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Meccano

Meccano is toy construction material: metal strips of various shapes, sizes and colours, all perforated with equidistant holes, together with copious supplies of nuts and bolts. It is a versatile constructional medium: it is possible to build nearly anything, even protoype new ideas and inventions.

The current Japanese owners, Nikko, manufacture sets in France and China.

History

The Meccano Company was formed by Frank Hornby after his idea in 1901 of a new toy - 'Mechanics Made Easy'. This very quickly became known as Meccano, and was soon on sale across the world.

The initial factories were in James Street and Duke Street in Liverpool, UK, but by 1914 production had moved to a new site at Binns Road.

1n 1909 the company added to its range by launching the 'Hornby System of Mechanical Demonstration' which included pulleys. This was the first use of the Hornby name, which later was to become synonymous with their DublO model railway system.

In 1920 the company started to produce O scale model railways, and this production line continued into the 1960's.

In 1938 the company launched the DublO model railway system, and production continued until 1964.

By the late 1920's, Meccano had became an international household name and many people today look back at their childhood with fond memories of building various models.

Some believe that Meccano is no longer made, but in truth it has never gone out of production. It is one of the few products in existence to have such a long running success. At one stage Meccano was manufactured throughout the world (Spain, Argentina, USA, England, France), however in more recent times production has declined and the rights to Meccano have passed through three or four owners in France, to the current Japanese owners, Nikko, who still manufacture sets in France and China.

There are world-wide Meccano enthusiasts, with hundreds of websites covering every conceivable aspect of Meccano history, model building instructions and Frank Hornby's success with various products. Individuals and companies still manufacture replica parts world-wide, some long out of production.

External links

  • Nikko's Meccano site http://www.nikko-toys.co.uk/section.php?trail=1&section_id=4
  • International Society of Meccanomen http://www.internationalmeccanomen.org.uk/
  • Meccano Webring - A comprehensive collection of Meccano related websites http://www.meccanoweb.com/meccring/
  • e-mail based Meccano discussion group http://turingmachine.org/mailman/listinfo/spanner
  • Meccano, a short history http://www.freenet.edmonton.ab.ca/meccano/mechist.html
  • What is Meccano? http://www.mecworld.co.za/jmh/jmh/articles_files/what_is_meccano/whatismec.htm
  • Meccano Restoration Archive http://www.mecworld.co.za
  • Meccano Parts http://secure.meccanoshop.co.uk/Spare_Parts.html
  • Exacto System http://www.exactosystem.com/


Last updated: 02-26-2005 12:57:45