited the remarkable collection ‘other systems’, amongst several at which you need to cut, pons, bend or riveting the parts yourself. Norbert Klimmek demonstrated an appliance, hand controlled, to cut Meccano strips with rounded edges.
The collectors of metal construction boxes had installed a lot of nice items on the tables. Rare, almost unknown brands, were next to each other with the beloved chests 8, 9 & 10 of Meccano and of course a lot of Märklin Metallbaukasten. A lot of crane models were shown. There was installed, amongst others, a very robust duo of Liebherr building tower crane. The constructor combined parts of Metallus with a lot of steel home craft, soaking in an air of machine oil.
Jacques Longueville had copied the folding bridge from the German Kiel in TECC (Merkur). The biggest challenge turned out to be the adjusting of the pulling cables (photo 11). Thomas Rothenhäusler, from Switzerland, showed a range of small models, which were numbered. In that way he is able to keep record which model goes to which gathering.
The sisters Ahlbrand were also present, and show what it is all about: Enjoying our hobby (photo 12).
At the closure of the big evening party the majority voted to organise the gathering next year also in Bebra This time from 18 to 21 October 2018.
Andreas Abel will coordinate it all. More info later in our guild magazine.
Pages 12-17
35-year Anniversary MGN
Text: Bea Brouwer
(Translation: Bea Brouwer)
Friday 20-10-2017: We arrive at the ‘*techniekHuys’ in Veldhoven. The entrance is overwhelming, what a beautiful space. The table plan makes sure that the exhibitors can be brought quickly to their spot. Spontaneously the lunch is taken together. Around 14:00 o’clock the UP-house arrives and everybody is busy decorating ‘his’ or ‘her’ spot. Slowly is grows into something very nice.
Top Resting and lunching.
Bottom The UP-house has arrived.
Saturday 21-10-2017: Focke started to build his crane and in the meantime it is more crowded than Friday.
The film and the Power Points are installed and everybody is busy at his table. At about 13:00 o’clock everybody is invited to go upstairs. Here we are welcomed with coffee and/or tea with a ‘petit four’ with logo. At 13:25 o’clock Harry Verhoeven starts to speech. He is proud that this manifestation takes place in the ‘*techniekHuys’ and that he has persuaded Elco Brinkman to open this week of festivities. The complete speech will not take too much time by the way, because Elco sees several men in white overalls, who probably have to get back to work. Willem Livestroo welcomes everybody with a special thanks to Harry Verhoeven, who has cooperated to make this beautiful exhibition a fact. Next Hans Kuijl thanks Harry for the hospitality in this beautiful establishment, where hobbies and crafts collide. Also thanks to the sponsors, see the posters here and there. Harry receives, under applause, a year subscription plus 1 episode MN. He also will receive a copy of the Anniversary Book, although it is still under construction by the indestructible editorial team.