DavidS2 Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 I started collecting some more HD 3 rail recently, now having space and perhaps some time to make a ‘proper’ layout. I only had 2 electric points with my original set, so acquired 10 more from that well known auction site. Generally they are in good condition, nothing a good clean won’t make better, that is apart from the tiny springs that hold the point blade over once the motor operates. They have all corroded to some extent and don’t work as intended. Is there a source of replacement, I have searched but not successfully, can anyone point me (sorry) in the right direction..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcordingley Posted February 11, 2021 Share Posted February 11, 2021 You could think about joining the Hornby Railway Collectors' Association (HRCA). It covers Hornby Dublo and Hornby 0 gauge, together with other Meccano Ltd products. The Association produces a Spares Directory, in which you'll find pretty much all the various bits you might need. Monthly journal and active online forum, too - all for about £30 a year. Check out https://www.hrca.net/ David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagaguy Posted February 11, 2021 Share Posted February 11, 2021 I bought a couple of packets of miniature springs from Ebay when i had this problem,there were a few suitable springs there. Ebay item no.193677421564 I don`t know of any other source i`m afraid. Ray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Il Grifone Posted February 11, 2021 Share Posted February 11, 2021 Welcome to RMweb! It might be possible to wind a spring from phosphor bronze wire. Ex-Dublo brush spring? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidS2 Posted February 11, 2021 Author Share Posted February 11, 2021 Thank you all, David I am a member joined in March I think last year, after watching Ron Dodd on you tube & yes I bought a magnetiser too, very happy with that. Those springs are still available great I’ll have a look through them Ray, I’ve seen a few in the bag for other uses:-) Il Grifone, I like that idea, you could probably get a couple or three from one spring & I’ve a few odd looking ones in the box! Excellent I’ll keep you posted thank you again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidS2 Posted February 12, 2021 Author Share Posted February 12, 2021 Well the rewound brush spring worked a treat, wound round a piece of 1mm piano wire made a spring slightly too tight to fit around the pin. So a small reverse wind on the piano wire worked a treat. I made two new springs, Being phosphor bronze it doesn’t loose it temper and won’t rust. Actually careful checking revealed two much older points had suffered generally from rust, the points with later ‘square’ connectors were fine. I lost the first original I took off as a pattern, ping it was gone.....so replaced the rusty one, made a replacement for the lost one and have enough left I reckon for two more! Effective use for old wonky brush springs. Il Grifone its a winner! & Ray I have a bag of springs heading my way thank you chaps 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Il Grifone Posted February 13, 2021 Share Posted February 13, 2021 You're Welcome! Glad to be of assistance On second thoughts, Kadee knuckle springs might work, but they may be too small? 0 scale version? It's much cheaper to wind your own though. I use drill bits as formers. They're rigid and straight and come in a vast range of sizes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roythebus1 Posted February 14, 2021 Share Posted February 14, 2021 RS Components do boxes of assorted small springs, but never in the size you want at that time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidS2 Posted February 14, 2021 Author Share Posted February 14, 2021 17 hours ago, Il Grifone said: You're Welcome! Glad to be of assistance On second thoughts, Kadee knuckle springs might work, but they may be too small? 0 scale version? It's much cheaper to wind your own though. I use drill bits as formers. They're rigid and straight and come in a vast range of sizes. Doh, of course drill bits.... next time 10 hours ago, roythebus1 said: RS Components do boxes of assorted small springs, but never in the size you want at that time. You know I was just at that funny age where Proops packs didn’t seem to matter in life, but now, oh boy! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium BR60103 Posted February 15, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 15, 2021 How do they compare to the springs in ball point pens? Probably the wromg material, but ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Il Grifone Posted February 15, 2021 Share Posted February 15, 2021 The springs from ball point pens are much larger and tougher. The Dublo spring is one of those tiny springs with a extreme tendency to disappear into the fourth dimension. I saw it go there, but it's not.... From memory, it's roughly 4/5 mm. x 2.5mm. Something imperial I assume, being a Meccano product - the metric system didn't exist at Binns road - Dublo is 5/32" to the foot! (for a toy, near enough 4mm....). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hroth Posted February 15, 2021 Share Posted February 15, 2021 27 minutes ago, Il Grifone said: The springs from ball point pens are much larger and tougher. The Dublo spring is one of those tiny springs with a extreme tendency to disappear into the fourth dimension. I saw it go there, but it's not.... From memory, it's roughly 4/5 mm. x 2.5mm. Something imperial I assume, being a Meccano product - the metric system didn't exist at Binns road - Dublo is 5/32" to the foot! (for a toy, near enough 4mm....). Meccano was invented before the UK even thought about Metrication*. Hornby Trains and Hornby Dublo naturally followed suit... * Metric? Isn't that some Froggy fad? Foot/Pounds per Furlong were good enough for Grandad! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Il Grifone Posted February 15, 2021 Share Posted February 15, 2021 (edited) As far as I'm concerned, the imperial system become obsolete the moment they invented the metric system. Imperial even uses it as a reference - I inch = 25.4 millimetres. Why they didn't make it 25mm. I can't imagine. We got our own back. Meccano is now made in France, rigorously with the holes at 12.7 mm. spacing! China makes copies with 10mm. spacing, but India has* one with the proper figure. * Had? a search on the internet produced a blank. Edited February 15, 2021 by Il Grifone 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roythebus1 Posted February 17, 2021 Share Posted February 17, 2021 On 15/02/2021 at 08:13, Hroth said: Meccano was invented before the UK even thought about Metrication*. Hornby Trains and Hornby Dublo naturally followed suit... * Metric? Isn't that some Froggy fad? Foot/Pounds per Furlong were good enough for Grandad! Meccano was first produced in Calais, there's a place there still called Meccano, just up towards the theatre from the station. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Il Grifone Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 Frank Hornby made the first Meccano parts by hand. Half an inch rather than a centimetre spacing meant less holes to drill.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruffnut Thorston Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 (edited) Meccano was first produced In Liverpool, England! The french factory was a much later addition... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meccano Meccano is a model construction system created in 1898 by Frank Hornby in Liverpool, United Kingdom. In 1913, a very similar construction set was introduced in the United States under the brand name Erector. In 2000, Meccano bought the Erector brand and unified its presence on all continents. In 2013, the Meccano brand was acquired by the Canadian toy company Spin Master. Meccano maintains a manufacturing facility in Calais, France. Edited February 18, 2021 by Ruffnut Thorston Added information... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Il Grifone Posted February 19, 2021 Share Posted February 19, 2021 I read (see link) that Mr. Gilbert got the idea for Erector from observing some girders. Not the first American 'invention' this applies to. (Television, the telephone, and the electric light bulb come to mind!) Not that they are alone in this of course. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erector_Set AFAIK it shares Meccano's half inch spacing but uses American thread nuts and bolts rather than Whitworth. https://www.meccanodirect.fr/notre-histoire 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Il Grifone Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 Some Erector here: https://www.nzmeccano.com/image-103426 and there was this splendid beast: https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.brightontoymuseum.co.uk%2Fw%2Fimages%2Fthumb%2FHudson_locomotive_5200%2C_Erector_set 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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